“Good local and regional governance in
turbulent times: the challenge of change” -
Conference of European Ministers -
16-17 November 2009, Utrecht Netherlands
The challenge
facing ministers at a difficult time
The global financial crisis has given a
severe jolt to the very foundations of the
world's economy and economic governance.
While signs of a recovery are emerging, it
is clear that the after-effects of the
recession will continue to be felt for a
long time. Local and regional authorities
which, in Europe, manage proportions of
public expenditure ranging up to as high as
80% are in the forefront of efforts to find
a way out of the crisis, through exceptional
investment expenditure, spending in the
social sphere or on vocational retraining,
etc. Their ability to cope with these
exceptional challenges, which will remain
long after the recession has come to an end,
were the focal point of the discussions
among the European Ministers responsible for
local and regional government when they met
in Utrecht (Netherlands) on 16 and 17
November 2009. more
A new pilot programme in the UK is looking
at how a ‘whole area’ approach to public
services can lead to better services at less
cost. Following sustained investment in public
services over recent years which has led to
significant improvement in quality for the
public, the expectations of citizens continue to
rise – but the impact of the economic downturn
means the public sector needs to find radical
new solutions to not only deliver better value
for money, but also better local services more
tailored to local needs. Total Place seeks to
identify and avoid overlap and duplication
between organisations, delivering a step change
in both service improvement and efficiency
between the different agencies at local level,
as well as in their interaction with central
Government. more
Italy: New Act on Fiscal
Federalism On 5 May 2009, the Italian Parliament passed
a new act on fiscal federalism (Law No.
42/2009). Under this act, some of the principles
on finance from the European Charter on Local
Self-Government and promoted by the Council of
Europe are now fully reflected in the Italian
legal and institutional system.
The act was designed to improve and
strengthen careful and accurate financial
accountability, which enables all possible
responsibilities across the different levels of
government to be identified and established, and
optimises the use of public finance.