Time to make a Deal

摘要

When it comes to a two tier system of local government, we may be stuck with what we've got, but, to misquote Henry Ford, that doesn't mean we have to do what we've always done. In last week's SoapBox column, Simon Parker, director of NLGN makes the point that county and district councils will have to find new ways of collaborating to make savings right now. While there is truth in this statement, the benefits of joint working should go far beyond simply making savings. As a largely rural county, we know Staffordshire's needs are very different to those urban areas that appear to dominate the political agenda. The challenge we face is to transform the way we work, but I for one am not prepared to let the council sit on our laurels waiting for government to tell us what to do and how to do it.