Civil servants are preparing a fresh assault on the two-tier system as the crisis in the public finances forces mandarins to seek savings through any possible means
Hundreds of thousands of council homes have been branded unfit to live in. Nearly one in five have been classed “non-decent”. In total 714,000 were cold, draughty, leaky or lacking “reasonably modern facilities”.
Proposals on how regions should prepare new style Regional Strategies and new Local Authority Leaders Boards were published today for consultation by Local Government Minister Rosie Winterton.
The new Cheshire West and Chester Council has already saved 30m since coming into existence in April by reducing the number of management layers inherited ? from the eight predecessor district authorities ? from nine to five.
Cllr Michael Freer, the Conservative leader of Barnet Council, says his Council already has the second lowest back office costs in London – but big further admin savings are planned by sharing costs with public services.
Birmingham City Councils original plans to set up a municipal bank are unworkable due to the legal confusion surrounding councils ability to act in the interest of their areas, councillors have claimed.
The Conservative leader of Kent county council, Paul Carter, is working with other south-east county leaders on plans for a transfer of responsibility from quangos, such as the Regional Development Agencies
Essex CC has officially submitted plans to use the Sustainable Communities Act to seize powers from unelected quangos. The proposals will be given to the Local Government Association which will shortlist proposals from councils nationwide and pass a shortlist of frontrunners to the communities secretary for approval.
Council chiefs paid as much as £240,000 a year face the axe under a Conservative government, after a senior Tory said the position of council chief executive should be abolished.
From today, businesses in England are able to apply to their local council to defer part of their 2009-10 business rates bills. Councils are sending out a one-page application form with details of how to apply for this scheme and small business rate relief to every ratepayer in England.