A slap in the face for democracy and those who strive to make it work – Local Government Chronicle

Ministers and their shadows must rise to the challenge of debating local governments future and all the other tricky issues.

This election campaign has been unedifying, bland and, frankly, depressing. The quality of debate has been lamentable. The lack of vision or at least any vision that is achievable leaves one devoid of optimism for the future.

Only two parties could lead the next government. Both are making unaffordable commitments, one to a greater extent than the other. For one, an unparalleled public spending splurge holds the answer to everything; for the other getting Brexit done will lead us to the promised land. In fact, this Never Never Land fantasy is every bit as unobtainable as socialist utopia.

Promises are seemingly made on the say-so of a focus group and forgotten in an instant, in a cavalier manner which undermines both democracy and fiscal responsibility. The Conservative manifesto pledges 40 new hospitals while the prime minister has subsequently admitted there is merely seed funding for them. There is no indication of consideration as to whether 40 new hospitals offer value and welfare prioritising primary and social care, and public health, would promote the more ambitious objective of keeping people out of hospital. Labours manifesto we were told was fully costed and would entail tax rises for just 5% of the population, only for the party to subsequently agree to dole out another 58bn, to WASPI women, many of them wealthy, who lost out when the state pension age was equalised. This commitment would require borrowing funded by younger people who already face worse living standards, higher property prices and later retirements.

When it comes to local government, Labours pledges to boost council budgets and build 100,000 council homes a year are welcome. However, when placed alongside so many other equally bold commitments on a multitude of other issues it is hard to take the partys promises seriously. Beyond council housing, Labour offers little to rebalance our national power structure a national care service and national youth service may just be spin but the N-word undermines the principle that local leaders understand local needs best.

The Tories promise full devolution across England but would undermine councils by keeping them at austerity-level funding. A review of business rates will surely reduce councils income and there is no indication of extra grant to compensate. Meanwhile, the notion that maintaining social cares 1bn boost from this year will be sufficient is laughable. It is inexcusable for the party to present no social care funding policy (other than the intergenerational equity-busting promise that no pensioner should sell their home to fund care).

Local government policy has not been high up the national agenda. However, councils future health, the empowerment of communities forgotten by central decisionmakers and the need to permanently level-up living standards and opportunity (not through one-off pots subject to bids to the centre), require that local government issues are rigorously debated.

A few showpiece debates, generally manipulated by the big two parties for their own convenience, does not constitute sufficient opportunity to probe prospective leaders. Every member of the electorate has individual concerns: they may work in or depend upon a particular public service or have a specific business interest. By and large election campaigns ignore their interests. The process would be enhanced by all cabinet ministers being expected to debate their areas of responsibility with their shadows in a series of televised or streamed debates.

LGC would gladly host the local government one next time around unless, of course, our national politicians continue to opt for the easy, low-risk option of shirking debate and avoiding scrutiny of their manifesto proposals. There should be no repeat of this uninformative torpor which constitutes a slap in the face for the council staff who dedicate themselves to making democracy work.

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A slap in the face for democracy and those who strive to make it work - Local Government Chronicle