Local government minister Lee Rowley has told councillors to ‘judge us by what we do, not what you worry about’, as he defended the planned Office for Local Government (Oflog).
Speaking at the Local Government Association (LGA), Mr Rowley said the Government would ask the sector to suggest one of the five metrics that Oflog would be charged with collating.
Mr Rowley added that the body would be fully funded by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities rather than the sector, and would be ‘effectively a team within the department’.
He added: ‘It’s designed to work for everybody.
‘There are areas where, if we had a short set of data, it would highlight the strong work local authorities do.
‘If we do this right, we can have a strong set of data that is useful for everybody.’
But Bristol Mayor Marvin Rees warned: ‘Let’s not make an industry finding answers that we already have.’
Opposition leader at Somerset CC, David Fothergill, asked Mr Rowley when the public health grant would be announced, with just three weeks left before the new financial year.
He said: ‘It’s just unacceptable and sends the wrong message to everyone working in public health.’
Mr Rowley said he ‘understood the frustration,’ adding: ‘We are trying to move to get even greater clarity and will encourage our colleagues across Government to do the same.'
This article was originally published by The MJ (£).
