Conservative Localism Bill Provides New Era in Local Government
The Conservative led Coalition Government's Localism Bill will devolve greater powers to councils and neighbourhoods and give local communities control over housing and planning decisions.The major effects will be to empower local people,free local government from central and regional control,give local communities a real share in local growth and create a more efficient and more local planning system.
The main elements of the Bill are to abolish unelected regional quangos where there is no accountability to voters, including Infrastructure Planning Commission , Standards Board, and Regional Development agencies . Local government will be given a general power of competence and become the lead authority in housing planning and economic development.
''In planning terms this means that central government's plans dictating the number of houses to be built in the Ribble Valley will be abolished. Local councils will decide how many houses are to be built , where and on what site
The Infrastructure Planning Commission will be replaced with an efficient and democratically accountable system that provides a fast-track process for major infrastructure projects such airports and motorways.
New powers to help save local facilities and services threatened with closure, and give communities the right to bid to take over local state-run services The Bill requires public bodies to publish online the job titles of every member of staff and the salaries and expenses of senior officials.
It gives residents the power to instigate local referendums on any local issue and the power to veto excessive council tax increases and gives greater financial autonomy to local government and community groups.
Local Enterprise Partnerships will replace Regional Development Agencies – joint local authority-business bodies created by local authorities to promote local economic development.
For affordable and social housing new community housing trusts will be created that will make it simpler for communities to provide homes for local people. All home owners will be delighted that home improvement packs will be abolished.
This is a new way forward, a major piece of legislation that will affect a wide range of existing housing, planning and local government legislation dating back decades in some cases.
For local councillors it will mean the end of a large degree of central government control , sitting in committees rubber stamping reports on meeting government targets and initiatives . It will enable us to save money on meeting the dictats of the men in Whitehall. With a new general power of competence local authorities will have greater control in important areas , giving greater accountability to our local voters.
It rolls back 13 years of central government taking more and more powers from local government. Local government will become much more local. It will enable our local councils to preserve the rural green nature of the Ribble Valley whilst providing genuinely local solutions for housing needs and job creation through industrial development