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DOCUMENT I S THE PROPERTY OF HER B R I T A N N I C MAJESTY'S GOVERNMENT

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CABINET

EDUCATION I N LONDON

by the Secretary of State for Education and Science he Secretary of State for the Environment ^RPOSE

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B > ^oritv i Tr ' P ° s i t i o n is -that the Inner London Education ULEA) i s t h e W & d k r London Council (GLC) acting through a P e c i °uncii^ which h l i r e c t l y - e l e c t e d members, (the GLC -'^uiDers f. " " n e r Lonaof&horoughs and the City) and 13 appointed Ci J I*** the inner L o , ^ roughs and the Common Council of the osed a j o i n t body with a l l i t s members P°inted I ^ I and the City after abolition • e GLC d i r e c t l y - e l e c t e d ILEA. The tS ^ti ! Propose, ins^ new . J ? e c t elections ot affect the status or nature of * di ^ I L E A , only the system pointing i t s members. I t would ner London, issue i t s own r a t e , °bably) i t s elections in th 'eaj^s between borough elections,

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A c c o u n t a b i l i t y t o the e l e c t o r a t e would be beyond

JMembers w o u l d a c t u a l l y be a b l e t o do ^ ^ i ^ S ^ S c u l t y p o i n t e d by t h e boroughs m i g h t w e l l h, a^>>viding strolling a u t h o r i t y v a s t l y b.gger thar any

s e r v i c e w h i c h t h e boroughs have n e v e r i b

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The s i m p l i c i t y and wide a c c e p t a b i l i t y o f d i r e c t should ease t h e passage o f t h e a b o l i t i o n B i l l .

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h e r e i s a c o n s i d e r a b l e advantage i n m a i n t a i n i n g c o n t i n u i t y

the C o n s e r v a t i v e group on ILEA whose a l t e r n a t i v e budget w i l l h e l p

s e t a r e a l i s t i c spending l e v e l f o r t h e A u t h o r i t y when t h e r a t e

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two main arguments a g a i n s t d i r e c t e l e c t i o n s . First, direct

EA w i l l l e a d t o r e q u e s t s f o r d i r e c t e l e c t i o n s to the other

ngl ^ t r o p o i ^ ^ T ^ ^ ^ t boards ( p o l i c e , f i r e and p u b l i c t r a n s p o r t i n t h e i n d i r e c t J t r a Y p ! " n t y C o u n c i l s (MCCs) ; and f i r e i n London) . But ILEA as an authorit 7 ^ f A u t h o r i t y would be t h e o n l y n o n - e l e c t e d e d u c a t i o n

ythin i^ S d ; c o n s u l t a t i o n s on t h e White Paper have n o t e l i c i t e d

°ther g • ^ pressure f o r d i r e c t l y - e l e c t e d a u t h o r i t i e s f o r the

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onablv I P ^ i n g l e s e r v i c e - j o i n t board c o n t r o l l e d b y

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est spending l o c a l a u t h o r i t i e s i n England

l d h r ^ ° ° t' omy, e i t h e r . And an e l e c t e d A u t h o r i t y

h a r d l y be , ct t o the e l e c t o r a t e f o r i t s spending,

Above a l l w i t h i n t h e scope o f r a t e l i m i t a t i o n ;

^ the f body r s t t h r e e e a r s w i t h t h e j o i n t b o a r d s ) i t would be

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^ISSUES

6.

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• issues v hr xi c < # ; need t o be s e t t l e d , such as are subordinate 1

A u t b o

size and composition ot «cio t of the timing of l e g i s l a t iiCo n . i i c v e tctn April A986. However, direc t provide i n the paving B i l l ^ t ^evet, of the GLC i n May 1985 . T£* B/f^i introduction u n t i l immediate j ^ delay substantially) the paving g e on t n essential to take the Commit

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PUBLIC ANNOUNCEMENT 7-

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S ! agree t o d i r e c t e l e c t i o n s , we sugges e ~ ~ ^ y o f S t a t e f o r E d u c a t i o n and S c i e n c e , t o d a raft i s at

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consider

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^ ^ ^ ^ ^ > t h e advantages o f d i r e c t e l e c t i o n s o u t w e i g h any problems

K e l y t o a r i s e . We t h e r e f o r e i n v i t e c o l l e a g u e s t o ­ e

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C O N F I D E N T I A L

Annex A

STATEMENT

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are c o n s i d e r i n g" &Per " 0 4 • *t h e responses J. - - ­t o t h e

lta^. e a m l i n i n g t h e C i t i e s " , and t h e a s s o c i a t e d ^ on documents. C o n c l u s i o n s w i l l be announced on „i_ P n t s i n due course. However, t h e Government have d e c i s i o n on t h e f u t u r e arrangements f o r

" i n n e r London, and we t h o u g h t i t r i g h t t o i n f o r m

t h i s now.

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Per proposed t h a t t h e r e should c o n t i n u e t o be

c a t i o n s e r v i c e i n i n n e r London, a d m i n i s t e r e d by

£ h o y \ r ^ a t i o n a u t h o r i t y . I t a l s o proposed t h a t t h e

y the inn J°i board o f c o u n c i l l o r s appoin n t e d ^ ^ City borough c o u n c i l s and t h e Common C o u n c i l

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e arguments p u t f o r w a r d i n c o n s u l t a t i o n ,

t l y - e l e c t e d a u t h o r i t y would be more

t board f o r t h i s s e r v i c e , and we

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proposed arrangements f o r t h e new ncluding the timing o f

on as p o s s i b l e .

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1984

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