A report by the District Councils’ Network (DCN) and Professor
Colin Copus has found that bigger councils are not always better
and that partnership working with local areas delivers the best
outcomes for residents.
The report also found that:
- Joint working is in the ‘DNA’ of district councils, with
districts leading cooperation and collaboration with other
councils and local partners.
- District councils are vital to social and economic
regeneration and remain a key part of delivering the Government’s
Levelling Up ambitions.
As district council leaders and chief executives meet today at a
DCN Conference on Levelling Up, they are calling for the
Government to avoid a ‘one size fits all approach’ when it comes
to devolving powers and levelling up the country.
The District Councils’ Network, which represents nearly 200
councils in England, is also calling for the Government to remove
barriers that may prevent greater partnership working at a local
level between local agencies and DCN members.
Citing international examples, the report by Professor Colin
Copus finds that increasing local government size does not
guarantee improvements in efficiency, service delivery or cost
reduction and instead a greater emphasis on partnership working
is needed to ensure the delivery of good public services.
The report also found that there was no ‘perfect size’ for a
council, with there being no evidence that larger authorities
delivered better or worse services than smaller sized
authorities.
There are a growing number of examples of district councils
across the country forming innovative partnerships across
boundaries to help deliver for their residents. In Oxfordshire,
five district councils, the county council, and the Local
Enterprise Partnership are working together to attract
substantial housing and growth funding and to accelerate the
delivery of thousands of new homes. In South Essex, a partnership
of six district councils and the county council has attracted
more than £10m inward investment and facilitated a big advance in
broadband connectivity. The Hertfordshire Growth Board is driving
regeneration around the life science and film industries and is
co-ordinating efforts to deliver swift progress toward net zero
across the county.
Cllr Sam Chapman-Allen, Chair of the District Councils’
Network said:
“As this report demonstrates, there is no perfect size for a
local authority and bigger does not always mean better. Convening
partners in local communities is a key part of a district councils’ DNA
and something we urge the Government to continue to support to
help deliver their ambition to level up the country.
“This report shows the potential DCN councils have to drive the
recovery from the pandemic and to deliver investment in local
areas. Through the Towns Fund, Levelling Up Fund and Future High
Streets Fund, we’re investing almost £1.3bn to transform our
local places and create thousands of jobs. We can do this because
we know our places, have those local relationships and can
deliver efficiently and
effectively.
“District councils have a vital part to play in delivering for
communities across the country. Nowhere is this more apparent
than in our response to the pandemic where councils stepped up
rapidly and went the extra mile to support our residents and
businesses when they needed it the most.
“District councils already deliver so many of the things that are
at the heart of the Levelling Up White Paper’s twelve missions.
We’re ambitious to do more. We’ll continue working with the
Government to ensure districts play a full part and are equal
partners in plans to level up the country.”
Ends
Notes to Editors
A full copy of the report Bigger is Still Not Better is
attached.
The report was written by Professor Colin Copus, Emeritus
Professor of Local Politics at De Montfort University and
Visiting Professor at Ghent University.
