The Government gave a full response to the 24 recommendations of the Egan Review in August 2004, setting out how each would be taken forward and to what time scale. The Government have taken the actions to which it committed in respect of all the recommendations.
Where target dates were set these have been met, with the exception of guidance for planning councillors (recommendation 12), which was published in 2005 rather than 2004, and the recommendation that Government and the Local Government Association review during 2006 the need for compulsory training of elected members (recommendation 20). This issue will be taken forward as part of the preparation of a national strategy for local improvement, as set out in the Local Government White Paper “Strong and Prosperous Communities”.
The Egan Review’s major recommendation was to establish a National Centre for Sustainable Community Skills. In response to this, the Government have established the Academy for Sustainable Communities (ASC), which is currently delivering a number of key Egan recommendations, including promoting generic skills, cross sector working and encouraging entrants into the core occupations. In December, the ASC launched a set of joint commitments with major national institutions, influencing the learning and professional development of 100,000 core professionals.