Update: Localism and Fighting the Crisis in the UK

Sir Merrick Cockell, chair of the UK Local Government Association [link], writes about the relationship between local and central government in The Guardian, October 15. He argues that ‘fundamental changes’ are needed in this relationship to make it possible for local government to deliver the best services they can to their communities. Sir Merrick writes about the ‘localism’ involved in devolving central power as a way to delivering growth in a UK hard hit by the economic crisis. Local solutions could provide a way forward, national schemes for fighting the present problems do not take crucial local conditions into account. The article makes a passionate plea for increased local autonomy; bolstering what is already ‘widely regarded as the most efficient and increasingly, most innovative part of the public sector’. Read Sir Merrick’s interesting article in full here [link].