ANDREW STUNELL OBE MP, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State, Communities and Local Government addressed delegates at a conference organised by the New Local Goverment Network on 24 June 2010
His main message was that LOCALISM is THE agenda. End of one size fits all approach. Local solutions for local problems. The Decentralisation and Localism bill due to be published later this year will contain 46 reforms and changes designed to shift power back from the centre. It will set the foundation for the "Big Society".
The main elements of the Bill are:
- Abolish Regional Spatial Strategies.
- Return decision-making powers on housing and planning to local councils.
- Abolish the Infrastructure Planning Commission and replace it with an efficient and democratically accountable system that provides a fast-track process for major infrastructure projects.
- 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.
- Abolish the Standards Board regime.
- Give councils a general power of competence.
- Require public bodies to publish online the job titles of every member of staff and the salaries and expenses of senior officials.
- Give residents the power to instigate local referendums on any local issue and the power to veto excessive council tax increases.
- Greater financial autonomy to local government and community groups.
- Create Local Enterprise Partnerships (to replace Regional Development Agencies) – joint local authority-business bodies brought forward by local authorities to promote local economic development.
- Form plans to deliver a genuine and lasting Olympic legacy.
- Outright abolition of Home Improvement Packs.
- Create new trusts that would make it simpler for communities to provide homes for local people.
- Review Housing Revenue Account.
In his speech, Andrew Stunnell went on to make the following points:
- Of the £6.2 billion in cuts, 20% will come from local govt.
- Abolition of CAA, regional spatial strategies, standards boards and HIPS
- CLG is working with LGA to develop peer-centred review system
- Local government will have greater financial autonomy – de-ringfencing of money from central government
- Energy Performance certificate to be retained
- Scaling back of quangos (bill later in the year)
- Council tax freeze (average £70 per family)
- rate relief for half million small businesses
- message to local govt – start planning NOW.
- CLG's own budget likely to be reduced by 25%
See The Centre for Cities report on the Decentralisation and Localism bill:
http://centreforcities.typepad.com/centre_for_cities/2010/05/queens-speech-decentralisation-localism-bill.html
