A few years ago the Minister's predecessor introduced a scheme entitled Better Local Government which promoted county council employees and paid them significant increases in salary, thus creating a new layer of bureaucracy and management at county council level. The scheme delivered the opposite of what it set out to do. Public representatives now find it difficult to contact county managers because they are increasingly delegating powers to directors of services. The Minister now proposes to transfer further powers to the county manager at a time when ordinary county councillors, such as myself and many others to whom I spoke recently, find it increasingly difficult to meet managers in order to discuss their concerns.