Robin Orton wrote: central government (and the politicians who run, or aspire to run, it) dislikes and distrusts local government, and is jealous of any political institution other than itself which can claim a degree of democratic legitimacy. Hence it will always be tempted to reduce local authorities' powers. The only solution would be a written constitution by means of which those powers could be entrenched.
I'm sure there's something in this, and it's possible there more evidence for it in the promotions Ed Miliband just made in his reshuffle. As well as local girl Rachael Reeves, there were also these three, none with local government experience
Image from New Statesman
Amid the discussion of whether this was a lurch to the left or a purge of Blairites, I've not noticed commentary on how these new hopefuls got where they are today.
Gloria De Piero
Politics
In February 2010, De Piero resigned from GMTV in order to seek selection as the Labour Party's candidate for the Ashfield constituency in the 2010 General Election
Rachael Reeves
Reeves worked as an economist at the Bank of England and British Embassy in Washington, D.C. between 2000 and 2006. Between 2006 and July 2009, she worked as a business planner and analyst for Halifax Bank of Scotland (now part of Lloyds Banking Group). She was once interviewed for a job at Goldman Sachs but turned it down. She said the job could have made her "a lot richer".
She stood as the Labour Party candidate in the Conservative safe seat Bromley and Chislehurst in the 2005 general election where she finished second. She again contested the seat in the 2006 by-election following the death of sitting MP Eric Forth and finished fourth. Reeves' support reduced from 10,241 votes to 1,925 in what was described as a "humiliation" for Labour. The result was the worst performance for a governing party since 1991.
Reeves moved to Leeds in 2006 to work for Halifax Bank of Scotland. She later sought nomination for the Leeds West seat at the 2010 General Election. to replace John Battle, who had chosen to retire. She was selected by the Labour Party to contest the seat from an all-women shortlist imposed by Labour head office
Tristram Hunt Political career
Hunt worked for the Labour Party at Millbank Tower in the 1997 general election; he also worked at the Party's headquarters during the following 2001 general election; during the 2005 general election he supported Oona King's campaign in Bethnal Green.
In the summer of 2007 he failed to be selected for the safe Labour seat of Liverpool West Derby, where Stephen Twigg was selected instead, and in 2009 for the safe seat of Leyton and Wanstead.
Hunt was selected to stand for Stoke-on-Trent Central on 1 April 2010
Emma Reynolds
Political career
She was selected as the Labour candidate for the 2010 general election for Wolverhampton North East in September 2008
In contrast, local MP,
Heidi Alexander, former Lewisham Deputy Mayor, not promoted
Political career
Heidi Alexander was elected to Lewisham London Borough Council as a councillor for the Evelyn ward in 2004, and served as Deputy Mayor of Lewisham and Cabinet Member for regeneration from 2006. She was selected as the Labour Parliamentary Candidate for Lewisham East in October 2009 and was elected to Parliament in 2010
However, unlike Robin, I would not want to entrench existing local authories' powers, because I think there may be good reasons for powers some being taken away from some local authories; it doesn't have to be only central government jealousy. In fact, one
local authority has been judged 'unviable' by the Local GOvernment Association.
I think this is just the tip of the iceberg, and the only way for effective local government, which I would welcome, is for it to be organised on a larger scale. Instead, I suspect that the raison d'etre of much local government is a system of political patronage.
