Why I am supporting stronger local government

For too long too much power in this country has rested in the hands of too few people.

Although progress has been made towards devolution, we believe that government in Britain remains over-centralised, that devolution from Whitehall to localities needs to go further and faster, and that strong, energised local councils should provide the framework for local democratic engagement.

At present, decisions about services and public spending priorities are taken too far from the people who will be affected by them, and who want to influence them.

Yet challenges for communities at a time of scarce resources and environmental pressures can be best managed at local level.

It is urgent that communities, neighbourhoods and citizens are engaged on issues that affect them, and strong responsive councils should be the framework for achieving this.

LGiU believes that the ability of locally elected representatives to make democratic decisions and to represent and support the participation of people locally should be protected within a constitutional framework.

The chequered history of local government over the last fifty years shows widely varying views on the role and responsibilities of local government on the part of central government.

The progress made in the last decade should be built upon and protected within a constitutional framework that has cross-party support.

Local government must have the necessary powers to act in the best interests of the communities it represents.

Instead of local government’s powers being decided by Westminster, there should be a generalised assumption that local government has the right to act unless otherwise specified.

 Local government must be given the lead role in all public sector spending and service delivery in its locality.

Funding is a crucial part of this. LGiU has long argued that a shift towards a fairer balance of funding would demonstrate a real shift in the balance of power between central and local government.

This would involve radical changes in funding as well as a cultural and political change, with central government departments being ready to trust local authorities to decide their own priorities within a national policy framework.

The present balance of funding creates an accountability gap, with councils less accountable to local people than they believe them to be.

If local government is to be seen as a political institution with a strong community leadership role which allows a degree of local choice and diversity, then it needs the authority and means to act, including adequate financial resources and a reasonable degree of autonomy and discretion in relation to local taxes.

But with increased power comes increased responsibility. Local government must be held to account by local people.

This is not just a question of elections every four years but of continuous transparency, dialogue and scrutiny. There is still room for improvement here, but as the part of government closest to people, councils are in a unique position to deliver respond to these demands.

Enhancing local democracy is a double benefit: it gives more power to real people allowing them to shape their lives and their communities in ways that they choose, not that are chosen for them.

But it will also lead to more effective public services, designed and administered by people close to the problem who understand the real needs and how to meet them.

In the end, stronger local government is about giving people better lives. It’s an idea whose time has come. It deserves your support.

Jonathan Carr-West is head of Centre for Local Democracy at the Local Government information Unit (LGiU)

You can vote for stronger local government for the POWER2010 Pledge here