County councils must stop whinging and complaining’
Not sure there is anything radically new about the message coming from the new politician at the head of the County Council Network, but I thought I would share his inaugural utterances with you. This article tells us:
David Hodge is sending a strong message to central government. The Conservative chair of the County Councils’ Network (CCN) – a collective of the 36 counties in the UK – has set out to challenge the status quo. “I want to see funding for growth, and I won’t stop talking about it,” he says.
Hodge, who was appointed as chair of the network earlier this month and is also leader of Surrey county council, says the government needs to unshackle councils.
“Whitehall must allow localism to develop and flourish – otherwise there’s no point in it.”
At the same time he says the County Councils’ Network need to stop whinging and complaining. “It’s our job to offer solutions to government; alternatives and ideas.”
“My biggest concern as leader of the network and leader of my own council is how we can say to the government ‘we are about changing services and transforming through innovation’. I hope the network will become leaders in this as it is important to understand every service being paid for. Every one of us has a duty and a role to play working with each other to reduce costs and provide a better service.”