Changes in local government seen as the most radical reform for a century are proving to be less radical than Ministers expected. The demise of the committee system of decision taking and replacement by systems that separate councilors into those with an executive role and backbenchers is proving slow to deliver results.So far the only model to be put into practice is that of a cabinet with a leader. A report by the Improvement and Development Agency and New Local Government Network reveals the extent of change resulting from the introduction of the Cabinet/Leader model is fairly modest. It was claimed that the committee system was slow and cumbersome in decision taking, but research has shown that the new model has little impact on the length of the decision taking process.
The Public Sector Benchmarking Service, launched recently, was claimed to be a way to avoid the waste of reinventing the wheel and a real opportunity for sharing knowledge and making things happen. It provides a comprehensive advisory service for anyone working in the Public Sector, explaining processes, finding potential partners and putting people in touch with others who have undertaken similar exercises. The Service is a joint venture between the Cabinet Office and Customs and Excise and was described at the launch as an excellent example of joined up government in action.The extent to which the Service is ‘joined up’ was revealed by a Customs spokesperson who was unaware that any similar service was operating in the public sector, despite the official statement that “the Service will complement anything that is going on elsewhere and will support and assist each of the government’s public service reform initiatives-Better Quality Services in central government, Best Value in local government and the NHS plans”.
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