Localism is being debated across the party conferences, including at yesterday's Public Finance/CIPFA fringe event. It needs to move centre-stage
At the Public Finance and CIPFA Labour Party conference fringe meeting yesterday there was a strong consensus that local government has a critical role in securing social and economic well-being.
This means offering constructive protection as the cuts fall across the public sector and the public services delivered by the public, third and business sectors. Local authorities should demonstrate community leadership and draw on their democratic legitimacy.
They should not wait for government permission or legislation but must and should act for their communities and in partnership with their communities. This means innovating. It will mean some hard and difficult decisions. It also requires powerful persuasion of other public and non-public bodies. It means pushing the boundaries within existing legal powers and exerting political power whatever the current orthodoxy if this is in the local public interest.
However, there was broad consensus at the meeting that, in the longer term, there should be a new constitutional settlement to ensure the 'independence' and 'rights' of local government. This would align English local government with most other European jurisdictions.
There is, I believe, a growing realisation that centrally driven 'top down' policies and performance management regimes do not work in the long term and that what we now need a period of genuine localism.
‘Big Society’, of which we have heard rather less of late, claims to have localism at its heart (but not necessarily local government). Labour initiatives such as 'co-operative councils' are very much localist. But how far can local government achieve localism on its own? It is very disappointing that some Whitehall departments and their ministers do not seem to have grasped that this means less central direction and more local choice. This regressive, approach needs to be challenged and the case for local democracy needs to be made loudly and with conviction.
I have recently made this case on The Huffington Post. My argument was that for local government to succeed it has to act as a focal point and champion for local interests - and for the collective and individual interests of local citizens, local groups and local businesses. It has to be allowed to do and not be seen as the 'local branch' of Whitehall.
The national political parties across all three conferences are talking about critical policies on economic growth, planning, housing, welfare and employment, health social care, education and much more. But these policies will only succeed when there is local determination and local action.
The present government has made some positive statements and there is much in the Localism Bill to support genuine localism. However, this support seemingly is limited and it remains to be seen if localism will win against centralism right across Whitehall and even in Communities and Local Government.
The funding cuts imposed on local government were an inauspicious launch pad for localism, as are the missed opportunities in the health reforms and in the schools policy. For example, the Department of Education’s 'localism' is about powers for the department and some for schools - but few for local government.
Local government has to be recognised and respected as local government and not local administration. Inevitably, this will mean different political choices in different places, reflecting variations in need and aspiration as well as varying political ideologies. The ultimate test for these choices should be the ballot box provided that the council has acted within the law and with probity.
All the political parties should commit to a new constitutional settlement that sets out the autonomy, rights and responsibilities of local government. This settlement could enshrine the rights and powers of local government in respect of other local and national public agencies and services in their areas. It should ideally also ensure greater local flexibility on local taxation but with the retention of allocation of funds and redistribution on a national basis.
This is nothing short of a revolution for England but our European partners would recognise as business as usual.
