Future Shape of Local Government
SIGOMA will work with its members to identify and showcase existing good practice, in order to provide the Government with practical examples of how local government is already working to deliver an improved future
Crucial to many of the issues that SIGOMA Authorities currently have to deal with is the future role and structures that services are delivered within. Significant debates are currently taking place through the Department for Communities and Local Government and SIGOMA has already been active within the debates and has established a set of “core principles” that we would wish to see as the basis of any future changes.
Local Democracy and Leadership
The central role of elected representatives in engaging citizens and working on behalf of local people at a variety of different levels
Local democracy and leadership – at its heart, effective local government needs the mandate provided by its democratically elected members to work with, and on behalf of, local communities, setting a clear lead amongst local agencies to make sure that local needs and aspirations are met.
Practical results and real improvements
The primacy of local government in delivering change and ensuring improvement to the local quality of life
Practical results and real improvements – to strengthen local democracy and ensure that government as a whole meets the needs of communities, local government needs to have a real impact; this means direct service delivery as well as the ability to improve other services, acting as an agent of change for local well-being.
A sense of place
The diversity of local towns and cities and the need to celebrate and enhance this
A sense of place – different towns and cities have different characteristics with varying opportunities and challenges facing each. These characteristics make local areas what they are and local government itself is part of this diversity.
Fairness
Working towards the well-being of all local communities and local areas, not just a few
Fairness – diversity and a sense of place should not mean inequality. Local government should seek to work towards the well-being of all its communities and this principle needs to be inherent in national policies and funding systems so that they reflect the inequalities facing many urban areas.
|