Calls for End to Bureaucracy

Devon's Children Services wants to be left to get on with its job - having gone through three inspections in six months.

All of the reports into the county's Youth Offending Service decided it was doing a great job - with the latest inspection saying it is performing excellently

Christine Channon is the Councillor in charge of the Service, although she is welcoming the praise, she thinks so many checks on a successful department can actually have a negative impact: "they cost time, they cause tension and if you are not careful they can take your eye off of the core activity and, you know, we've got some really good things going on in Devon"

She thinks the new Government needs to step in and stop so many inspections: "we've had an outstanding report in terms of this and then they wanted to come and do a review in three or four other areas and you think 'for heavens sake - we're supposed to be getting rid of bureaucracy'!"