Local Government White Paper

My Lords, with the leave of the House, I shall now repeat a Statement made in another place by the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government on the future of local government. The Statement is as follows: ““Local authorities and the services they provide in partnership with others are hugely important to the health and strength of our communities and country. They help to determine the quality of our everyday lives—the schools our children attend, the cleanliness and safety of our neighbourhoods, the health of families, the ease with which we can travel, and the leisure activities we enjoy. Many of the biggest social advances in recent generations were led by local government and its leaders. They have served their communities well. But, in 1997, this Government inherited public services and institutions that were rundown, demoralised and starved of cash and resources. We responded with significant investment to expand capacity, and by setting a strong direction nationally. ““Combined with the hard work and commitment of local councillors, the local government workforce and other partners, this has led to real improvements in local public service delivery. For the next phase of reform, we need to respond to new challenges. The increasing complexity and diversity of these—from climate change to tackling deep-rooted social exclusion—demand more flexibility at the local level. Expectations of citizens are rising fast. They rightly want more choice over the services they receive, more influence over those who provide them and higher service standards. ““The White Paper that I am publishing today proposes that local authorities and other public service providers have the freedom and powers they need to meet the needs of their communities and to be more clearly accountable for doing so. Communities must also have a bigger say in the issues that matter to them most. We therefore propose a new settlement with local government, communities and citizens. We will give local authorities a stronger role in leading their communities and bringing services together to address local needs and problems. Central government will play their part in guaranteeing minimum standards and setting overall national goals, but we will step back and allow more freedom and flexibility at the local level. In exchange, we expect to see more accountability to local citizens, stronger local leadership, better and more efficient services and a readiness to support tougher intervention when things go wrong. ““The White Paper sets out how we intend to achieve this rebalancing between central government, local government and local people. At present, there are as many as 1,200 national targets and indicators for a local area. In future, we will cut this to 200 indicators, with around 35 targets, plus statutory education and childcare targets. The targets will be tailored to local needs, agreed between government and local partners and set out in the local area agreement. In this way, we will focus on the things that really matter to people everywhere, guaranteeing national minimum standards but encouraging local innovation and local priorities. We will introduce a more proportionate, risk-based inspection regime to cut bureaucracy, and more targeted support or intervention when things go wrong. ““Our best local authority leaders have made a huge difference to the citizens and communities they serve. The White Paper sets out measures to ensure that all communities benefit from strong, accountable and visible leadership. In future, there will be three choices for councils: a directly elected mayor, a directly elected executive of councillors, or a leader elected by their fellow councillors with a clear four-year mandate. All the executive powers of local authorities will be vested in the leader of the council, with a strong role for the council to scrutinise the leader’s actions and approve the budget and major plans. ““The way in which councils choose to govern themselves will be different in different parts of the country. We will make it easier for local authorities to move to a directly elected mayor or executive by resolution of the council, in consultation with local people. Where they want to, they will also be able to introduce whole-council elections and single-member wards, improving accountability to voters. ““We recognise the potential gains that unitary status can offer in terms of accountable, strategic leadership and improved efficiency. There will be a short window of opportunity for councils in ‘shire’ areas to seek unitary status. We expect a small number of proposals to meet the value for money criterion and the other criteria set out in the invitation we have issued today. In remaining two-tier areas, we will work with local authorities to deliver better value for money and greater efficiency. ““Strong leadership works best if balanced by citizens and communities having a bigger say in the quality of the services they receive and the places where they live. To ensure services are more accountable, more responsive and more efficient, local authorities will involve and consult service users more fully and provide better information about standards in their local area. In addition, we will review barriers and incentives to increased community ownership and management of local facilities and other assets. We will increase and strengthen the powers of local people to demand answers and action through a new community call for action. ““Councillors should be champions for their local community, able to speak out on all issues affecting their local area, including planning and licensing. They should be able to sort out issues on the ground or demand a formal response through scrutiny procedures. Effective scrutiny by councillors is an essential part of robust local democracy. We will strengthen it. Communities need strategic leadership to help to bring local partners, the business sector and the voluntary and community sectors together. Issues such as community safety, public health or community cohesion require all local partners to share the same agenda. Our best local authorities already recognise this, and their citizens and communities benefit as a result. Our proposals will ensure that this happens across the country. ““Sir Michael Lyons described the ‘place-shaping’ role of local authorities in his report this May. I pay tribute to his work so far. The proposals before the House today provide a clear basis for Sir Michael’s future conclusions on local government funding. Cities play an increasingly important role as engines of economic growth. In recent years, there has been a renaissance in our towns and cities, thanks to the vision and leadership of local authorities and their partners. But we need to go further. We must look beyond city and town boundaries to consider the success and prosperity of the surrounding area. In recent months, we have consulted our towns and cities on the tools and powers they need for economic development. There is no ‘one size fits all’. ““The White Paper provides a response to issues raised by towns and cities on transport, skills, economic development and co-operation between neighbouring local authorities. We will continue to work with them over the coming months. Our clear, overriding principle is that the greater the powers devolved, the greater the premium on clear, visible leadership. None of our reforms can be carried out without a strong and committed workforce. Local government contains many high-quality councillors and public servants. It has transformed our towns and cities, and in many areas it is leading public services in partnership working, innovation and efficiency. Our reforms will give citizens and communities a clearer voice, create stronger and more visible leadership, and establish a new settlement with local government and its partners, communities and citizens. ““The White Paper is about creating better services and better places. It sets out the tools that will help all local areas to tackle the challenges of the 21st century, to capture the strength and talents of their citizens and communities and to achieve their full potential. I commend this White Paper to the House””. My Lords, that concludes the Statement.