06 March 2009
By Alex Klaushofer
The Department for Communities and Local Government has been strongly criticised by MPs for failing to implement its major policies effectively.
The annual report of the communities and local government select committee, published on March 4, concluded that the department’s performance in the main areas was still ‘patchy’. It singled out the flagship policy of building ten eco-towns by 2020 as a particular area of concern.
‘The eco-towns policy is clearly in some difficulty,’ said the report. ‘The ambition… of a total of “up to 100,000 homes” looks highly unlikely to be achieved.’
It highlighted the fact that only one site for an eco-town had been approved, which would create fewer than 5,000 homes.
‘The eco-town programme, even if successful, will make no huge contribution to the very significant problem of housing supply which is, rightly, one of the department’s top priorities,’ it said.
The DCLG was also criticised for its poor performance against its own Public Service Agreement targets, with only 65% met or on course to be met, as highlighted in the Cabinet Office’s recent capability review of the department.
‘This shows decidedly unimpressive performance by the department against its own targets,’ the report said. ‘Our view is that the department’s overall performance so far very much reflects the verdict of the Cabinet Office’s most recent capability review –“good progress… but overall still some way short of maximum effectiveness”.’
The MPs also said that they ‘remained concerned’ about ‘the persistence of a poor management culture’, manifested in bullying, harassment and discrimination in the DCLG and its predecessor, the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister.
‘Tackling that culture is an integral part of improving the department’s effectiveness and its ability to deliver,’ the report said.
A spokesman for the Department for Communities and Local Government said: ‘We are committed to building on the progress of the past three years, by further improving our performance in leadership, strategy and delivery.
‘We will study the report closely and consider how the committee’s recommendations might support and contribute towards these aims.’
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