23 April 2004
The Conservatives have pledged to 'denationalise' local government and bring about the 'rebirth of local accountability' as part of a radical resettlement of the relationship between town halls and Whitehall.
Bernard Jenkin, the Tory spokesman on the regions, used his first major speech since taking over the portfolio to outline a blueprint for ending the 'creeping centralisation' practised by successive governments.
Jenkin, addressing the New Local Government Network on April 19, said a future Tory government would encourage 'social entrepreneurs' to assume control, and then ownership, of 'underused public assets' such as community centres, parks and vacant land.
He claimed that the Conservatives' attempt to decentralise power would be governed by four principles.
First, a clear demarcation of responsibilities between central and local government needed to be outlined, with councils gaining a much wider remit. Ministers would not answer in Parliament for delegated issues, Jenkin said.
Secondly, authorities would raise more of their funds locally and would have much greater freedom to decide how to spend them. A corresponding cut in central taxation would ensure that the overall tax burden did not increase, he said.
Thirdly, Jenkin restated his party's opposition to the creation of elected regional assemblies. He argued that they would take their powers from councils rather than Whitehall and said a 'new bank of politicians' was unnecessary.
Finally, and most controversially, Jenkin said the Tories had concluded that the drive for uniformity in public services had 'failed'. As a result, they were willing to accept variations in the standard and range of services as a necessary consequence of local autonomy.
Jenkin said: 'In a decentralised state there certainly will be differences in the standard of services provided between districts and counties, but the average standard will surpass the very best that exists under the command state.
'There will be differences in the nature of services provided, but those services will be the ones that local people want, not the services demanded by central diktat.'
PFapr2004
