The think-tank – the Local Government Information Unit – is calling for an easing of the restrictions that prevent council staff playing their part in local democracy. It has used its submission to the Government’s parallel consultations on a code of conduct for local government officers and on political restrictions, to renew demands for the legislation to be updated.Proposals for the reform of political restrictions are seen by the LGIU as one of the key measures needed to encourage more people to take part in public service as councillors or school governors. It has won the backing of 135 MPs from all political parties who have signed an Early Day Motion supporting its campaign.

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Fears that the Government will not be able to deliver the measures outlined in yesterday’s Queen’s Speech, either because of the shortage of time or the lack of staff, are among the reactions from the public sector to the proposed legislative programme.The Local Government Association broadly welcomed the contents of the Speech saying it showed the Government moving in the right direction. It was concerned though about plans to centralise school funding. These, it said, threatened to blow public service reform off course. It accused the Government of being reluctant to make a consistent and coherent long-term improvement to public services by freeing-up councils to join up public services at a local level. The plans to centralise funding would end local people’s ability to assess and meet local educational needs, and damage the link between schools services and other public services.

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Local authorities that serve the most deprived areas of Wales are to get extra resources under the Welsh Assembly Government’s final budget settlement for local government.Assembly Finance and Local Government Minister, Sue Essex, has included a 5 per cent increase in the deprivation grant in recognition of the need for additional resources for those councils serving the most deprived communities if they are to deliver key public services without introducing undue increases in council tax for people who are least able to pay. The increase is in line with the provisional local government settlement announced earlier this month.

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A MORI survey for the Local Government Association found that clean streets and effective communication are more likely to impress residents than council tax level comparisons. The report highlights the need for local government to communicate better what it is delivering for local communities. It concludes that the key drivers of people’s perception of their councils are: the visible streetscene and ‘liveability’ services; effective communication and explanation; caring responsiveness; and residents’ views on whether they are getting value for money.While education and social care are seen as very important by the public, public and user perceptions of these services have relatively little impact on the overall rating of authorities as only minorities experience these services directly, even though they absorb the majority of top-tier council budgets. The report explains why recent improvement in council services is not yet fully reflected by news coverage or by much of the public’s perception of Local Government.

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