Well as far as local government goes I think Lord Heseltine's Cities Taskforce Report makes a good stab at defining the principles that underlay it:
• The ultimate decision making body should be the most local possible unit of Government
• Authority and control should rest with democratically elected representatives, not with unelected Quangos. Elected Leaders may choose to use Quangos to deliver, but the elected body should determine the allocation of its funds.
• There should be a clear and simple structure, so that everyone knows who is in charge and who is responsible
• If Local Government is charged with leading the renaissance of our Cities, they must be able to attract consistently people of the highest calibre into leadership roles
• Local Government should be genuinely empowered
Now clearly Heseltine's remit was the regeneration of our cities, however most of these principles can be applied to the Shire Counties and Districts as well. In my view by adapting the Taskforce's conclusion the following four prescriptions would be a good way forward outside the cities:
1. Decision making should be democratic and local. Powers that are currently held by Quangos and the Regional Assemblies should be devolved to Unitary or County Councils. Powers over local decision making like local roads and schools should be devolved to District (or Unitary) Councils. Decisions on truly local issues - like residential planning decision should go to the lowest level (Ward Councillors - perhaps sitting with Parish Councillors).
2. The primary role of the council is that of a decision making and commissioning body for service provision. However Councils should be free to go beyond this. If local preference is for councils (of any tier) to deliver services themseves that benefit their community they should be able to. Councils should be able to work together where they feel it is beneficial, and should have freedom to do so across county or regional boundaries.
3. Councils need strong, dynamic and full-time paid leadership. I feel that full-time elected chief executives would be best placed to lead councils (either directly elected mayors or a cabinet system) with other (part-time) councillors acting as scrutineers. To ask individuals to do this part-time on a modest allowance restricts the pool of talent available. However this again should be decided locally. One size does not fit all - and it maybe that the committee structure would continue to work well for some councils.
4. The precise structure of the councils should also be decided by local people. Councils should be the right size to deliver for the population they serve. This may mean the preservation of district and county split; it could be a local preference for a unitary authority, or it could be some other 2 tier arrangement, whereby through joint working various district councils join together to take forward the more strategic issues. Police and Fire Services should continue to be subject to local democratic oversight , and local NHS Primary Care trusts should also be subject to a similar regime.
I should conclude by making very clear that this is my personal view and certainly not that of the Tandridge Conservative Group.
