Whitehall’s communication with local government is too often poor, rushed and unsystematic, the National Audit Office said today.
The watchdog urged central government to improve its liaison with councils and other local bodies, particularly as they play a vital role in the government’s decentralisation agenda. Despite goodwill on both sides, organisational differences between the sectors made the relationship ‘very challenging’, the NAO said.It found that although communication between central and local government was generally good when it was poor it could have a significant impact. Departments were not systematic enough to eliminate the risk of bad communication slipping through. Local authorities were exasperated by, for example, the poor targeting of emails to relevant audiences.
The auditors emphasised the importance of consulting local government early, as not doing so could result in project failure. The cancellation in 2010 of the scheme to reorganise and renew the fire service’s control centres arose partly because of insufficient involvement with fire and rescue authorities and the failure to win their support.
NAO head Amyas Morse said: ‘Communication and engagement between central and local government are inherently challenging, especially given the differences in priorities, ways of doing business and pressures.
‘Communications need to be clear, timely and take account of these cultural differences. Moreover, consultation needs to be done in a way that shows that central government “means it”, with enough time for the results to be meaningful, and for local government views to be reflected in the projects that go forward.
‘Only when these issues are addressed can the knowledge of both central and local government be used to best effect to achieve the joined-up service that local communities need.’
