So – Surrey County Council hasn’t lost its appetite for swallowing up all 11 borough and district councils in the county?
Emboldened by Government Minister Michael Gove’s Levelling Up White Paper – no doubt Surrey County Council Leader Tim Oliver considers he may be in with a chance for the Behemoth single local authority that he craves.
Seems Surrey’s Tory administration doesn’t want to stop regardless of what anyone thinks!
Bye Bye ‘Your Waverley’ Hello ‘Surrey?’
So, whilst ‘Your Waverley’ and Guildford’s councils work tirelessly to find savings by collaborating, keeping their identities and local accountability, Tim Oliver wants to take a giant leap for Surrey kind?
He is not giving up his ambition whilst In the full knowledge that Surrey’s boroughs and districts are dead against one huge conglomerate that takes local accountability and democracy further away from us. Seems to us Oliver just wants more, and won’t stop regardless of what anyone thinks?
The Government White Paper.
The UK Government is establishing a new independent body in England focused on data, transparency and robust evidence.
- This will enhance the UK Government’s understanding of place-based leadership, quality of local service delivery and organisational efficacy. Strengthening data will be the cornerstone of this body, supporting councils to learn from one another, be user-focused and self identify areas for improvement.
- The key objectives of the body will be;
- a. TO empower citizens with information about their local area, enabling them to hold leaders to account, input into service design and participate in building pride in their place;
- b. TO strengthen local leaders’ knowledge of their services, enabling them to share best practice, innovate and drive self-improvement; and
- c. Increase central government’s understanding of the local government sector, measure efficiency and area variation, and enable sector support to be better tailored. The UK Government is establishing a new independent body in England focused on data, transparency and robust evidence Chapter 2 Systems Reform 139 Bringing together this data provides an opportunity for central and