By David Williams
30 October 2009
Northeast England councils striving to meet centrally set targets are unable to address the economic and social problems of the region, a
think-tank has found.
Public service paradox, released on October 29 by the Institute for Public Policy Research North, described how apparently well run services were not able to tackle the region’s relative poverty.
The institute’s commission on public sector reform said the Northeast had deep-rooted problems that manifested themselves in shorter life expectancy, high levels of unemployment, and less participation in further education.
But, it argued, ‘top-down targets’ devised in Whitehall were tying the hands of local agencies, and preventing them from helping the region catch up with the rest of the UK.
Ed Cox, director of IPPR North, said the closer to the problem decisions on funding priorities were made, the more effective they were likely to be.
‘In health care, a lot of statutory funding is targeted at waiting lists at the chronic end of the spectrum, rather than preventative care,’ he said.
‘You would expect coronary heart disease and obesity to come down had there been greater focus on prevention.’
The study found that public services were performing well, and had helped protect the region from even greater hardship during the recession, but had not been able to improve the fundamental problems in the local economy.
The commission said local agencies should be able to set their own long-term goals, make decisions about public finances and control their relationships with the private and voluntary sectors. However, it did not call for a regional assembly.
30 October 2009
Northeast England councils striving to meet centrally set targets are unable to address the economic and social problems of the region, a
think-tank has found.
Public service paradox, released on October 29 by the Institute for Public Policy Research North, described how apparently well run services were not able to tackle the region’s relative poverty.
The institute’s commission on public sector reform said the Northeast had deep-rooted problems that manifested themselves in shorter life expectancy, high levels of unemployment, and less participation in further education.
But, it argued, ‘top-down targets’ devised in Whitehall were tying the hands of local agencies, and preventing them from helping the region catch up with the rest of the UK.
Ed Cox, director of IPPR North, said the closer to the problem decisions on funding priorities were made, the more effective they were likely to be.
‘In health care, a lot of statutory funding is targeted at waiting lists at the chronic end of the spectrum, rather than preventative care,’ he said.
‘You would expect coronary heart disease and obesity to come down had there been greater focus on prevention.’
The study found that public services were performing well, and had helped protect the region from even greater hardship during the recession, but had not been able to improve the fundamental problems in the local economy.
The commission said local agencies should be able to set their own long-term goals, make decisions about public finances and control their relationships with the private and voluntary sectors. However, it did not call for a regional assembly.
