28 November 2006
COMMON BOUNDARIES MEANS BETTER SERVICES - HANSON
Moving to common boundaries across local government can lead to more effective joined up services for citizens, Minister of State, David Hanson MP, has said.
The Minister was speaking as a new research report, commissioned as part of the implementation of the Review of Public Administration (RPA), was published on the RPA website. He said: "Full implementation of the Review of Public Administration will see the number of public bodies across Northern Ireland reduce from 154 to 76. This will generate efficiencies and transfer resources from bureaucracy to the frontline delivery of key public services like health, education and local government.
"Organisations operating within a set of common boundaries, makes the provision of services easier to understand for everyone. It provides real opportunities for well-planned, joined-up services around the same population and the same geography, which together provide a powerful common purpose. The successful implementation of Community Planning will be facilitated by organisations working within the seven new council boundaries, which research evidence has shown is the optimum number for service delivery in Northern Ireland.
"Common boundaries was one of the guiding principles we set out last year to make it easier for organisations to deliver real joined up services for citizens. The research shows examples from other jurisdictions where restructuring of government boundaries, in conjunction with other factors, has significantly contributed to improved front line service delivery."
The Minister concluded; "In Japan, local government municipalities were recently merged to form the equivalent of "super councils" where all public services are provided within the geographical boundaries of those bodies. This has meant that residents now have access to a wider range of facilities and research has shown that the quality of services has improved. The RPA in Northern Ireland, while on a larger scale, is similar to the Japanese proposals and I am confident we also can deliver improved public services to local communities."
NOTES TO EDITORS:
1. The research paper "Moving To Common Boundaries" can be found on the RPA website at www.rpani.gov.uk.
2. The research was carried out by Goldblatt McGuigan in conjunction with the Social Research Centre. It looked at case studies from Scotland, Sweden and Japan and was carried out through telephone interviews and desk research.
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