The Covid pandemic has demonstrated the need for a more localised approach to delivering policies. There have been many examples during the last ten months of situations where local delivery has been shown to be highly effective in addressing specific issues.
One example is the track and trace system. The national system never really effectively took off and was dogged by issues. However, there are examples of how rudimentary and basic local track and trace initiatives have worked effectively. One of these was in July 2020: following the reopening of pubs, a landlady in Somerset kept a list of all customers and their telephone numbers and was able to contact them when another customer informed her that they had tested positive for Covid-19, a simple system that worked effectively.
The devastating economic impact to the local economy could be minimised by adopting a more local approach, for example, keeping open those local businesses that strictly adhere to Covid restrictions. One way of doing this could be the increased use of local council enforcement officers, such as Trading Standards or Environmental Health, who could inspect and enable compliant businesses to continue to trade while shutting down those who are breaking the rules. An initiative like this would enable small businesses that do not attract large numbers of customers in groups or crowds, and which can control the flow of customers by appointment systems, to continue to trade. Dental practices continue to work successfully like this, and so could many businesses that are closed under the present system, like hairdressers, beauticians, bookshops, picture framers, printing and copying services.
The NHS Covid App allows users to “sign in” by scanning the QR code of the shop or service that they are attending or using. If all shoppers and service users were required to “sign in”, literally or using the NHS App, then real-time sharing of the data with local public health and District Councils would inform and enable a much more responsive local track and trace capability.
Another example of a poor delivery of a central government policy, combined with the award of national contracts without a robust and fair tendering process, was the sourcing and delivery of free school meals. This was outsourced to a large company for delivery across England; the result was poor quality, unappetising and nutritionally inadequate food delivered to those in society who at this time most need fit-for-purpose nutrition.
A more localised approach, using local business and supply chains, including locally sourced produce, could, in this instance, have led to better quality and more nutritional food being delivered to those who needed it, together with opportunities for local businesses and the development of local stakeholder relationships. Local knowledge and the involvement of local voluntary and statutory agencies could have ensured a targeted approach to reaching those in need. Local targeted delivery and provision ensure that resources are allocated effectively.
There is a gap between policy theory “at the centre” and the delivery of services at ground level, and the intended policy becomes divorced from the reality at local level. Problems and solutions emerge together, not one after the other; policy needs to be more immediately reactive, whereas a more centralised approach can be slow to react, thus reducing the effectiveness of the intended policy. Local areas are different, some rural, some urban, some with high ethnic minority populations, some with elderly populations all with different access to local amenities and transport links, unemployment levels and health requirements to name a few, and a national centralised approach can mean that policy becomes ‘lost in translation’, with the effects taking time to be seen and materialise.
Policies rarely achieve success on their own but are interlinked with other policies which may be easier, and more efficient to deliver at local level. There is more propensity, capacity and capability for joined up thinking and delivery at local level than at national level – so government should capitalise on that, and trust local organisations to serve their communities effectively.
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