Everything has its price

As if the years of inspection and monitoring of local authorities by the Audit Commission wasn't enough, our government has now decided the regime needs strengthening. In future, more inspectors will inspect more services, with more performance indicators and more targets.

The strange thing is, the government has decided that the level of fees charged for these inspections should go down - preferably by around one third.

But because this centralist, over centralised control-freak Labour government has asked for much more inspection rather than less, in some parts of the country local councils will have to charge up to one percent extra on their council tax - just to cover the cost of government inspections.

Isn't it time the madness stopped? Doesn't it seem grossly unfair that despite the overwhelming burden of inspection on local councils, the one body the government won't inspect - is itself.