PROBLEMS CONNECTED WITH LOCAL GOVERNMENT REFORMS IN THE UNITED KINGDOM AND NIGERIA

Some of the problems confronting local government reforms in the area of raising revenue/ finance and democratization in the United Kingdom and Nigeria regardless of the input towards making local government more effective and efficient; would be highlighted below in the interest of making local government more responsive and efficient, particularly in a global competitive world; irrespective of regions and continents as they are often face with relative common problems.

United Kingdom

As a consequence of the Reforms, local discretion and variation has diminished and local government policies and programmes are often guided.

There is the emphasis on control by the central government i.e interestingly  an area block grant to local government are based upon central governments assessment of its spending requirements. The nationalization of the non – democratic values, the reduction in the preparation of local government finance raised locally and the increase in a specific grants from central government by mid 1990’s local government had minimum control and discretion  over how it resources are used.

Attempts by successive government to rationalize the local government have met with considerable resistance particularly where local people perceived that the community or area they identify with will be renamed or changed.

There is increasing number of local government function transferred from elected local councils to special purpose agencies and organization called QUANGOS (Quasi Autonomous, non-governmental Organizations) faced with the problem of accountability.

Local government’s reforms in the United Kingdom are politicized due to rivalry of the two majority parties’ Conservative and Labour party for political patronages. For example while labour favour the modernization of the antiquated system of local democracy in Britain the Conservatives and Liberal democrats hugely were against it, it was almost doomed from the outset with hostile local media skeptical voters routinely rejecting the proposal.

A major challenge for local government operators is how to average the-never adequate resources available to them to discharge allotted function and make expected impact as autonomous tiers of government.

There is the problem of what to decide as the best leadership model for local governments in the United Kingdom- either a directly elected mayor and cabinet on four years mandate, or a leader and cabinet elected by council itself for four years mandate.

Under the new Act, council can simply resolve to move to an elected mayor system by a vote of full council without need for approval in referendum this will limit the extent of the generality of the people to participate in decisions concerning local government model that will be adopted.

The multiple local government structure in the United Kingdom hinder the general applicability of reforms objectives. thus large metropolitan councils such as  Birmingham and Manchester adopted the new system not backwater local authorities such as Hartlepool and Mansfield.

Nigeria

In Nigeria there is an apparent unawareness of local people in the importance of tax payment. The result has been tax evasion and consequently low reforms achievement. Revenue generating source in the local government are often contracted to political associates for political patronage and revenue generated are under declared to the detriment of the local government. (Oshodi, D., 2005, p.61).

There is the paucity of qualified staff to carry out the activities of the council in this regards. And as such illiterate and semi literate are employed as revenue collectors without the basic required rudimentary training in human relations.

Seasonal inaccessibility of roads in majority of the local government that are largely rural in nature results in the  inability of tax collectors to reach the interest or areas, which constitute the  main agricultural producing areas, there by losing significant sum of money to the affected area.

Despite reforms revenue generation in the local government is very poor, the council areas do not have the necessary size to generate revenue from, because Local governments were arbitrarily created by past military government without considering their economic viability.

Grafts and corruptions of public officials hinder reforms successes. There is probably no level and institution of government where corruption is as wide spread in diluted and unambiguous as the local government. ( Aghayere, p. 193) .

In the face of non provision of welfare service to the locality yet public officials siphon and mismanage local government’s funds. Council fiscal allocation is shared among local government officials and top party members, political god-fathers with fictitious and unexecuted contracts (Oshodi, p. 61).

State – interference – the overshadowing interference in local government affairs by their respective state governments constitutes another problem. Apart from fluctuation in state grants to local government there has been the slashing of various amounts due them.

Reforms recognized the local government as the third tier of government in Nigeria but this has not guarantee its financial autonomy in the true sense with state government supervision/control of the federal grants due them for other purposes.

There is also the assumption of function by the state government which stifles the finances of the local government for the fact that they have been left with difficult areas to raise revenues. In this regards J.A. Egonmwan has argued that “ from the appropriation of technical function by state government, the state government has  acquired the more in creative elastic and collectible revenue source (e.g. water rate, motor vehicle, license fee, building plans) leaving local government with taxation with low ceiling, revenues which are administrative and politically difficult to exploit in an environment where vast majority  of the people are poor, self-employed and dispersal in the rural areas” leaving local governments with low revenue base.

The councilors who are elected and supervisors where appointed. Put together are found to be ill-prepared for the jobs they found themselves in the local government (Aghayere, V.O., 1997, p.153)

Political Reforms of the local government that was to usher in representation and democratic process in the local government have not been able to satisfactory achieve this objective, particularly as elected officials are largely not the choice of the people.

The political mechanisms do not guarantee accountability. There is political corruption at the local government which involves illegal pursuant or misuse of public office and electoral corruption which includes the purchase of votes with money or promise of office and special favour plus intimidation and interference with the freedom to vote according to one’s conscience (Aghayere, p.154).

Opposition parties to the state governments’ cannot win elections at the local government since it is the state government that appoints Electoral Officer for local government elections.

As noted by Braithwalt “ government in Nigeria are imposed in the guise of charade elections characterized with massive vote and electoral fraud resulting in disentrancing  the bulk of the populace” (The Nation Thursday, May 21, 2009) “Democracy  is meaningless if devoid of visible free, fair and transparent elections. What is on ground, so far is not democracy.

Local governments in Nigeria are not effective and efficient, and even the supervisory role of the state governments is yet to translate into quality leadership and better services for the local people.