Redwood on Total Place - It's all Greek to me!‏

Sitting in a picturesque Greek taverna I attempted to order some food from a bloke standing behind the bar wearing chefs checks and hat. He politely declined pointing me to a waiter in the near empty family run taverna who promptly took my order turned approximately two inches and repeated my order to the chef. Demarcation? Of course. Chefs are far more important than waiters even if literally brothers, each sticks to their own job.

Local government hasn't been much better. Police deal with crime even if the victims are a social housing tenant of the council. Child health is dealt with by local GP's and PCT's even though schools are the main stable environment for health education and learning.

And so it may well remain unless the issue of local budgets are forced. John Redwood argues total place was tried and failed under labour. The reality is more for less will only really work if budgets are centrally controlled and directed. The big idea from the LGA liberals supported by the libertarian Tories is not total place but total budgets which would allow local government to direct local spending arguing this provides democratic governance. Its a brave but flawed move. And one tried and failed by Blears et al in new labour. http://www.johnredwoodsdiary.com/?p=6720&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+JohnRedwoodsDiary+%28John+Redwood%27s+Diary%29

Professionals in health, police and local government deserve recognition and some should be maintained to protect issues of competence. It is unlikly any one agency will abdicate budgets on a voluntary basis. Redwood is right to suggest bureaucracy on top to administer total place. Total budgets will mean centralisation not localisation so unless there is widespread legislative reform or more liklely starving funds to force joined budgets it will still be a long way off.

Demarcation can mean worse service and it would be futile for the left to argue against better service integration. Its the level of budget sharing that will lead to job losses and that is where the left's battleground will truly be. Incidentally the retsina was still splendid and cold so the customer can still get good service even where demarcation exists!

Anna Rose