Roundtable: ‘Doing the deal – Should there be a link between service reform and growth?’
Author: Localis |
Localis is looking forward to hosting a private roundtable discussion on the link between service reform and growth on 18th November.
With confirmed speakers:
Tamara Finkelstein, Director of Public Services, HM Treasury
Robert Pollock, Public Service Transformation Network
With the Government intent on getting the economy growing and transforming public services, two key policy strands of central government policy have emerged as far as local government is concerned. Firstly, the growth agenda is being tackled through the City Deals process, Local Enterprise Partnerships, and the future Growth Deals and associated Single Local Growth Fund. Alongside this, the Government has also embarked upon a wider public reform agenda, including the community budgets process.
We invite colleagues to debate whether these key strands should be joined up and, if so, what does this mean for the future of local government, in terms of e.g. accountability or structures. We will seek to address the following key questions:
1. Is such a joining up desirable?
2. Would this be feasible? And what would the governance look like?
3. What would this ultimately mean for the future of local government? Could a future devolutionary ‘mega-deal’ ever result in an area ‘breaking away’ from central government?