Councils must face the future

It is one of the greatest political challenges facing the country, and will become even more profound as councils come to terms with the cost of social care in an ageing society.

There are no easy answers. Many residents have raised expectations after the doubling of council tax bills in recent years – while local authorities will say that there has been no correlation between the grants distributed by Whitehall and the additional responsibilities that they have assumed.

Critics, like Keighley-born Communities Secretary Eric Pickles, argue that councils need to be more responsible when spending public money, but the often quoted examples of wastefulness – though very regrettable – are still only a tiny fraction of the overall sum which needs to be saved.

As such, the conversation launched by Kirklees Council is just the beginning of a far bigger debate about how authorities across Yorkshire should operate in this new financial climate. Even Labour acknowledge the need for restraint and reform.

It is right that town halls forge a culture of public-spiritedness – David Cameron’s neglected “big society” – to safeguard cherished services like libraries, swimming pools and support for the frail and vulnerable. However this is not a panacea. If the voluntary sector is to be empowered, councils will still have to fill gaps if volunteers can’t deliver meals on wheels for example.

Yet, while localism is one of the coalition’s favourite themes, some solutions are unlikely to be satisfactory until national decisions are taken on the precise responsibilities for local bodies – and whether funding mechanisms need overhauling to reflect demographic changes.

This issue is not a straight-forward one to reconcile. It will require bold ideas – and even bolder leadership – if public expectations are to be met.

Support local shops – or lose them

ANOTHER day and another report on how the traditional high street can be saved from financial ruin as veteran retailer Bill Grimsey, the former boss of DIY chain Wickes, sets out his own vision in response to growing scepticism about the effectiveness of Mary Portas’s ideas in her role as David Cameron’s policy guru.

Mr Grimsey’s blueprint – he wants a Minister for the High Streets and a 0.25 per cent tax levied on the profits of retail chains and pubs with an annual turnover

in excess of £10m – will appeal to those who lament the rows of boarded-up shop premises in communities or how the likes of coffee chain Starbucks and online giant Amazon have been able to minimise their tax liabilities.

Yet the most profound point is made by Leeds-based retail expert Will Martin in today’s newspaper in which he says that councils already have unprecedented powers to reinvigorate high streets and that any additional measures are only likely to achieve a marginal difference.

Of course more can, and should, be done by politicians and planners. They could find other ways to incentivise non-retail businesses to move into empty premises, thus generating footfall for those shops that have withstood the internet revolution. Councils also need to consider whether parking charges are justifiable or self-defeating if they contribute to the closure of shops and deny town halls revenue from business rates.

As Ms Portas has discovered, there is no one-size-fits-all policy solution. Each high street is different and has its own unique challenges that councils and communities must confront. But each and every individual can play a part by supporting local shops whenever possible rather than relying on the convenience – and ease – of internet shopping. If they don’t, they only have themselves to blame if their local bakers, butchers or greengrocers becomes yet another boarded-up shop.

The invaluable work of the RNLI

THE public’s appreciation of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution’s work was reflected when Scarborough entrepreneur Frederick William Plaxton left £2m in his will for the resort’s new lifeboat which will take to the high seas in 2015.

The new Shannon craft will be 50 per cent faster than the Fanny Victoria Wilkinson and Frank Stubbs lifeboat that she will replace, and which has helped to save countless lives since her first mission 22 years ago.

Yet, while major legacies are incalculable to the RNLI’s work, this is still a rescue charity that relies on the bravery of its crews and benevolence of the public. As such, its £200,000 appeal to buy a bespoke launch and recovery vehicle for the new lifeboat could not be more timely, coming at the end of the scorching summer in which the RNLI team has been a reassuring presence to so many holiday-makers.

This equipment is vital to the charity responding even more promptly to emergencies, whether it be bathers getting into trouble or a stricken boat sending out a Mayday message, and it is vital that the public give as generously as possible.