§ Mrs. MayTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions (1) what discussions he had with(a) the LGA and (b) the ALG on the impact of the banding of local authorities on their ability to recruit and retain staff; [41991]
(2) what (a) research he commissioned and (b) representations he has received on the impact of the banding of local authorities on their ability to recruit and retain staff. [41992]
§ Mr. ByersDiscussions with the local government community were held during the preparation and drafting of the Local Government White Paper where the proposals to categorise authorities into four bands were announced.
The White Paper charged the Audit Commission with developing the methodology for Comprehensive Performance Assessment and ultimately categorising 756W authorities. The LGA and other key stakeholders are working with them in the development of the methodology and practical trialing with 10 Pathfinder authorities.
The White Paper proposals taken together will enhance the status of authorities as community leaders and will lead to substantial improvement in service delivery. This is the best way of enabling authorities to recruit and retain high quality staff.