Briefing - Strengthening Local Democracy Consultation

							Briefing on the Communities and
Local Government Consultation
Strengthening Local Democracy



August 2009




Contact: Elizabeth Chamberlain
Tel: 020 7520 2559
E-mail: Elizabeth.Chamberlain@ncvo-vol.org.uk
1. Introduction

1.1 On 21 July 2009, the Department for Communities and Local Government
published its plans for promoting local democratic renewal and strengthening the role
of local councils. Strengthening Local Democracy takes forward a number of the
themes previously identified in Building Britain’s Future, which sets out the
Government’s policy programme, published in June. The consultation applies to
England only and runs from 21 July 2009 to 2 October 2009.

1.3 Voluntary and community organisations can play a key role in building a stronger
local democracy, because of their special engagement with individuals and
communities. Any new proposal should be informed by the views and experience of
VCOs and ensure the best balance between participative and representative
democracy. It is therefore important that organisations respond to this consultation.

1.4 This briefing provides an overview of the consultation and highlights the key
issues raised. NCVO will be responding to ensure VCOs and their role are properly
recognised. If you would like to feed in your views, or discuss NCVO’s local
government policy work further, please contact Elizabeth Chamberlain at
Elizabeth.Chamberlain@ncvo-vol.org.uk or telephone 020 7520 2559.


2. Overview of the consultation

2.1 The aim of the consultation is to renew local democracy and strengthen local
government. A range of proposals is set out, intended to increase the powers and
responsibilities of local government and strengthen the role of councillors, particularly
in relation to their scrutiny of public services and public spending.

2.2 The measures include:

   •   giving local authorities a greater role in leading and coordinating services in
       their area, by enhancing their power to scrutinise the spending and decisions
       of other local service providers;

   •   strengthening local government’s ability to act in the local interest, exploring
       whether there are barriers to using existing powers effectively and whether
       there are other powers which councils should have to respond to local
       challenges;

   •   ensuring councils have the powers and responsibilities they need to tackle
       climate change;

   •   supporting sub-regional working, ensuring these partnerships have the
       necessary powers and responsibilities but also that they are matched by
       greater transparency and accountability;

   •   developing a better relationship between central and local government, so that
       their respective functions are clear and transparent to citizens.




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3. Key issues

Strengthening scrutiny

3.1 The consultation proposes that elected councillors should have greater oversight
and responsibility for spending by public service providers in their area, by building
on the provisions of the Local Democracy, Economic Development and Construction
Bill and further increasing the scope of scrutiny powers.

3.2 This would be achieved by:

    •   broadening the number of bodies which can be subject to scrutiny committees
        (for example utility companies);
    •   enhancing the powers which these committees have;
    •   enabling scrutiny committees to make reports and recommendations to a
        wider range of bodies for their consideration.

Strong local government operating in the local interest

3.3 The consultation aims to strengthen the ability of councils to address and
respond to the needs, views and preferences of local people, including the need for
improved and more efficient services.

3.4 It is therefore looking at whether:

   •    councils require strategic functions or additional powers to meet the needs of
        local people;
   •    there are barriers to councils exercising the powers they already have;
   •    central Government’s inspection regime could be further lightened.

3.5 Local partnerships are also discussed, and whether there should be a review of
their structure. The paper identifies a number of characteristics for effective
partnership working, and aims to ensure that all partners and their communities are
engaged, with clear purposes and responsibilities.

Local authorities tackling climate change

3.6 Climate change, and the need to shift to a low carbon economy, is an important
challenge for all. Councils will need to consider what impact climate change will have
on their communities; take steps to reduce carbon use in their area; and identify what
other changes might be needed to effectively adapt to the impact of climate change.
The consultation therefore explores whether councils have the right powers and
responsibilities to take action, and whether sufficient incentives are in place for them
to do so.

Sub-regional working

3.7 In recent years there has been a considerable increase in the number of councils
working in partnership with neighbouring local authorities as part of sub-regional
groups. In light of this, the consultation aims to give individual councils greater ability


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to hold these sub-regional structures to account, in order to make them as accessible
and transparent as possible.

3.8 To this end, proposals include:

   •   requiring the activity of sub-regional partnerships to be subject to scrutiny
       arrangements;
   •   enabling joint overview and scrutiny committees to require sub-regional
       structures, and their partners, to provide them with a broader range of
       information and to consider their recommendations;
   •   extending the duty to respond to petitions to sub-regional bodies;
   •   creating new sub-regional authorities with a much wider set of powers.

Clear relationship between central and local government

3.9 While the main aim is to devolve greater powers and more responsibilities to
councils, the consultation also examines the relationship between central and local
government and how this could be structured more effectively.

3.10 The consultation lays down a set of principles on the basis of which central and
local government should work together, and is seeking views on the possible
mechanisms to ensure their compliance. This includes the creation of an
ombudsman style arrangement and of a joint parliamentary select committee. An
ombudsman style arrangement would provide citizens a way to raise their concerns
and other issues about the breach of the principles with an independent arbiter. A
joint Parliamentary select committee could supervise that the principles are being
adhered to and make recommendations for future policy.


4. Conclusion

4.1 The proposals set out in this consultation clearly focus on strengthening local
democracy by way of giving more powers to local authorities and their councillors.
While it is obviously necessary to recognise the role of councillors, a strong
democracy requires the right balance between representation and participation.

4.2 It is important that local people are able to understand and be involved in the
decisions that affect them. A strong democracy depends on an active civil society, in
which people are involved in the issues of their community. VCOs can play a key role
in empowering communities and giving people a voice. It is therefore important for us
to hear your views on these proposals, so that we can ensure VCOs and their role in
building a stronger democracy are properly recognised. We are particularly interested
in your thoughts on how the voluntary and community sector can support scrutiny
and help improve this function.


NCVO
Policy Team
August 2009




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