Groucho Marx said:
Politics is the art of looking for trouble, finding it everywhere, diagnosing it incorrectly and applying the wrong remedies.
He was right and his sage words apply to both local and national politicians and the plethora of civil servants and other public service managers advising them.
Over the years central government has re-organised many times the health service, education and local government and to what good or benefit? Precious little, if any. Indeed they exemplify Hutber's Law: Improvement means deterioration.
Look at local government as an example of Hutber's Law. The current organisation is a mess and has led to such nonsense as Liverpool having three mayors: Lord Mayor, Mayor and Metro Mayor.
Rumour in Whitehall is that arch-meddler Michael Gove is about to embark on a further round of local government 'reform' as part of the 'levelling-up' agenda. Local authorities at district level will be merged, county councils abolished, the number of councillors halved and all authorities run on the mayor and cabinet model.
The consequences will be that fewer people will make decisions locally, central government will tighten its grip on local authorities even further and local democracy will wither.
