System is broken: we need change

Ihave just received my council tax bill for 2017/18. It is obvious Canterbury City Council lacks the resources to provide the local services residents expect. No wonder the council always wants to increase parking charges. They are almost the only way it can raise additional revenue.

KCC takes about five times as much income from my bill as the city council. Canterbury receives only slightly less revenue than the police and crime commissioner and only a little more than the Kent and Medway Fire and Rescue Authority. In total only about 12 per cent of my bill goes to Canterbury City Council.

What can our district council do with such limited financial resources? Operating under such financial constraints, the payroll staff are doing a first rate job in delivering local services.

They are under constant pressure because of cutbacks and this affects how well they can do their jobs. They are locked into central government housing and planning system that, I suspect, they often think is not suitable for this area but have to implement.

The opportunities for promotion and career advance in Canterbury council must be very limited. In the long-term, this means the best talent will not be attracted and future staff could consist of those waiting for early retirement and of men and women starting their careers and treating the local council as a stepping stone.

A merged district council in east Kent could solve some of these problems. As one of the largest district councils in the country it could attract high quality talent at a lower total cost than is the case today.

The efficient, cost effective provision of local government services in the disparate communities of east Kent does not require professional staff to be located in each of the four districts. Geographical location does not matter anymore. Skills, expertise and talent can be provided and accessed anywhere.

Modern technology allows this and in the future it will probably be robots (AI) that will provide many local government services, offer strategic solutions and handle many administrative queries. This is not science fiction. There is a rapid take up of Ai/robotic solutions in US administrative systems and these are now taking off in financial service sector organisations in the UK.

Many object to these suggestions. They argue the need for face-to-face dialogue with local officers. But such demand is becoming very exceptional and in rapid decline. When we phone our local district council do we know where the call centre is located? Does it matter and do we care as long as the service is cheap and efficient?

There is also the argument that a merged district council in east Kent would erode local democracy. Really? What is the turnout at local district elections- anymore than around 30 per cent? Who are the councillors? They are predominantly older men, many with little grasp of the challenges facing this part of the county because they live in picturesque villages removed from the stresses facing hardworking younger men and women.

Local government is unsustainable in its present form. A merged east Kent local authority goes some way to offering a short term or stop gap solution. But in the long run more drastic reforms will be needed. Follow me on twitter @Richardscase