One hundred days and the honeymoon is over

The Cameron-Clegg honeymoon is well and truly over. LGC’s confidence barometer, published 100 days after the coalition government was formed, found senior council officers unimpressed.

The financial landscape was always going to be bleak. Three months ago 85% expected cuts to be below 20%; but now 78% think they will exceed 20%. Only 14% think a double-dip recession can be avoided.

There is a lack of policy clarity on waste, Big Society and economic development. But uncertainty is an almost inevitable consequence of the government’s ‘system disruption’ approach.

It is not important for the communities secretary to be liked. But for localism to succeed, government must work constructively with councils

The coalition’s focus on localism has not buoyed officers’ views. Net confidence that the government will be supportive of councils (positive answers less negative ones) plummeted 22 points from 7% before the election to -15%. More than two-thirds have little or no confidence in the Department for Communities & Local Government to be a reasoned critic or to listen to them.

100 days: read more

Click for more on LGC’s exclusive confidence barometer:

• First 100 days leave sector underwhelmed
• Survey findings: slideshow
• Analysis of the results
• Pre-election survey

Most significantly, there is pessimism within councils: net confidence that members can take difficult decisions dropped 9 points to -4%; net confidence that councils will be able to attract and retain staff tumbled 25 points to -7%.

It is not important for the communities secretary to be liked. But for localism to succeed, government must work constructively with councils. And councils will have to combat uncertainty with bold planning.

Emma Maier, editor of LGC

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