Coalition Programme: Attack on Communities, Local Government, the Regions

UPDATE Tue 11:59: My comment at Programme site is still not passed. I've tried a different version - also listing some of the other local government cuts. Let's see whether that passes the moderators, who seem to be politically motivated.

LOL have been taking a little look at the Coalition Programme for Communities and Local Government. Apparently getting a £1.16 Billion cut, and c £0.7 Billion more for devolved countries. I've seen that reported at 17% + though I've not checked that at this stage.

You can inspect this part of the Programme for Government right here. There is a comments facility too. Surprisingly quiet so far. Disinterest? Ignorance? Over-moderation? I'm guessing from the small print of the moderation policy that mentioning political party names is barred. Here is my basic first thoughts comment, without doing so, though possibly still offending.

So, is this right? The coalition - including parties which nominally privilege localism and wish to reduce the reach of the state - are *requiring* all councils:

to freeze council tax whether local people wish the repercussions of this or not, and

to face cuts of £1.18 Billion in their main grant from the centre, together creating substantial real terms cuts in jobs and services, and

to see an elected mayors regime put upon them subject to what's called by a so-called "confirmatory referendum", and

to see all sorts of other interference, most notably on planning matters with a confused array of competing fast-tracking and proscribing measures? Is this right?

Looks like a HUGE cut in local government budgets. Already pretty lean from 30 years of Thatcherism followed by New Labourism.

Looks like a HUGE attack on local autonomy, plus the forcing of Robo-Mayors on our 12 greatest cities. We've had that option and we've rejected it. How are the coalition planning to rig the referenda?

Looks like a boost for classic NIMBYism together with a bulldozer for strategic infrastructure. An interesting tension right there.

Here's the text in full:

The Government believes that it is time for a fundamental shift of power from Westminster to people. We will promote decentralisation and democratic engagement, and we will end the era of top-down government by giving new powers to local councils, communities, neighbourhoods and individuals.

• We will promote the radical devolution of power and greater financial autonomy to local government and community groups. This will include a review of local government finance.


• We will rapidly abolish Regional Spatial Strategies and return decision-making powers on housing and planning to local councils, including giving councils new powers to stop ‘garden grabbing’.


• In the longer term, we will radically reform the planning system to give neighbourhoods far more ability to determine the shape of the places in which their inhabitants live, based on the principles set out in the Conservative Party publication ‘Open Source Planning’.


• We will abolish the unelected Infrastructure Planning Commission and replace it with an efficient and democratically accountable system that provides a fast-track process for major infrastructure projects.


• We will publish and present to Parliament a simple and consolidated national planning framework covering all forms of development and setting out national economic, environmental and social priorities.


• We will maintain the Green Belt, Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs) and other environmental protections, and create a new designation – similar to SSSIs – to protect green areas of particular importance to local communities.


• We will abolish the Government Office for London and consider the case for abolishing the remaining Government Offices.


• We will provide more protection against aggressive bailiffs and unreasonable charging orders, ensure that courts have the power to insist that repossession is always a last resort, and ban orders for sale on unsecured debts of less than £25,000.


• We will explore a range of measures to bring empty homes into use.


• We will promote shared ownership schemes and help social tenants and others to own or part-own their home.


• We will promote ‘Home on the Farm’ schemes that encourage farmers to convert existing buildings into affordable housing.


• We will create new trusts that will make it simpler for communities to provide homes for local people.


• We will phase out the ring-fencing of grants to local government and review the unfair Housing Revenue Account.


• We will freeze Council Tax in England for at least one year, and seek to freeze it for a further year, in partnership with local authorities.


• We will create directly elected mayors in the 12 largest English cities, subject to confirmatory referendums and full scrutiny by elected councillors.


• We will give councils a general power of competence.


• We will ban the use of powers in the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act (RIPA) by councils, unless they are signed off by a magistrate and required for stopping serious crime.


• We will allow councils to return to the committee system, should they wish to.


• We will abolish the Standards Board regime.


• We will stop the restructuring of councils in Norfolk, Suffolk and Devon, and stop plans to force the regionalisation of the fire service.


• We will impose tougher rules to stop unfair competition by local authority newspapers.


• We will introduce new powers to help communities save local facilities and services threatened with closure, and give communities the right to bid to take over local state-run services.


• We will implement the Sustainable Communities Act, so that citizens know how taxpayers’ money is spent in their area and have a greater say over how it is spent.


• We will cut local government inspection and abolish the Comprehensive Area Assessment.


• We will require continuous improvements to the energy efficiency of new housing.


• We will provide incentives for local authorities to deliver sustainable development, including for new homes and businesses.


• We will review the effectiveness of the raising of the stamp duty threshold for first-time buyers.


• We will give councillors the power to vote on large salary packages for unelected council officials.