What is wrong with public administration in Scotland (apart from a chronic lack of leadership on the part of Scottish Executive Ministers)? There is a simple answer - it's too complicated. There are too many local authorities and there is a mismatch in terms of geographical areas with other parts of the public sector - health authorities, local enterprise companies and police and fire authorities. Do we really need the vast numbers of councillors, chief executives, chief medical officers and chief constables that we have? Is it possible for these various authorities to work together to provide effective and efficient services?
The long-awaited discussion paper on the future of public services produced yesterday by the Scottish Executive offered the chance to address these issues. The accompanying press release is here, while the actual paper is here.
So what answers has the Executive come up with? Well, none really. You see, there are too many vested interests in maintaining the existing system and the Executive does not want to upset people who might be its supporters in advance of the elections next May. So what does the Executive do? It makes a virtue out of political cowardice by emphasising the 'bottom-up' nature of the consultation process; instead of reform, it promises to engage in dialogue; instead of transforming public services, it wants to discuss them. But, hey, it's good to talk.
Perhaps it is wrong to blame the Executive. Is it possible within our devolved system to introduce radical reform? Or are we condemned to pork barrel politics - a patently uneconomic railway here, a tender decision in favour of our chums there, an otherwise nonsensical sop to the Gaelic teuchters elsewhere? At the very least, don't expect anything sensible before May 2007 from any of the parties.
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