A new report has called for a ‘whole place’ reform of public services to improve local outcomes and support national missions.
Think-tank Localis said that while local government is responsible for delivering the vast majority of services for residents, its structure and funding ‘does not reflect this totality’.
It called for a fresh settlement between central and local government to give councils the freedom to work on the local service offer as a whole and create long-term strategic plans.
Localis said that while the idea of whole place transformation had emerged before – in agendas like Labour’s ‘Total Place’ in 2009 – an agenda for far-reaching reform remained ‘elusive’.
Report authors said the approach would need long-term, stable funding; investment in preventative approaches; and whole place service delivery plans created by councils in collaboration with other agencies.
Localis chief executive Jonathan Werran said: ‘A transformative whole-place approach can deliver high-quality, efficient local services we all wish to see.
‘Realising the prize will require both radical reform from central government and continued innovative action from local leaders if we are to get the improvements that can build a new and secure era for people and place.’
