Election result prolongs uncertainty
Ravi Chandiramani
Monday, May 10, 2010
At the time of writing -- on the historically uncertain afternoon of Friday 7 May -- the Conservatives were about to enter into negotiations with the Liberal Democrats about helping them to form a government.
Were those talks to break down, an offer to the Lib Dems of negotiations from Labour was waiting in the wings. By the time you read this, the dust will have settled. Hopefully.
Regardless of the outcome of the negotiations, the general election result of a hung parliament cannot be regarded as good news for children and young people's services. When governments win outright majorities, they are at least able to press ahead with a clear programme of reform. This makes the road ahead easier to navigate and predict. However, a hung parliament with a minority government puts policy at the mercy of fudge and compromise, where agendas get muddied.
David Cameron put great store on Friday on his party's "common ground" with the Lib Dems over their shared desire for pupil premiums to help narrow the attainment gap in schools. In reality, the Lib Dems share more territory with Labour on children's policy.
Indeed, they have demonstrated a firmer commitment to the Every Child Matters agenda by wanting housing authorities to be given the duty to co-operate in children's trusts. Their policies on Sure Start children's centres and youth services are also closer to Labour.
And yet, we have to accept that children's policy - even though it concerns the very future of our society - will have been only one of several factors in the power-broking. What's more, the Lib Dems' children's spokesman (at the time of writing) David Laws, has been far closer politically and personally to his Tory counterpart Michael Gove than to Ed Balls.
Ultimately, the hung parliament spells major anxiety because it means we are highly likely to have another general election within a year. Until then, key decisions over children's policy will be subject to compromise, or much worse, driven by populist concerns of short-term political gain rather than the long-term interests of children, their families and the workforce that serves them.
Children and young people's services desperately need national coherence. Good services in the voluntary sector in particular deserve some security so that they can continue to deliver for years to come.
The sooner the dust settles over the Westminster circus, the better for all.