Suday Thoughts

I read a couple of good articles in today’s Observer that set me thinking. One came from a predictable source another less so. Steve Hilton was a close policy advisor to David Cameron until about two years ago. He argues cogently that localism is the big new idea to enthuse the people. Correctly he argues that decisions have become ever more centralised and remote from the people, this leads him to say that because of this the population becomes disenfranchised and therefore more disillusioned with politics. There is an equation between civic pride and engagement with the size of an electorate.

Thus even the smallest French village has its Marie with a council that can make a real difference to its inhabitants. We also have the evidence of the US where even a small district elects its school board that can have a real impact on educational provision. Now both these examples of localism can have a negative as well as a positive effect. The nearest equivalent in this country are Parish Councils, indeed we have one in Newby and Scalby on which I had the misfortune to serve many years ago. They have tax raising powers, however these are extremely limited and any jurisdiction that they have seems to be regarding trivial areas like the maintenance of graveyards. In my experience they are talking shops mainly for people who like self-aggrandisement. Public participation is discouraged by the arcane procedures that they adopt.

So my conclusion is that Hilton is maybe right but that in order to enthuse the electorate they have to understand that any local body has real powers, and inevitably this will mean devolving power over real taxation. It also means that any efficiency enjoyed by the centralisation of services will be lost. The other challenge is that if it merely means that there is another layer of government then the complexities, costs, and beaurocracy will defeat people’s enthusiasm. So I applaud the sentiment but think that it will be challenging to implement, not the least because both central government and local authorities will have to give up meaningful power. You have obviously heard of the phrase “turkeys voting for Christmas”.

Another problem is getting capable people to stand for these local bodies. To be effective they are time consuming roles that are not rewarded commensurately with effort needed. Particularly at a local level you would become an easily identifiable Aunt Sally for the local electorate.

I think that a real step forward could be more openness in our local government, particularly with the demise of local newspapers. Ironically this should make it easier to disseminate information via the web. Each council should have a rapporteur whose job it is to be journalist reporting and explaining Council decisions and workings. As a rule of thumb everything should be reported, justification should be given for confidentiality rather than the other way round.

So Mr. Hilton your article has got me thinking, but I think that the solution is maybe not as simple as you propose.