15 November 2002
Sir Andrew Foster said that the government had made an unprecedented promise to cede some of its power and influence to local leaders. Pressure should be brought to bear to ensure that this took place when the results of the Comprehensive Performance Assessments (CPA) were published next month, he said.
'The best authorities need to push the government to deliver on their side of the bargain. The Audit Commission has bust a gut to do this [the CPA] in a year, as have many authorities – it absolutely behoves the government to come through with their side of the deal,' he told a conference organised by the New Local Government Network.
Authorities will be rated in one of five categories, from excellent to poor. Those in the excellent category have been promised more freedom from government control, but details have been sketchy.
Foster said that the commission would ensure that the best authorities would also benefit from less regulation. 'The excellent places frankly don't need much help from us. They will get a minimalist audit and their fees will come down substantially.'
He warned that the CPA should be seen as an opportunity rather than a threat and that the alternatives could be a lot worse. 'If local government doesn't take this opportunity, I think other solutions will be found. This is a very significant opportunity and one that local government lets go at its peril,' Foster said.
Dan Corry, NLGN executive director, told delegates that councils were so used to doing what they were told that they were unsure of what freedoms to ask for.
'My fear at the moment is that there hasn't been enough thought among the councils who may expect to be in the "excellent" box as to what the crucial freedoms are that they need,' he said.
Jones said Brown would have to find a way of keeping the public finances under control. 'The government has a mandate to improve public services and firms should be expected to make a fair contribution to the additional investment that is required. But ministers cannot keep siphoning off company funds,' he said.
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