Government rules on intervention

The government has no intention of intervening in poorly performing
councils on a long-term basis, according to new guidelines.

The protocol states that the government will only intervene on the
basis of evidence from a selection of performance and inquiry
criteria.

The guidelines, from the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister’s,
state:”Where statutory powers have been used to remove powers from
a local authority, the secretary of state will aim to return
control to it as soon as improvements are well established and the
council’s political and managerial leadership has the capacity to
sustain them.” 

– Protocol on Central Government Engagement from
www.local-regions.odpm.gov.uk/bestvalue/inspection/pdf/protocol.pdf