The Long Awaited Local Government White Paper:
What is ‘Local Government Leadership’?

The White Paper is a recognition that the Local Government Act 2000 is not working in the way that had been hoped. The Paper admits: “Local democracy needs strong, visible leadership but the framework within which local authorities operate can be a barrier to the kind of leadership that prosperous communities require. Too often political parties struggle to find enough good candidates to stand for election. Local Councillors feel disempowered.”

However the White Paper fails to differentiate between leading, doing, and policymaking.  It has lost sight of what local democracy is about – the consensus of elected ordinary people (Politicians) being carried out by employed good people (Officers) for the benefit of all (Voters). Ever since I was first elected in 1999 it has seemed to me, coming from the private sector, that the root of most of the problems lies in the relationship between Politicians and Council Officers. We have seen in East Herts an expensive example of what happens when relationships break down, and this has come about under the third model solution the White Paper puts forward.

The job of any leader is to bring ideas and vision, and communicate clearly the consensus of the team. This is not the same as telling civil servants what to do.

There is a significant culture difference between Politicians and Civil Servants:  Politicians ask “How can we get this done?” whereas Council Officers ask “Are we allowed to get this done?”  Is this tension going to be helped by getting a well-meaning amateur as Council Leader telling a professional Senior Civil Servant what to do? We rightly elect ordinary people to be our Councillors – why do we think they, or even one of them, can do the job of a Chief Executive?

There are not enough leaders around for business, and most choose to go into high-powered time-demanding jobs, so why do we think any of our Councillors can overnight become the de facto Managing Director of a medium sized company, which is the reality of East Herts Council? Is this what we elected them to do?  Surely we elected them to represent our views, to be non-Executive Directors, and to elect one of themselves as Chairman, as any corporate entity would do?

When Central Government decided it wanted to dispense with the century old Committee System that had operated well in Local Government, albeit perhaps slowly in some places, it should have looked at the Corporate Model, rather than the Westminster Model.  Most people understand how a Board works, with the Chairman providing strategic leadership, the Chief Executive getting things done, and the Board making the policy decisions.  The problem in Local Government is that the Chairman of the Council is a representative rather than a leadership role. But why not have a complete re-think?

At County level, the problems are different, and a Westminster model with semi-professional politicians may well be the best solution.  But at District level, such a structure is a sledge-hammer to crack a nut.
 
East Herts People does not have all the answers, but it does want to see open debate, direct accountability, and the Ward Members, Parish and District, working as a team in Community Leadership. This means having real power and resources, being properly informed, and having a realistic work load so that people in full-time employment and no employment can contribute equally.

Do you want to see an increase in the number of semi-professional paid politicians?  This is what has happened over the last four years at East Herts Council – were you consulted on this, did you vote for this, and do you think this is good for local politics? If not, you need to join our campaign for change.

Do you believe that debates behind closed doors, and then enforced voting on party lines in Council Meetings is good for local democracy?
If not, you need to join our campaign for change.

Do you believe that good relationships between Officers and Elected Members is at the heart of good local democracy?  If so, do you think the confusion between leading, doing and policymaking in the White Paper is going to help?  If not, you need to join our campaign for change.