In a bold manifesto local government leaders have promised that that no council will be rated ‘poor’ or ‘weak’ by 2008 and they are calling on the government and other political parties unequivocally to back radical devolution of power to local councils. The Local Government Association paper, ‘Independence, opportunity, trust: a manifesto for local communities’, is designed to kick-start a wide-ranging review of the scope and role of local government in the UK.It has been produced following a series of debates and consultation. It sets out a vision of self-governing communities led by councils and free from Whitehall interference. The LGA claims Britain is the most centralised country in the developed world. The paper also calls for a government review of key public services and national agencies, so they can be transferred to local democratic control where possible. Central government control, it says, should be slashed to a small number of agreed nationally monitored targets.
An independent study has found that the Government’s Best Value Regime says it is having a positive impact on the internal culture and structure of many local authorities and it paints an encouraging picture of the role it is playing in the improvement and performance management of local government.
This report from the Employers Organisation for local government, presents
survey findings on recruitment, training and performance appraisal,
organisational development and job design for contact centres. The research
shows there is no single model of practice for contact centres in local
government. The approach is governed by local factors such as contact centre
strategy, service demand and local labour markets. The report gives a good
indication of the decisions to be taken and the factors to be considered when
setting up or reorganising contact centre operations.
Read more on ANSWERING THE CALL: HR PRACTICE IN LOCAL AUTHORITY CONTACT CENTRES…