Barnet has been pushing forward with local government reform and developing systems to make sure that the council really does keep in touch with people. Alan Williams outlines the changes so far. At the 1998 Labour Party conference, John Prescott, Secretary of State at the Department of Environment, Transport and the Regions, proclaimed: 'Labour will breathe new life into local government. We need to strengthen local government, not strangle it.'
展开▼
