DEMOS

With local government reform, this focus on individual organisations has stopped the users themselves becoming involved in the renewal of public services. So the debate over regional assemblies has been overshadowed by a power stuggle, rather than how different layers of government could work together to improve quality of life.

In a very thoughtful analysis, Danny Chesterman argues that partnership working will only succeed if public service partnerships become more 'citizen-centric'. This can only be achieved by developing local leadership - a process which he believes arises out of dialogue.

'Talking about the experiences of service users in a language they can understand is the most honest way of ensuring that professional culture does not swallow up community life.'

Local authority? shows how local leadership develops through dialogue, and relies less on the energy of individuals to drive change. This means fewer centralised policy initiatives, while local authorities must let go of the 'you need, we provide' mentality which underpins the government's delivery agenda. Only by engaging communities to solve local problems can those problems be effectively tackled. This approach contains the solution to the intractable problem of delivery, while offering the prospect of a reversal in the declining support for local government.

Danny Chesterman is a consultant specialising in leadership and community development. He is an advisor to SOLACE (Society of Local Authority Chief Executives and Senior Managers) and a Demos associate.