Clegg wants Whitehall downsize
Nick Clegg told activists he wanted to "radically" shrink central govt
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Saturday, 12, Jan 2008 08:10
Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg has said "radically shrinking" public service departments will improve their performance in a keynote speech.
Speaking to his party for the first time since replacing Sir Menzies Campbell as leader, Mr Clegg called for a charter of freedoms and responsibilities for local government to achieve his aims.
He blamed Labour and the Conservatives for fostering a culture of centralised policies, describing the trend as "just daft".
"You can't run thousands of schools from an office in Whitehall, and you can't innovate effectively on a national scale," he said.
"More powers must be devolved from central government, and with them more power to raise and spend money."
The 41-year-old Sheffield Hallam MP used his idea of "free schools" to illustrate his proposals, suggesting education be liberalised to prevent schools suffering from "ministerial involvement" in progress assessments.
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