The Guardian view on fixing England’s local democracy: reforming structures is the means, not the end | Editorial

NO one designs a system for providing public services in a modern democracy that would bring something similar to the local English government. A mixture of overlapping structures has evolved through generations of gradual reform. It is poorly understood by voters. The majority routinely Refrain from the council elections.

The government simplifies the system and ends the duplication of jobs between the provincial councils and provinces. This restructuring project will be combined with a renewed batch of transition in England. Here, also, the existing arrangements are inconsistent. Some of the broader urban cities and areas have been organized in the authorities combined with the elected mayors directly, and each of them has dedicated powers. Transportation and Housing Policy, for example, may sit below a different level of the government in a different part of the country, depending on whether it is a transfer deal.

The policy of the Labor Party, which is supervised by the societies of Angela Rainer and the administration of the local government, is that all England be covered by the unacceptable power system led by the mayor. Six regions are to be A fast pathWith due plans soon. Reorganizing the local government and paying the transition from relevant projects that mostly complete each other. But there are tensions. Palm deals must be ratified by the local authorities, which means Advisors who do not like It may be part of the proposed changes, depending on the repair sequence, the veto of another part of the plan.

The central government’s policy can become hostage to the transition. Sir Care Starmer pledge Building hundreds of thousands of new homesWhich the government also proposes reform reform. But the housing policy, as currently implemented, depends on the low layer of the local government, which is scheduled to be resolved in many areas.

Dancing design for overlapping repairs is not simple. Cutting the structures that risk becoming the main focus axis, consumption of funds and administrative ability that are already presented at the local and central government level. The prevalence of judicial grass wars and partisanships may become to determine new roles as distraction from the task of providing better public services, or – or should be – one of the advantages of reform.

The principle of sound is the leadership of changes. British policy was very central for a long time. The successful chain of changes would create areas of great judicial jurisdiction enough to be laboratories to innovate policy and benefit from savings of size, while they are local enough that societies feel in contact with their leaders, who can then be rewarded for success and accountability for failure.

The Gamechanging step will really be the financial transition, but the cabinet governs the guards of jealousy over taxes and spending. Advisors always suspect, with justification, that the current party in Westminster will bear the blame if local politicians offend their financial independence. But warning the agency councils. People are best to understand problems in their area to the means of developing solutions. Storage of strength centrally for fear of “postal lotion” never prevented regional Economic discretions.

The Sir Kiir government understood that something needs to be changed. Current reforms are clearly lacking the impact required to enable local democracy. Simple late. The danger is that rare resources end in reorganizing the device, at the expense of services that the machine supposed to provide.

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