Editorial: A lighter touch will allow services to thrive

If so, you're not alone. The Lifting the Burdens Taskforce has this week issued a report that finds councils' efforts frustrated by heavy-handed interference from civil servants and inspectors. It issues several recommendations to the Department for Children, Schools and Families to help cut local authority red tape and bring about services that are more efficient and effective.

Among these is a proposal for the highest rated councils to be assessed every two years under the Comprehensive Area Assessment - which comes into force in 2009 to encompass councils and partner agencies - instead of the blanket annual inspections. On information technology matters, the report finds that IT systems have increased the administrative burden on authorities rather than freed up resources, and without delivering the anticipated benefits of better knowledge sharing to inform decisions. It calls on the DCSF to ensure that projects in the pipeline such as Contact Point and eCAF allow councils to tailor systems to local needs.