Whiteman calls on chancellor to deliver localism promises

4 Dec 13
CIPFA’s chief executive has called on George Osborne to empower local authorities and live up to the coalition’s initial commitment to localism and devolution.

By Mike Thatcher | 4 December 2013

CIPFA’s chief executive has called on George Osborne to empower local authorities and live up to the coalition’s initial commitment to localism and devolution.

In an open letter to the chancellor, published on the PF Blog, Rob Whiteman suggested that the government’s original enthusiasm for localism had ‘faded’. He added that councils had been ‘hobbled’ by measures that restrict their independence – including the grant that encourages authorities to freeze council tax.

‘With the Autumn Statement approaching, I want to ask you to take the opportunity to live up to the government’s early promises on localism and devolution and, in doing so, help to support local authorities as they look to drive growth and innovation,’ he wrote.

Whiteman pointed out that the local tax base had been eroded by the council tax freeze grant. This has operated for the past three years and should not be repeated in 2014/15, he suggested.

‘Localism must mean that local authorities are accountable at the ballot box for their decisions and free from this continued Whitehall interference.’

Arguments over local government funding could be minimised through the establishment of an independent commission. This would advise ministers openly and on the public record on grant formulae and distribution arrangements.

Whiteman also called on the chancellor to ‘remove the blockages in the system’ that prevent local authorities from building new housing. This, he suggested, would boost the economy, cut the welfare bill and help resolve the country’s housing crisis.

‘By thinking differently about the housing problem and letting those local authorities looking to build housing to do so, we could see a sea change in the housing challenges that we face.’

If the chancellor made these moves, CIPFA’s chief executive claimed the result would be a ‘country that thinks and acts locally but performs and grows globally’.

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