Central and local government

Everyone is exposed to the workings of central and local government, though we may not always recognize it. Increasingly, non-elected bodies, trusts, quangos and so on are responsible for running what we consider to be public services, such as those associated with education, health and water.

It is this growing middle ground, especially between a directly accountable public sector and the newly privatized sector, which is causing public concern. Inevitably a spotlight has been cast on the way in which public money is spent and the way in which decisions are made. Such new bodies are in fact obliged to report to the center in one way or another, but the transparency of their operations has been clouded.

That said, the UK system of government, though sometimes complex, still remains the envy of many countries. As consumers, we may not think it perfect. As practitioners, however, we should know its functions and means of access.

Government

It would be dangerous to identify current government departments or the make-up of the cabinet here, since changes can occur literally overnight. The press will usually identify the new shape of government or a shift in ministerial duties as a change occurs. There are also many reference books on the organization of government, the infrastructure which supports it, such as the civil service, and the growing numbers of agencies and quangos which implement policy.

The role of government, via the Parliament processes, remains constant – to legislate, regulate and levy taxes in order to pay for public services. The vast array of government services – either directly provided or indirectly through agencies or funding support – means that the government itself is the country’s prime employer and a major customer.

A relatively recent development is to shift control of the activities government departments from ‘the centre’. While ministries for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are well established, increasingly the move is to consolidate regional administrations in England, creating more headquarters for services away from ‘Whitehall’.

This growing regionalism aims to localize key government departments, providing a single point of contact for local businesses and councils. Regional issues in theory are more likely to be identified by this new network and fed into the government machine.

It also means that extra lines of communication with government have resulted. Knowledge of the personalities involved in these local ‘satellites’ as well as the ‘core’ is therefore an asset.

Access

1. Making contact with government has become an industry all of its own. There are any number of lobbying companies which will claim as part of their services to have the right contacts or to effect the right introductions. A ‘dating agency’ approach, or hosting a reception for example, will not alone be enough to make sound contacts to help further your case.

2. Research and making the right local/regional/national or even international connections will yield a more productive outcome – provided a number of key prerequisites are attended to:

• invest time in identifying the key influencing figures or parties;

• anticipate their attitude towards the issue; be ready to counter or bring in new areas for discussion;

• use your own influential figures to effect introductions;

• start at or near the top of the organization to be targeted;

• use a senior in-house person to make contact and to lead the campaign;

• develop a good rapport with those outside the organization who can help or advise you.

3. Meetings with ministers to discuss an issue will only rarely happen at the first attempt. They are busy people who will be protected from the demands of ‘outsiders’. Good links with the minister’s private office may assist in your efforts but others, like supportive MPs, may also help meanwhile by putting your case direct.

4. The likelihood is that meetings, when they can be arranged, will be with civil servants. Similarly, replies to letters sent to ministers will almost inevitably be drafted (and probably signed) by an official. This is not necessarily a bad thing. It gives a point of contact, a starting point for dialogue. Senior civil servants are best placed to assist.

5. The government has its own public relations officers too who act as spokespersons for departments and are part of the Government Information Service and are therefore at the center of ‘official’ government PR activity.

6. It is important to remember that civil servants are not political appointments – they are paid to serve the government of the day and they defend their right to impartiality vigorously.

7. Hence, their value in the public affairs process lies in their ability to interpret government thinking and policy; knowing how and with whom to work to convert it into action; acting as an informal sounding board; ensuring the government is well appraised of third party thinking and ultimately that the government machine works effectively.

8. Thus, achieving consensus is in the civil servants’ interests as much as that of their ministers or secretaries of state.

9. There is another figure in the process, that of the political or special adviser. They act in a (politically) advisory capacity to government ministers or leading spokespeople in the main political parties and are likely to harbour political aspirations.

10. They are not constrained by the same rules as mainstream civil servants and act as a conduit of information within the party and between its key political figures. On behalf of their political bosses, they are anxious to detect problems early and advise or deploy tactics to avoid confrontation and engineer the least damaging outcome.