Local Government ExplainedLGIU response: Review of local government reorganisation (LGR) launched
On 7 September the UK Government announced a review of local government reorganisation – withdrawing four decisions that had already been made and pausing 14 more. This is LGIU’s on-the-day response.
Jonathan Carr-West, Chief Executive, LGIU, said:
“What began as the most ambitious change to local government in a generation now looks in danger of becoming a colossal white elephant – a huge drain on time, resources and goodwill.
Those councils undergoing local government reorganisation have been trying to implement a massively complex project, under intense pressure and to very challenging timescales. LGIU’s concern is not the merit or otherwise of the LGR decisions – many others have made well-argued cases both for and against the many proposals that were submitted.
Our overriding concern is that local government leaders, staff and councillors have strained every sinew to meet the deadlines set by MHCLG. Today’s announcement – whatever the reasons behind it – rides roughshod over 1000s of hours of work.
If the Prime Minister is serious about his ambitions to rewire the state, then lessons must be learned from this debacle and learned fast. The proposed rewiring transformation is potentially a much larger undertaking than LGR, involving many more sectors and institutions. Its success will rely on collaboration and trust, and the local institutions that today’s announcement impacts most. All of which have been dealt a severe blow today.
The Prime Minister needs to bring councils with him – as we have said time and again, local government is vital to his aspirations. The Autumn White Paper will need to do a lot of heavy lifting to begin to rebuild trust across the sector and belief in a shared vision for the future of regional and local government.”
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