The government has recently put forward its vision for a new approach to public service provision, giving private firms, voluntary and community groups and local organisations the chance to bid more widely for public service contracts.
Perhaps Localis will be the Prince Charming that the reform of local government finance has been waiting for!
Challenging times demand radical responses and for the local government finance system inaction is no longer an option.
Councils should be allowed to buy themselves out of the national business rates system and retain local tax revenues, to encourage them to stimulate economic growth, a thinktank said this week.
Councils almost unanimously want more financial autonomy from central government, according to a think-tank survey of 200 local authority leaders.
For many people, mention of parish councils leads inexorably, if unfairly, to thoughts of The Vicar of Dibley.
More than 95% of local authorities want more control over business rates, according to a survey by local government think-tank, Localis.
Almost all councils in England (99.5%) want more fiscal autonomy, according to their chief executives and council leaders a new survey from the localism focused think Localis has revealed.
Local authority leaders and chief executives almost unanimously want greater financial autonomy for their councils, according to a survey carried out for think-tank Localis.
After debate stretching at least 35 years, it can only be the most optimistic who are confident that we are at last ready to seriously address the nagging issues of how we fund local services; incentivise good government and clarify just which set of elected representatives is responsible for what.