§ 24. Kali MountfordTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what action he has taken to encourage public-private partnership in local government services. [4687]
§ Ms ArmstrongGood local government should be a partnership between local people, businesses and voluntary groups and our mandate is to give authorities the powers necessary to develop these partnerships. We have introduced a Bill to help authorities set up privately financed projects, and said that compulsory competitive tendering will be replaced by a duty on authorities to achieve best value. In these and other matters we are working closely with the Local Government Association and other parties directly interested in the provision of local services.