Written evidence to be reported to the House
Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Bill
2:16 pm
Phil Woolas: The 26 proposals are in some cases mutually contradictory. Hence the first question on the power to direct, the controversy and the point that although it is always desirable to achieve consensus and have a permissive devolved regime, the question always arises, “What do you do if people disagree?” whether at ward level, neighbourhood level, borough level, district or county level.
The eight figure comes from a calculation of the potential impact on local government borrowing. If assets and reserves are used to fund up-front costs, that has an impact on the balance sheet and on the golden rule. That is where the eight comes from. Without knowing where the eight, six or 10 proposals would come from, and without having the analysis of that, it is impossible to say exactly, which is why the Secretary of State used the phrase “around eight”.
The constraints upon us are, quite rightly, the viability of the proposals and the macro-economic picture. The chances of there being more than eight are there, and the chances of there being less than eight are there, depending on that analysis. Once we had said that we were asking for invitations, apart from the macro-economic context, we do not see that it is our role to determine how many there should be.