As a very general point, looking at various rulers in the West, democracy does not seem to be effective in excluding lunatics from power. In fact it seems to attract them.
Maybe Reform will do as you say and break up local government? Anyway if the new Reform councillors focus on the job and not Gaza and net zero they can’t fail to do a better job.
Raise all taxes for starters and submit a proportion up to the centre and with no central department of health or education they would have a great deal more to be getting on with,
All schools used to be under the direct control of the county council education department. It wasn't a happy experience. The same ideologically motivated bureaucracies, except local not central, but no more accountable to voters than now.
The majority of schools are now academies with a greater measure of autonomy. Far from perfect but an improvement.
I'd suggest the problem is not centralisation versus localisation, but lack of sufficient autonomy for individual schools.
The problem with any devolution (and Wales’ 20mph is a great example of this) is if you give these morons additional powers they WILL use them come what may.
For example we were having a gypsy camp in our village. The council had been given a £10 million EU grant to construct 6 hard standings, a wash/laundry room plus two exits onto an A road. I asked this fat little Karen officer,
"Does [name of local councillor] approve of this?"
As a very general point, looking at various rulers in the West, democracy does not seem to be effective in excluding lunatics from power. In fact it seems to attract them.
Maybe Reform will do as you say and break up local government? Anyway if the new Reform councillors focus on the job and not Gaza and net zero they can’t fail to do a better job.
I see the failure of local councils as an opportunity for advancing real democratic rule.
Asking citizens to vote on council planning matters by giving them referendums would get them involved in local matters.
Councils are to remote and need to be forced to liaise with the populace.
I wonder how a referendum refusal would be viewed in a subsequent planning appeal enquiry.
I don’t know but I’d love to see the fallout.
Back in 2013 demand two of six of The Harrogate Agenda advocates 'Real Local Democracy' and that is exactly what is needed.
Beefed up local government with real powers and smaller national government.
https://harrogateagenda.org.uk/
Yes, but real powers to do what precisely? What would you want your local council doing that it doesn't do already?
Raise all taxes for starters and submit a proportion up to the centre and with no central department of health or education they would have a great deal more to be getting on with,
All schools used to be under the direct control of the county council education department. It wasn't a happy experience. The same ideologically motivated bureaucracies, except local not central, but no more accountable to voters than now.
The majority of schools are now academies with a greater measure of autonomy. Far from perfect but an improvement.
I'd suggest the problem is not centralisation versus localisation, but lack of sufficient autonomy for individual schools.
Make decisions that weren't imposed by a higher authority.
Check out how much of the South West the Mayor for the South West actually represents.
The problem with any devolution (and Wales’ 20mph is a great example of this) is if you give these morons additional powers they WILL use them come what may.
For example we were having a gypsy camp in our village. The council had been given a £10 million EU grant to construct 6 hard standings, a wash/laundry room plus two exits onto an A road. I asked this fat little Karen officer,
"Does [name of local councillor] approve of this?"
"Who's he?" She didn't even know.