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.
