The Labour manifesto commitment to end compulsory competitive tendering for local authorities has been honoured with the announcement that it is to be abolished. Hilary Armstrong, the local government minister said it would be replaced by a “best value” scheme. She set out a three stage process starting with a review and consolidation period, followed by new regulations later in the year.”The Government has an open mind on contracting,” she said. 

A Mori poll carried out for the Local Government Association showed that crime tops the agenda of concerns about the quality of life. 75% of people questioned rated the services to tackle crime as the most important. In the same poll, ‘working to reduce crime’ came out as the top priority for local councils.The reasons for this concern have become clear from a procession of statistics.