Commission in the firing line

Last weekend’s Audit Commission-bashing by Messrs Pickles and Maude provided much entertainment for those who have been on the receiving end of caustic inspection verdicts. But did it provide much light?
The commission came in for a lashing on two grounds. The first was criticism of spending highlighted in its accounts on staff training and various away-days. The second was over the salary of £240,000 – including pension costs – offered to the successor to Steve Bundred, the recently-departed chief executive. The latter issue was always going to be problematic. Trying to stick to a salary package for the next chief lower than several of the commission’s managers would tax the most ingenious HR departments or head-hunter. As for the former, well, this is good knockabout stuff in an age of austerity.
But what does it all mean? There are several interpretations. One is that Messrs Pickles and Maude have taken so many pops at the commission while in Opposition they have forgotten they are now the Government. The second is that they genuinely believe the commission’s days are numbered and it should be wound up, even though the Tory Green Paper a year ago envisaged a new role for it in evaluating the grant-funding regime. Indeed, many insiders have long-believed the commission and the National Audit Office should be merged including the Tory politician who founded it, Lord (Michael) Heseltine.
The third view is that this is a case of new ministers showing they are on the side of local government and against inspectors.
But it is unclear any of these policies have been thought out at this stage. If anything, the weekend bashing was a populist assault on perceived over-endowed public sector pay generally. The block on the commission’s offer to its next chief followed publication of civil service top salaries and a promise to publicise those of council chiefs the end of the year.
In this case, the commission has simply been lumped in with the rest of the so-called ‘fatcats’. It is old-fashioned populism, and there will be a lot more of it, while under the surface, the business of dealing with the real issues will carry on.
Michael Burton, Editor, The MJ