Sykes slams wasteful spending as government introduces so called local government watchdog – which is just red tape and adds no value

Leader of Oldham Liberal Democrats councillor Howard Sykes MBE has criticised the launch of the ‘Office for Local Government’ (Oflog), the new government backed audit body for local councils. 

Oflog is set to be introduced by local government minister Michael Gove so that the government can work with councils to focus on ‘data, transparency, and financial outcomes’, according to a department of Levelling Up, Housing and Communities statement earlier this year.

Councillor Sykes said, “This is an example of wasteful spending on useless red tape and more bureaucracy.  People want better front-line services like highways and green space maintenance. The government is trying to reinvent the wheel.  The Local Government Association (LGA) already provides the LG Inform service, which covers much of what Oflog would do.  LG Inform is doing its job so well that it’s become an award-winning service.” 

“No government agency based in London is going to be able to provide better local data or insight than local councils can do themselves.  So Oflog will inevitably become a very costly way of telling councils how little money they have, something they already know.  Wouldn’t it be better to simply give councils more funding for front-line services, rather than wasting it on bureaucracy?”

Oflog is set to be formally launched by the government in July.