09 July 2004
Government plans to strip councils of most of their education responsibilities will rupture relations between Whitehall and county hall, the Local Government Association's new chair has warned.
Speaking at the LGA's Bournemouth conference on July 7, Sir Sandy Bruce-Lockhart departed from his prepared speech to complain that councils had not been consulted about the government's intention to bypass them and fund schools directly.
'This is a serious breakdown in central and local government relations,' he said. 'It is councils that support schools and government which restricts them.'
Bruce-Lockhart, Conservative leader of Kent County Council, said to applause: 'We will oppose the centralisation of core funding of schools.'
Leaks in advance of the government announcement on July 8 suggested that its five-year strategy would reduce local education authorities to a minor advisory role as schools would be given complete control of budgets and direct funding.
The new LGA leader was supported by his predecessor, Sir Jeremy Beecham, who told the conference: 'Any attempt to diminish the role of local councils in education, from whatever source, would serve to undermine the thrust of the new education and children's agenda.
'Direct national funding of schools, removing responsibility for admissions policies and weakening the connection between schools and other local services would dilute local democracy.'
Bruce-Lockhart had earlier warned that the UK faced a crisis in its democracy because the public do not trust politicians. He said this trust could be rebuilt only at local level. 'We see the degree of centralisation in the UK as unique. It is ineffective and outdated.' Government attempts to raise standards through central control, guidance, bidding and inspection 'wastes money and saps the very heart of public service, weakening innovation, commitment and local responsiveness', he said.
ODPM ministers had been hamstrung by 'the relentless march of the centralisers' in other Whitehall departments.
Bruce-Lockhart added: 'Radical decentralisation must now take place with real freedoms and autonomy for local government. Councils must in turn empower communities, parishes, schools, voluntary groups, families and individuals.'
National standards were necessary only for hospitals and education, he suggested, and other services should be freed from central control.
Bruce-Lockhart conceded that centralisation was not solely promoted by Labour, noting that 'over 15 or more years we have moved to a quango state'.
He called on Chancellor Gordon Brown to use the imminent Spending Review to keep down council tax by ensuring that government spending plans were matched by corresponding increases for all local government services.
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