An update from council leader Julian Brazil - Local Government Reorganisation

What a Waste of Money 

As a council, what would you spend £50 million pounds on? I know one thing I wouldn’t do, rearranging the deckchairs of local government. Yet this is what is being forced upon us under the guise of Local Government Reorganisation (LGR) across the whole of Devon. The money won’t be coming from government. No, local council taxpayers will be picking up the tab. None of us asked for it and it wasn’t in any election manifesto. 

Most people have no interest in local government governance. If the services are delivered and council tax increases only marginally, they’ll just go with the flow. The thing is, if government has its way, council tax will be shooting up and the level and number of services shooting down. By then it’ll be too late, and you’ll find your local councillor is no longer local.  

Where’s the Evidence? 

So mega councils of 500,000 people or more is meant to be the solution. Says who? Two Freedom of Information (FOI) requests have been submitted to central government. They have clarified that there is no evidence base - other than a 4-year-old management consultant’s study - to justify the minimum population of 500,000 people, or to justify the £2-3 billion in claimed potential savings. It’s the same old story. Management consultants, with little or no experience of how local government works, know best. Unfortunately, experience tells us this is rarely the case. 

There are fundamental and systemic issues with local government, but this LGR approach won’t work. It’s going to end in chaos and confusion, with local council taxpayers left out of pocket. The House of Commons Library’s research briefing published earlier this year is far from positive. Once again management consultants point to millions of pounds of savings, while academics pour scorn on the figures. All we need do, is look at our closest neighbours. Both Somerset and Cornwall are having to make desperate service cuts this year. Yet their level of council tax is almost identical to Devon’s. The idea that organisational change will solve the problems around funding is just delusional. Wishful thinking of the highest order. 

Evolution not Revolution 

We do understand there are potential savings and efficiencies to be made. At the very least, government should let local councils come to the best solution. South Hams already shares senior officers with West Devon. Two councils but one chief executive and one set of directors. We can expand this approach with our neighbouring councils. As Devon’s districts we are also looking at integrating services across boundaries. Rubbish collection and leisure provision are two examples. A more measured, organic process can deliver savings without the huge cost and chaos the government’s cliff edge approach will bring. We ask for more time. 

Devolution, are you sure? 

It’s all part of the government’s grand plans on devolution. I welcome genuine devolution. We have one of the most centralised systems of any country. Much better for decisions to be made at the most local level possible. What concerns me is these plans look that the exact opposite. Huge councils, fewer councillors and decisions made at higher, more remote levels. Government is already setting out new ways of deciding planning applications. The consultation papers talk about officers making the decisions with no input from elected councillors. The system may be far from perfect, but taking democracy away can’t be right. All this political dogma is bound to end in tears.