Tory chair of the CCN says Whitehall must 'allow localism to develop and flourish' in order to overhaul the status quo
David Hodge is sending a strong message to central government. The Conservative chair of the County Councils' Network (CCN) – a collective of the 36 counties in the UK – has set out to challenge the status quo. "I want to see funding for growth, and I won't stop talking about it," he says.
Hodge, who was appointed as chair of the network earlier this month and is also leader of Surrey county council, says the government needs to unshackle councils.
"Whitehall must allow localism to develop and flourish – otherwise there's no point in it."
At the same time he says the County Councils' Network need to stop whinging and complaining. "It's our job to offer solutions to government; alternatives and ideas."
"My biggest concern as leader of the network and leader of my own council is how we can say to the government 'we are about changing services and transforming through innovation'. I hope the network will become leaders in this as it is important to understand every service being paid for. Every one of us has a duty and a role to play working with each other to reduce costs and provide a better service."
Hodge's military approach to his new post is apt for someone who spent 20 years in the army, which he says taught him discipline.
"It teaches you to be sure of what you are doing – make sure you train yourself, and it gives you determination to never be side-tracked and always to stand up for what you believe in," he says.
The leader of Surrey was brought up in a Dublin orphanage, started work at 14 and joined the army at 18. He believes that his upbringing has shaped the person he is now, particularly the emphasis he places on social responsibility. "There are too many takers in life, and not enough people giving something back," he says.
It is perhaps the work ethic he learned in the army that has also shaped his opinions on benefits. He says that where people cannot work it is right for them to get state help but "I am of the view that everyone should try and work," he says.
"I am one of those people who thinks if I can help people I will, but people also need to help themselves."
He thinks that the government is right to address the escalating benefit bill, and it's important to check that all those claiming benefits are genuine.
"You need to take whatever work is available while looking for the right job – it is about parents being strong for their children and society being strong and saying there are jobs out there, you just need to go and look for them." He adds, "Of course it is tough at the moment."
One thing that Hodge feels is deeply unfair is the divide between cities and counties. "Counties are absolutely left out of growth and the government should look at creating county deals," he says.
"Osborne talked about reforming services and growth and fairness, but to grow the economy we need fairness in the system. I don't see why young people in Cornwall, Durham and Kent are not given the same benefits as those being helped by Mr Clegg's youth growth fund. Why should those young people in counties and rural areas be disadvantaged compared with those in cities? It is wrong," he says.
Hodge intends to keep on speaking up for county councils that he says have the size, capacity, vision and ambition to drive the economy forward. "I have no doubt in my mind all counties are ambitious, and if given the right opportunities to grow their areas and make decisions then we can push forward growth," he says.
One way growth can be encouraged, Hodge says, is "we should be brave and ambitious, and we should call for 100% broadband coverage in Britain as we do not want to get left behind. The only way to do that is to make sure that everyone is using it."
Another key thing for growth is understanding the unit cost of delivering things. "If we in public administration, and I am including the government in this, sit down and analyse unit costs. If we were working in a business we would do that as you have to sell products, but just because we don't work in business doesn't mean we should not know the unit cost of providing certain services."
When asked about Eric Pickles' calls that morning for councils to be banned from using CCTV for parking fines, the conversation turns once more to the question of devolved powers.
"I have heard his comments before about parking on yellow lines, but it is not on. People should not park on yellow lines – those lines have been put there after a great deal of consultation at local level by county, district and parish councils," he says.
He adds that the process can be "cumbersome" at times, but yellow lines are there for a reason. "It is frustrating when you see people parked on double yellow lines and it is the height of bad manners."
In some ways it is more helpful if ministers leave local issues and areas to run themselves," he says. "They can be run quite competently."
So, how does Hodge plan to challenge the status quo? "I will get things done through private meetings, which I will do, and putting my case forward, and also setting up an all-party parliamentary group and see if that group can get the quiet message over. There is a time to shout and time to be quiet and I prefer to do things behind doors, but occasionally you have to shout," he says.
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