; i s 4c , al government there is any point on which one I , would
Si wish to quarrel with Mr Paul ' Tlit.
IN h s strictures on local government rr ' d.paY 25), it is that he implies that the a c:s.,ects he refers to, and particularly ,.,,lillption and lack of financial conare peculiar to local government. I. ,eere is no lack of evidence that both tio ral government and the na 5 eithlialised industries are no better in thater respect. There is a real danger .rti the proper criticism of those runich, g our local services today should rfvel0P into a campaign against. the .10stitution of local government itself: If hne thing is certain, it. is that even 4f or all its undoubted failings, In real e Is more public accountability in 6 ,, :v. government than in either the service or the nationalised indus' ',ries. If local government expenditures 1 wave risen, those of the newly formed ) itater authorities have far outstripped 5, ,re,in Proportion. It also has to be ' 1nibered that to a large extent n6 ' g"`ovael authorities are the agents of the 'I 'hat rriment, willing or otherwise, and . darlgovernment policies have played a
h—re. ;s" Part in the increase in expendi
9 '
4aving said that, I should like to
r a , W attention to one particular aspect a -■ ioe al,
government practice not men
e' virred by Mr Smith, which is peculiarly ipn nerable to those who wish to use
er for their own ends. This is the ., wctice of selection and appointment e " ,,, senior offices by members of the
1 'uncil (i.e. effectively the party which er)ntrols
re the council at the time). In
rm,nt Years there has emerged a rosi'ng among certain sections of both --n Parties that they would like to see sys,s orne move towards the American Do `.eF11, where many of the controlling fillons in local administrations are 41(1 bY party nominees for the dura of their tenure of office. This has wh`uted in a number of appointments tit:ere there has been suspicion that ilt,. Political views of the person ap golvnted have been a factor, or even a Suerning factor, in their appointment. suspons are of course impossitiin Drove' but other attendant cu.:re"istances may put it beyond ehasnnable doubt. It is difficult to n1 en such appointments because arv,"'e current state of the law on libel Lslander. 1",.,.w1tere a party is strongly enputnehed in an area, the temptation to to „Persons known to be sympathetic tin"len1 in all the important positions in tie, staff is strong, and even if the po il intention is purely political, the ikSrsibilities of corruption are greatly t loe,eissed. The recent reorganisation of 1 "" government with its wholesale 5 ,lb , ha,;130intment of 'senior officers, may ' ) powe Provided an unprecedented opfIctinity for this sort of thing. tria.f as it seems, elements of both : 4114(31. Political parties are unhappy govtit the existing system where local t0ten2rrient staff are expected to exany policy impartially with equal th . esumably because it is felt .that 5 eir s„
~PPort for such policies may not be sufficiently wholehearted unless they are identified with them politically, they should set about altering the system openly rather than attempt to achieve the same end by backdoor methods.
An alternative solution would be to take local government appointments out of the hands of council members and set up an independant appointments board where no political influence could be applied.
G. M. Kaye The Aggons, Danehill, Haywards Heath, Sussex.
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