Key 'Big Society' plan for public services unveiled
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.The Government will unveil today watered-down proposals to devolve more power over public services to local communities and John Lewis-style "mutual" companies.
The Open Public Services White Paper had been intended as a cornerstone of the Government's localism agenda, removing power from Whitehall and handing it back to local communities. But amid fears in Downing Street that the measures could be portrayed as "back-door privatisation" and suffer a similar fate to its NHS reforms, the White Paper will now not lead to specific legislation opening up public services to outside providers.
Instead the theme of the proposals will be expected to be pushed forward by individual departments – such as Michael Gove's free schools initiative and plans to give local people more control over planning applications.
In a speech launching the White Paper in East London today, David Cameron is expected to restate his desire for local communities to have more power over decisions which affect them. He will say: "Total public spending increased by 57 per cent in real terms from 1997 to 2010. But on no measure can we claim that things have improved by more than 50 per cent.
"It's about ending the old big government, top-down way of running public services... The old dogma that said Whitehall knows best – it's gone."
But Tessa Jowell, Labour's Shadow Cabinet Office Secretary, said all the Government had done so far was hand more power to the private sector. "The Government has lost its way on public services. Its reforms have, so far, failed to put power in the hands of service users and sought to strip services of their democratic character by elevating markets beyond their appropriate role," she said.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments