What a good idea!

It's always nice when influential people agree with you. Today we learn that "the Local Democracy think tank LGiU has proposed a radical devolution of responsibility for back-to-work services from central government to local councils." See the egovmonitor site. Their report says that local councils are much better placed to understand the needs of their areas, and cites the Dutch model which rewards councils for cutting the benefits bill by getting people into work. The article ends: "The report argues that a large financial incentive would help mobilise all local authority services around the goal of helping people get jobs and keep them there. The money would be re-invested in local communities in ways that would further support opportunities for work, rather than at present under the Flexible New Deal, where it is absorbed by private profit. It is a self-financing scheme for local investment, aimed at both tackling the human tragedy of long-term worklessness and restoring public finances."

It's common sense, really. I wonder why no one in government or opposition is listening.