1) County Council Elections —a chance to win those we do not hold. They spend 80%; of local govt. money— therefore will be most responsible for size of your community charge. Every £1 they overspend means extra £1 on your community charge. Every Councillor—county, district, or parish has an interest in returning Cons. County Councils As have electors who want Value for Money and a low Community Charge.
2) Value for Money Contracting out gives us precisely that. Many of you doing it successfully— Opponents refuse to deliver with consequent increases in costs. Contracting out—much more efficient process. Councils can monitor the service & insist on best. [end p1] Have to perform well or lose the contract to others. Councillors No divided loyalties between those they employ & those they serve. Councillors are on the citizen's side.
3) Community Charge—makes every Council accountable
a) as Labour are discovering. That's why they campaign against it. We must campaign on it.
b) TRULY—fairest system of paying for local govt. ever had. Remember on average 75%; of money for L.G. comes from taxpayer & business.
c) The next Community Charge 9.5 million people will secure a rebate because they can't afford to pay. Half of those will pay nothing. So the poor [sic]
4) The times require a new kind of Council.
Not one that wants to run everything for itself—to enlarge its own powers & control over citizens lives. [end p2] Acton—[? Kristol] here [on separate sheet:] [Quote
Acton All power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely.
Dependency corrupts and absolute dependency corrupts absolutely.]
But Councils who make it possible for others to exercise responsibility in the provision of local services & jobs.
Who make it possible for others to work together for the Community.
Councils which welcome enterprise and work with private sector to deliver better services.
Councils who welcome increased interest of parents in schools and who help Governors to work out their own budget & run their schools.
Councils who enable Housing Assns., Co-operatives and private builders to meet the housing needs of their people.
Councils who welcome voluntary activity.
Who believe in standards and excellence and together with citizens aspire to it.
Councils who encourage others to administer and provide local services. [end p3] For as E.M. Forster said Spoon feeding in the long run teaches us nothing but the shape of the spoon.
We seek a great devolution of power & responsibilities to local citizens who want to have it & welcome it. That's the way to A locality which takes pride in its independence, it standard of service and its voluntary community spirit.
5) Finally The public service role is a noble role. It is the historic role for local councillors. Councils who welcome accountability. That is a real job for Conservatives everywhere. May I thank you for your stewardship—may it be renewed and extended in May. [end p4]
[(2) IRN Archive: OUP transcript:]IRN Journalist
As is her custom, Mrs. Thatcher went for attack as the best mode of defence and she admitted plainly and clearly that the line—her line that is—does need a bit of defending just now.
MT
I know that the subject of privatization of water has not in fact been handled well or accurately.
IRN Journalist
Of course, said her aides, this is an attack on media not ministers but as Mrs. Thatcher and her aides know perfectly well, the media go for the best and the pithiest lines, so if they're getting them out of the opposition rather than the government, whose fault is that one may ask? Mrs. Thatcher, one suspects, has come to her own private conclusions. Certainly she set out to rectify any deficiencies there may or may not have been on the part of her team by providing plenty of bullish bites of news herself, like this one about her comrades who begin at Calais.
MT
France has a socialist government. That socialist government nationalized things left, right and centre. There's one thing it dare not touch: water. Water is in private hands and they dare not touch it because the standard of efficiency excels anything which they could have as a nationalized industry.
IRN Journalist
A gesture of any kind of solidarity between Mrs. Thatcher and any kind of pinkos, especially French ones, is indeed a rarity, proof positive that she knows she's got a fight on her hands. However, the tone varied from the conniving we've just heard to the soothingly reassuring. Private water is nothing to worry about, she purred, in fact really it's nothing knew.
MT
Twenty-five percent of water has been provided privately for a very long time indeed. There is nothing new about it, it's as old as the hills or very nearly. The hills are older than … well there were private water services when the hills were created, [laughter] but 25 per cent of water services have been provided privately for ages so there's nothing new about it.
IRN Journalist
However, for those good loyal Thatcherites who recognize the value of sound money and notice when their bills go up, Mrs. Thatcher reverted to her customarily confrontational mode.
MT
Now it's going to cost money. Of course, we also have to get the nitrates out of the water which is a comparatively new thing because of the run-off from the fertilizer. You simply cannot have higher standards without it costing money. That increased cost is not due in any way to privatization. Privatization will be more efficient. That increased cost is due to higher standards. [end p5]
IRN Journalist
And it's dishonest of Labour to pretend otherwise, she added. Still worse for the government if the punters get to believe it and, given the Tories relatively flagging state in the opinion polls, Mrs. Thatcher's clearly decided that now is the time for all good men to come to the aid of the party, and if they fall down on the job, it's down to the good woman.