Problems of Training for the Public Service: (b) Local Government
| Date | 01 July 1938 |
| Author | L. C. Hill |
| Published date | 01 July 1938 |
| DOI | http://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9299.1938.tb02087.x |
Problems
of
Training
Service
for
the
Public
(b)
Local
Government
By
L.
C.
HILL,
C.B.E.,
M.A.
[Paper to be discussed at the Summer Conference
of
the Institute
of
Public
Administration, Bristol,
July,
19381
E
are all given the same title to write to, but we are allocated
w
different fields
of
action. One of the problems, and perhaps the
major one,
of
applying
a
theory
of
training in the local government
service is the system itself. And it would not be any contribution
to
invent a training scheme which could not fit into the system. When
we think
of
the local government service we must not think
of
the
larger authorities alone. There are
1,782
local authorities
(1937
figures), of the more clearIy defined type, in England, Scotland and
Wales. There may be
130,000
employees
of
the administrative, pro-
fessional, technical, and clerical classes
;
some are part-time, others
are doing jobs which may be intermediate between those
of
an officer
and
those
of
a
workman. Some employees are termed officers by
one authority, but men doing precisely similar work under another
authority are classed as workmen.
It
is
a
big stride from the London County Council
to
a
small rural
or
urban district council. The London County Council may employ
7,000
graded, principal, major, establishment, general grade, and
other officers, but there are almost as many officers
of
similar calibre
employed within the County of London, but divided amongst and
employed by
28
Metropolitan Boroughs and the City Corporation.
Of
the
1,782
local authorities there are, at
a
rough estimate,
1,012
authorities which
do
not employ more than
20
officers. Another
407
employ between
21
and
50
officers,
191
have
51
to
150
officers,
123
between
150-500,
and only
49
employ more than
500
officers.
So
you see that
go
per cent.
of
the local authorities employ fewer than
roo
officers.
To
get a proper picture we must then look at the way
these numbers are broken
up
into departments by each authority.
I
have given
in
the Appendix the designations
of
the officers
of
an urban and
a
rural district council which, in my opinion, represent
276
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