COUNCIL MERGERS ARE A ONE-WAY DOOR

First published by: The Guardian

TRADE UNIONS WARN LOCAL AUTHORITIES NOT TO BREAK TRUST PUT IN THEM BY COMMUNITIES

Labour councillors in Westminster, Kensington & Chelsea and Hammersmith & Fulham are all in favour of any genuine efficiencies. But we believe major long-term changes should not be driven by one party's political agenda. The planned merger would result in services being provided to a population equivalent to the size of Glasgow. Large councils are not necessarily more efficient – there have been many high profile failures when councils have merged services before. 

We believe that there must be cross-party involvement and wide public support for these proposals before they are carried out. Sadly, the Conservatives in all three boroughs have been highly secretive. Indeed, they would not allow their officials to consult any opposition councillors in the three local authorities prior to the announcement and have failed to provide any detailed information since. We also have the following concerns:

The Conservatives are not ruling out using this merger as a mechanism for even more front-line service cuts, stealth taxes and loss of jobs, or as an excuse to undermine local democracy or sell off more community buildings. Nor have they explained how local residents will keep their ability to hold their council to account. They have not explained how any newly elected administration would be able to secede from any part of this if political control changes. They have also failed to explain why these particular local authorities should merge services. 

Already, there appear to be different messages coming from the three Conservative authorities. This confusion does not bode well for the project's success. We call on the Conservatives to take a more open, inclusive and transparent approach to the plans. Cllr Judith Blakeman, Leader of the opposition, Royal borough of Kensington and Chelsea, Cllr Stephen Cowan Leader of the opposition, London borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, Cllr Paul Dimoldenberg Leader of the opposition, City of Westminster 

• As the first chief executive to take responsibility for managing two local authorities, I am writing to express disappointment at your coverage of the proposed arrangement between three London boroughs. The London-centric vision gave little credit to the dozen or more such partnerships that now exist. These have delivered millions of pounds of savings and service improvements and found many lessons for others contemplating this path.

The key to success is the nature of the arrangements that control the joint business. If constructed well, to give the politicians of each partner a real say, this can allow local standards of services to exist alongside the efficiency of a single officer structure and shared services. The thorny issue of what happens if the politics change is answered by the simple truth that once an arrangement is in place, any change requested by any of the partners would need to justify the cost and disruption of creating a parallel structure. In the current climate, local taxpayers are hardly likely to be positive about this. In our Adur/Worthing partnership we have always recognised that each new joint arrangement is probably a one-way door.

Ian Lowrie

Chief executive, Adur district council/Worthing borough council   

 • There have been many times during my years as a headteacher that I have been left bewildered by government policy; however this week's announcement truly surpassed all others. Every school-age child in the country has benefited hugely from their local School Sports Partnership in creating collaborative working between schools, community coaches and specialist providers based on the Olympic values. 

They have increased engagement with sport for pupils and staff and provided a wealth of opportunities. In my own school, involvement in the School Sports Partnership has had a direct impact on raising standards annually, has enabled us to develop an increasingly creative curriculum and to ensure that all pupils, parents and staff appreciate the value of committing to a healthier lifestyle as well as instilling the values of excellence, inspiration, courage, determination, respect, friendship and equality.

However, the coalition government will cease all direct funding for PE and school sport from 31 August 2011, less than one year before the Olympics. The legacy that these games should have will now be in doubt as the funding ends and the systems that have become very well established are left to fragment. 

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