The Guardian view on fixing England’s local democracy: reforming structures is the means, not the end | Editorial
There is a danger of vital policy getting tangled in ambitious government plans that combine council restructuring with devolutionNo one designing a system for delivering public services in a modern democracy would come up with something that looks like English local government. The patchwork of overlapping structures has evolved through generations of gradual reform. It is poorly understood by voters. A majority routinely abstain in council elections.The government is simplifying the system, ending the duplication of functions between county and district councils. That restructuring project will be combined with a renewed push for devolution in England. Here, too, existing arrangements are inconsistent. Some cities and wider metropolitan areas have been organised into combined authorities with directly elected mayors, each with bespoke powers. Transport and housing policy, for example, might sit under a different tier of government in a different part of the country, depending on whether a devolution deal was done.Do you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit a response of up to 300 words by email to be considered for publication in our letters section, please click here. Continue reading...
There is a danger of vital policy getting tangled in ambitious government plans that combine council restructuring with devolution
No one designing a system for delivering public services in a modern democracy would come up with something that looks like English local government. The patchwork of overlapping structures has evolved through generations of gradual reform. It is poorly understood by voters. A majority routinely abstain in council elections.
The government is simplifying the system, ending the duplication of functions between county and district councils. That restructuring project will be combined with a renewed push for devolution in England. Here, too, existing arrangements are inconsistent. Some cities and wider metropolitan areas have been organised into combined authorities with directly elected mayors, each with bespoke powers. Transport and housing policy, for example, might sit under a different tier of government in a different part of the country, depending on whether a devolution deal was done.
Do you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit a response of up to 300 words by email to be considered for publication in our letters section, please click here. Continue reading...
