Local Government Channel

New Localism Bill - what does it mean to you?

14/12/2010

By Stephen Horn, CEO, WebsEdge

New Localism Bill - what does it mean to you?

So now we know. The long-awaited Localism Bill has finally been published, alongside the details for local government funding.

But exactly what it means isn’t proving immediately clear. The level of cuts is going to vary widely from one area to another, with estimates of annual reductions in council spending ranging from 4-12%.  The only certainty I can see is the number of conference agendas being rushed out to explain it to us all.  It’ll sell newsprint if nothing else.

And the effects on individual communities are going to be hard to determine too, with some lauding the new bill as a new era for local government, others calling it a sham.  It’s going to take some time to get to the bottom of it. But when you cut through the rhetoric you can see some forward thinking politicians just getting on with it.

Clearly there are going to be fewer resources. The exact numbers may differ but as the LGA says, more needs to be done with less. And frankly this is nothing new: most chief executives you spoke to in the summer would tell you they were busy making plans for a 10% reduction in revenue. And it was hard to find anyone complaining about it – they were just getting on with it.

Equally clear is that councils are going to have more autonomy, more responsibility. Some would say that’s a sham because what’s the point in having more power if you have less money. But again, many chief executives and leaders I know are relishing the chance to make use of these new powers to serve their communities.

But there’s another theme coming out of the current turmoil that I find very interesting. It’s often thought in the UK that innovation comes from the private sector. But over the seven years we’ve been producing LGA TV, I’ve filmed numerous case studies exemplifying best practice in the public sector.  What’s happening now is this innovation is starting to flourish - it has to.

Let me give you an example. In these difficult times, communications are more important than ever. And some councils are turning to internet-based TV.  Whereas a couple of years ago they would have assigned a million pound budget to the project, they’re now trying to do it for nothing. And strangely enough it’s working.

Take Channel Surrey. Put together using accessible and virtually cost-free tools – blogs, YouTube sites etc, it does the job of a 24 hour television station. But good as the technology is - that’s not what makes it tick. It’s the fact that all the reporters - normally a very significant cost indeed - are from the community. Not just free - but the lifeblood of the channel itself. Take a look for yourself – channelsurrey.com
 


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