Polly Toynbee, as ever, is spot-on in her paean of praise for Bob Kerslake (We laid Bob Kerslake to rest this week. Think of him – and give the civil service the respect it deserves, 27 July). He was a lovely, immensely wise and thoughtful public servant. He did indeed face the “elite contempt” of Whitehall towards local government about which Prof John Stewart wrote so compellingly many years ago.
As the then leader of Camden council (net budget £300m, 700 different services, rated excellent by the Audit Commission), I recall being asked to talk to aspiring civil servants on their training programme. I advocated for more autonomy for local government but also a requirement for senior civil servants to spend at least two years seconded to local government and/or the third sector, only to be told by one (I kid you not): “The trouble with you lot, is that if we give you more money, you’ll spend it on the mayor’s rose garden.” It fairly took my breath away. Nothing has changed.
Jane Roberts
London
