One of the big political dividing lines in the past twenty years has been the way local government is viewed. At one end of the spectrum was the view that councils should exist solely to supply services, at the lowest possible cost, by whatever means necessary. This was the Nicholas Ridley vision of a council which met once a year to divvy up contracts to service suppliers. At the other end of the spectrum were those who though the point of councils was to bring down capitalism, develop their own foreign policy, and serve as islands of revolutionary socialism.

These days, neither of these strong ideological positions holds sway, I am pleased to say. But I do believe that councils are about more than simply supplying services. They represent local government, not local administration, and as such should be lively hubs of local political and democratic activity.

That said, supplying decent services should be core business. People expect it and deserve it. People are no longer willing to take second best from any service or business, whether it is the bank, supermarket or local council. Everyone deserves local decent services, no matter who they are, where they live, or what they earn. So I’ve been thinking about how we can drive up standards even higher.

This week I am announcing a review of 'redress' when things go wrong with local services. The review will be chaired by David Cook, the Chief Executive of Kettering Borough Council. It will consider the evidence and best practice in this area, make recommendations as to how we can move forward, and consider practical costs and regulatory impacts as part of a final report to me in early 2009.

I know some housing associations offer a voucher or cash if they miss an appointment, and other organisations run different schemes. I want to hear from you if you have an idea that would make a difference.