To read the full transcript, refer http://www.theyworkforyou.com/lords/?id=2010-12-09a.336.1

A landmark bill that heralds a ground-breaking shift in power to councils and communities overturning decades of central government control was unveiled by Communities and Local Government Secretary Eric Pickles today.

The Localism Bill will put an end to the hoarding of power within central government and top-down control of communities, allowing local people the freedom to run their lives and neighbourhoods in their own way.

The Bill, laid before Parliament today, contains a radical package of reforms that will devolve greater power and freedoms to councils and neighbourhoods, establish powerful new rights for communities, revolutionise the planning system, and give communities control over housing decisions.

The legislation will help build the Big Society by radically transforming the relationships between central government, local government, communities and individuals.

For councils the Bill will fundamentally change their freedom to act in the interest of their local communities through a new general power of competence. Rather than needing to rely on specific powers, the new power will give councils the legal reassurance and confidence to innovate, drive down costs to deliver more efficient services.

Eric Pickles said:

"The Localism Bill will herald a ground-breaking shift in power to councils and communities overturning decades of central government control and starting a new era of people power.

"It is the centrepiece of what this Government is trying to do to fundamentally shake up the balance of power in this country. For too long, everything has been controlled from the centre - and look where it's got us. Central government has kept local government on a tight leash, strangling the life out of councils in the belief that bureaucrats know best.

"By getting out of the way and letting councils and communities run their own affairs we can restore civic pride, democratic accountability and economic growth - and build a stronger, fairer Britain. It's the end of the era of big government: laying the foundations for the Big Society."

The Localism Bill contains further measures to strengthen local democracy by:

• Devolving significant new powers to councils - In a major transfer of power from Whitehall to town halls, councils will be freed from bureaucratic constraints with new freedoms and flexibilities to act in the best interests of their area. Councillors will have to approve and be required to publish new chief executive pay rules at full Council that management will have to follow. Councillors will no longer be prevented from voting on campaign issues; and there will be a new power to create directly elected mayors in 12 cities giving residents a say in a strong democratically elected leader;
• Establishing powerful new rights for local people and communities - powers for councils are accompanied by greater powers for local people to hold their local authorities to account. Local people and communities' will have real power and a bigger say over their area through a new right to challenge to take over services; a new right to bid to buy local assets such as libraries, pubs and shops; the a new right to veto excessive council tax rises through a referendum. Bin tax laws repealed;
• Radically reforming planning - Ministers believe the current planning system is too centralised and bureaucratic, too adversarial and remote from the communities it affects. The Bill will restore democratic and local control over planning by replacing the Infrastructure Planning Commission with an efficient and democratically accountable system for major infrastructure. The Bill will enable regional planning to be swept away and in its place neighbourhood plans will become the new building blocks of the planning system where communities have the power to grant planning permission if a local majority are in favour;
• Making housing fairer and more democratic - The Bill will return decision-making powers on housing to local councils and communities through a new Community Right to Build giving communities the freedom they need in order to come together to build new homes & amenities in their towns & villages. Home Information Packs will be formally scrapped. The Bill will put councils in charge of allocation and tenure of social housing, giving councils the flexibility to use their social housing stock to the maximum effect and reduce waiting lists., It will be easier for social tenants to relocate though a new National Homeswap Scheme, and councils will be able to offer flexible solutions to people at risk of homelessness. The Housing Revenue Account Subsidy System will be replaced with a more transparent system that serves local communities. Tenants will be able to scrutinise the services offered by their landlords and hold them to account. The Tenant Services Authority will be abolished but its vital economic regulation functions will be preserved.
• Creating powerful incentives for economic growth - The Bill will give local government a stronger financial stake in the local economy, helping rebalance the economy, so it is more entrepreneurial and attracts local business by allowing local authorities to grant discretionary business rate discounts; making small business tax breaks easier take advantage of; giving affected businesses a greater say in rate supplements and cancelling certain backdated business rates including port taxes;

Decentralisation Minister Greg Clark said:

"This Bill will provide the enduring legislative foundation for a new, decentralised Britain, where power is returned to the people to which it belongs. We believe that communities should have the freedom to manage their own affairs in their way, and be empowered, not suppressed, by Government. The Bill will enact new rights allowing local people to shape and influence the places where they live, revolutionising the planning process by passing power down to those who know best about their neighbourhoods."

Housing Minister Grant Shapps added:

"With housebuilding at its lowest peacetime level since 1924, the time is right for radical shake up of the entire system. The Bill will end top-down targets - in their place communities with the vision and drive to build more homes will be given the freedom to achieve their ambitions, and this will be backed up with powerful cash incentives for councils that allow new development in their area.

"With five million people languishing on social housing waiting lists, social housing is ripe for reform. Councils will now be able to manage social housing in a way that genuinely meets the needs of local people, and will be able to offer fixed tenancies that give people the helping hand they need, for as long as they need it."

Communities Minister, Andrew Stunell said:

"The Localism Bill will pave the way for the long overdue push of powers out of Whitehall to councils and neighbourhoods across the country, and give local communities real control over housing and planning decisions.

"Local facilities have been closing down all over the country, leaving towns and villages without vital services.

"Small community groups that are willing to take over local assets often find that they lack the time and resources to get a plan together and compete with the might and muscle of big business and developers.

"The powerful new rights in the Bill will put real power in the hands of real people, empowering local communities and putting them at the heart of local decision making."

Notes to editors

1. Ministers have already started giving councils greater financial freedom, by devolving and streamlining £7 billion more of government funding, removing burdens and bureaucratic controls so that they can prioritise budgets to support public services in ways which meet the priorities of local people and communities, helping to manage demand on services so they are more personalised and effective for vulnerable groups thereby reducing costs to society.

2. The Government also wants to create a new era of accountability and openness where bureaucratic accountability is replaced by democratic accountability. Putting more data in the public domain is central in making this happen and will drive smarter spending.

3. Getting council business out in the open will revolutionise local government and help facilitate the Big Society. Councils are now expected to publish all expenditure over £500 online. Local people should be able to hold their council to account. Greater openness and transparency is absolutely critical to root out waste and inefficiency.

4. General Power of Competence: Local Authorities are creatures of statute - they only have the power to do what Parliament has authorised them to do - unlike a natural person that can do anything except where that power to act is curtailed by law. Since local authorities were first incorporated power has been given to them on a piecemeal basis. Now, with GPC, local authorities can basically act in that same way as a natural person, except where restricted by statute such as creating a new tax.

5. The Government has today also published Decentralisation and the Localism Bill: an essential guide. Its sets out six actions central government will need to take to achieve and maintain the radical shift in power, - in behaviour, expectation, and culture - which must go alongside the changes in law proposed in the Bill. The guide to can be found at: www.communities.gov.uk/decentralisationguide.

http://www.communities.gov.uk/news/localgovernment/1794971

Social work services could be taken over by residents' groups or council employees under the Localism Bill published by the government today.

The legislation proposes "ending public sector monopolies" to improve services, and giving "every citizen the power to change the services provided to them through participation, choice or the ballot box".

The bill – which is being seen as crucial to implement the government's Big Society agenda – would enable community groups, charities and public sector employees given a new right to challenge councils by expressing an interest in running any of their services. Such a move could trigger a procurement process into which other bodies could enter.

The move would apply to social work services, a Department for Communities and Local government spokesman confirmed.

A guide to the bill published by the department stated: "Our default position is that all public services should be open to diverse provision, with monopoly provision justified on an exceptional basis."

Deputy prime minister Nick Clegg said the bill "marks the beginning of a power shift away from central government to the people, families and communities of Britain".

"The power shift we want will not happen overnight," he added. "We will face opposition from those with a vested interest in the status quo. But we know that dispersing power is the way to improve our public services and get the better schools and safer hospitals we want."

Communities secretary Eric Pickles said the bill would herald a "new era of people power".

"It's the end of the era of big government: laying the foundations for the Big Society," he said.

Stephen Bubb, chief executive of the Association of Chief Executives of Voluntary Organisations (ACEVO), said on his blog that the bill offered "huge opportunities" for charities, social enterprises and community groups.

But he warned that the bill was being introduced against a background of cuts. "So we need to be savvy. If the council has not been able to develop a sustainable business model for running assets we need to be crystal clear our business model will do so," he said.

Trade union Unite described the bill as a "smokescreen" for cuts.

"This new 'localism' is a façade hiding job losses, cuts for services to families and children,  and funding inequalities," said general secretary elect Len McCluskey. "Under the coalition's new funding formula, wealthy Tory areas, such as Tunbridge Wells, will receive large increases and deprived areas, such as Liverpool and Sunderland, will see a swingeing cut in their grant."

The bill also promised to end the capping of council tax by central government, with local referenda being used to decide whether large council tax increases should be allowed to proceed.

Councils would also have to reveal their chief officers' pay and detail every item of expenditure in excess of £500.

Residents will be able to petition to hold a local referendum on any issue and referendums will be held to see if the 12 largest English cities are to have directly elected mayors.

The Localism Bill would also relax councils' homelessness duties by enabling them to place people accepted as homeless in private rented accommodation against their will, so long as the tenancy was for at least a year.

Currently, people can request to be placed in social housing, and the policy is designed to free up social housing for other tenants and prevent homeless people from spending long periods of time in temporary accommodation awaiting a social home.

http://www.communitycare.co.uk/Articles/2010/12/13/116001/localism-bill-...

Commenting on the publication of the Localism Bill by the Department for Communities and Local Government today, The Social Investment Business Chief Executive Jonathan Lewis said:

“This Bill will remove barriers and give local authorities greater opportunity to commission services from local voluntary groups, charities and social enterprises.

“Civil society organisations, working hard in their communities, are really good at both designing and delivering services that are tailored to local people’s needs and can be realised within tight budgets.

“We’ve helped community organisations to run local libraries, swimming pools and take over pubs as well as hundreds of others who have won contracts from their councils to provide services like special needs education, residential care for the elderly and training for the long term unemployed.

“We know there is great appetite in the sector to do more. But only if the right kind of support is available to civil society organisations – both investment and advice – will we really see a transformation in the way we ‘do’ public services in this country.”

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

1. For further information or interviews, please contact The Social Investment Business press office:

Liz Banks - 0207 842 7726/ 07809 504072  liz.banks@socialinvestmentbusiness.org

Nicola Jones - 0207 842 7755 nicola.jones@socialinvestmentbusiness.org

2. The Social Investment Business, the fastest growing social investor in the UK, exists to help social enterprises, charities and community organisations do more of what they do best – supporting people and communities most in need. We help organisations prosper by providing innovative financial solutions, business support and long term strategic thinking.

www.thesocialinvestmentbusiness.org @TheSocialInvest

3. The Social Investment Business manages Government funds on behalf of the Office for Civil Society, the Department of Health and the Department for Communities and Local Government, with over 1,000 active investments. These range from £3,600 to help a small organisation bid successfully for a public sector contract, to £6.7million to help a large national charity establish and develop innovative new services for children and young people.

http://www.thesocialinvestmentbusiness.org/category/news/2010/the-social...

The government's push towards localism can only succeed if everyone – including Whitehall departments – understands exactly what it means, says Anna Turley

How Local is Localism was the title of a seminar organised by progressive Conservative think-tank Bright Blue recently. This title articulates perfectly a crucial conundrum that threatens the coherence and effectiveness of this government's domestic policy and political agenda. Namely, how far do we devolve and what or who do we mean when we use the term localism?

The Decentralisation and Localism Bill sets out a devolutionary agenda that aims to embed localism at the heart of policy-making and public service delivery. The bill seeks to devolve power down to the lowest level, sends out a signal to empower local government through the General Power of Competence, and puts people in greater control of their local area.

The impetus and direction of travel are to be welcomed. The Localism Bill could symbolise a defining feature of democratic renewal and potentially lead to more effective public services.

However, these individual reforms, when set against one another and alongside the government's radical public service reform agenda, are not always comfortable in each other's company. At present there are different – at times competing – interpretations of decentralisation and localism across Whitehall.

Inconsistencies are emerging, with radical reforms across other government departments unfolding at pace with varying degrees and interpretations of decentralisation and localism. For example, at the Department for Work and Pensions, the Work Programme was commissioned on a regional basis, when other regional architecture such as RDAs and government offices have been ripped out on the basis that regions are not suitable economic geographies.

The question then is: what does Whitehall as a whole understand as localism and how committed is it to achieving it? The limited scale of community-based budgets suggests there is little coherence about what localism and devolution means, and what the right spatial tiers are to which to devolve appropriate decision-making.

This agenda is of course fighting the innate desire of Whitehall to protect its own control and fear of local difference. Judging by history, the danger is that localism will end up only applying to those policies that the Department for Communities and Local Government (CLG) has unique control over, such as planning and housing.

A ministerial team which is championing localism across government has been setting out decrees on everything from how regularly the bins should be collected, to when the flag of St George should fly above town halls

How often have we seen great devolutionary approaches run into the sand across Whitehall?

The second kind of inconsistency lies in CLG itself and can best be characterised as "any kind of localism as long as it's mine". There has been widespread frustration that a ministerial team which is championing localism across government has been setting out decrees on everything from how regularly the bins should be collected, to when the flag of St George should fly above town halls. And set against a backdrop of unprecedented and heavily front-loaded cuts, the lauding of greater freedom at local level is leaving a bitter taste in the mouth for many.

The third issue is confusion as to the right geographical and spatial level to devolve decision-making. The rapid dismantling of state architecture has left huge voids in the strategic development and delivery of key functions. The bottom-up approach to local enterprise partnerships left parts of the country with no regional, sub-regional or pan-local collaborative representation which is crucial in driving local economic development and regeneration across local authority boundaries. At the moment there is a lack of clarity over whether some powers get devolved down to local authorities or drawn back up to Whitehall. Similarly, it is unclear whether the duty to cooperate between authorities will be sufficient to ensure strategic planning is undertaken, potentially leaving a vacuum between the power of individual citizens and neighbourhoods and central government. On planning there seems little strategic power between the new hyper-local neighbourhood plans set out in the bill, and central government.

The government's intention of making public services more accountable to local people and less upwards to Whitehall is laudable. However, the fragmentation of local public service delivery that could result from policies such as free schools, elected police commissioners and GP commissioning could weaken the influence of representative democracy at the local level, undermine the role of councillors as civic leaders and limit the scope of financial savings through service integration.

While there can be no doubt that greater localism through the empowerment of individuals and neighbourhoods is vital to improving our local places, there is a danger that the state, including local government, is seen as a barrier to localism and the Big Society, rather than an enabler. Local democracy is far from perfect, but rather than circumventing it, this new localist drive should put renewed and reinvigorated local government at the heart of it.

Anna Turley is deputy director at the New Local Government Network

http://www.publicservice.co.uk/feature_story.asp?id=15464

Summary

This guide describes the main measures of the Localism Bill under four headings:

• new freedoms and flexibilities for local government
• new rights and powers for communities and individuals
• reform to make the planning system more democratic and more effective
• reform to ensure that decisions about housing are taken locally

This document is designed to give an overview only. You can read the Bill and its explanatory notes in full, and follow its progress through parliament, on the parliament website (external link).

The document Decentralisation and the Localism Bill: an essential guide also gives further background. It explains how the principles that underpin the Localism Bill also inform other government policies.

Order

• This publication is only available online - see below to download.

Download

• A plain English guide to the Localism Bill
  PDF, 148 kb , 21 pages
•  
• http://www.communities.gov.uk/publications/localgovernment/localismplainenglishguide

An historic bill to return power to councils and communities reversing decades of increasing central government control was given new backing today.

The Localism Bill will mark a revolution in the way the country works by putting power back into the hands of the people through a radical package of reforms and new freedoms.

A wide range of organisations, from civic and community groups and business leaders to housing and planning professionals and local authorities, have thrown their weight behind the Bill as it starts its second reading in Parliament today.

To make sure the general public and community groups can fully understand the effects of the Bill, a plain English guide has also been published today.

The guide seeks to translate complex legal language used in the 207 clause Bill in a transparent and reader friendly way, so anyone can understand how the Bill will devolve greater power and freedoms to councils and neighbourhoods, establish powerful new rights for communities, revolutionise the planning system, and give communities control over housing decisions.

Local Government and Communities Secretary Eric Pickles said:

"The Localism Bill is one of the most radical pieces of legislation to be debated in this chamber for decades. It is a triumph for democracy over bureaucracy.

"It will fundamentally shake up the balance of power in this country. It represents everything this Government stands for and is the cornerstone for everything we want to do. It will revitalise local democracy and put power back where it belongs - in the hands of the people.

"For too long, Government has believed that Whitehall was the centre of the universe. We genuinely believe in local democracy, in local communities, and in local solutions.

"This Bill will give councils the power and the authority they need to make sensible decisions for the area - a shot in the arm for local democracy - and it will give people new rights, new powers, new opportunities to act on the issues that matter to them.

"By pushing power out, getting Government out of the way, letting people run their own affairs; we can build a stronger, fairer Britain."

Decentralisation Minster Greg Clark added:

"This Bill represents nothing less than a reshaping of the constitutional settlement - a new page in the relationship between the people and government. It is based on belief in the ingenuity of local leaders, pride in the strength of local democracy and respect for people's common sense. It will give free rein to the ambitions and commitment of all the people who want to play their part in making their neighbourhood a better place to live."

Tony Burton, Director of Civic Voice said:

"The fundamental 'power shift' to local communities intended by the Localism Bill will be applauded by civic societies and other community groups whose skills, knowledge and expertise have been undervalued for too long. With the right safeguards and support Civic Voice relishes the opportunities being provided for communities to take the lead in planning and shaping the future of the places where we all live."

Liz Peace, Chief Executive of the British Property Federation added:

"There has been a lot of hysterical comment on the impact of the localism agenda on the property industry. The Bill has gone some way to countering this and whilst there is still much that remains to be resolved we are re-assured by the emphasis that the Government is now placing on growth and the way in which localism is to be used as the vehicle for encouraging communities to opt, not for nimbyism, but for the sustainable development of both the homes and commercial property that our economy so desperately needs."

Sarah Webb, Chief Executive of Chartered Institute of Housing said:

"The Localism Bill will bring in some major changes for the housing sector and its tenants. The extra flexibility being offered around approaches to housing and planning within local communities is timely recognition of the expertise and professionalism in the housing sector. Aspects of the Bill will help improve housing professionals' capacity to develop tailored and effective local solutions to challenging housing problems, and we look forward to working with Parliamentarians to finesse the Bill at and beyond its second reading."

Cllr Michael Chater, chairman of the National Association of Local Councils said:

"We welcome the positive ambitions of the Localism Bill to drive power and decision making down to communities. Local (community, neighbourhood, parish and town community) councils will be greatly encouraged by their enhanced recognition and the opportunities to serve local people through greater influence in planning, housing, social and economic regeneration and community well being."

Notes to editors

1. The Localism Bill has been published at: http://services.parliament.uk/bills/2010-11/localism.html (external link).

2. The Plain English guide to the Localism Bill can be found at: www.communities.gov.uk/publications/localgovernment/localismplainenglishguide.

3. Additional quotes:

Kate Henderson, Chief Executive of the Town and Country Planning Association said:

"Localism is an opportunity to be grasped. The drive towards community based planning is a long standing TCPA objective and we welcome the determination to reconnect the system to the people it serves. We must seek to shape a planning system which is responsive to people's needs and aspirations and promotes sustainable development."

Chris Wade, Chief Executive of Action for Market Towns said:

"This welcome Bill is a huge step forward in the drive to put greater decision making powers and more funding decisions in the hands of local people. We have long championed community-led planning in its broadest sense and our experience shows that with determination and a little guidance communities are ready to take control. The Bill will give more weight to communities' carefully informed views on issues that affect them and the services they use."

ResPublica Deputy Director Ash Singh said:

"The Localism Bill puts people and communities in control. Social enterprises and civil society organisations can articulate the problems in a given community - as well the solutions to those problems - far more effectively than the Man in Whitehall and the Government gets this. The new community rights to buy, to bid, to build and to know, and the commitments to enable more civil society organisations to deliver public services should help to reverse decades of centralisation and inefficiency."

http://www.communities.gov.uk/news/corporate/1818838

For full transcipt refer http://www.theyworkforyou.com/debates/?id=2011-01-17a.558.0 and http://www.theyworkforyou.com/debates/?id=2011-01-17a.660.0

Provisional Local Government Finance Settlement, 2011-12 to 2012-13 - Capital finance briefing - London Councils

related documents

Provisional Local Government Finance Settlement - Capital finance briefing (PDF, 135Kb)

http://www.londoncouncils.gov.uk/policylobbying/localgovernmentfinance/c...

The public sector must tackle cuts in a way that appreciates what changes must take place in order for services to succeed – it is no longer good enough to provide the monolithic service structures of old. Joel Shenton reports from the recent Public Servant annual conference

The devolution of powers to the citizen and the community from what had become one of the world's most centralist states is underscored throughout the coalition's commitment to open up government and services. But there appears a serious flaw in the process.

A different kind of relationship, new engagement, was essential between the state, services and the people – it required a national conversation, "and the government has failed on this," Ben Lucas, director of the 2020 Public Services Trust, told the Public Servant conference session Putting the Customer First, sponsored by Digital Outreach.

"The coalition has already failed on citizens being involved in the discussion about the future for our public services." He challenged local government to step up, in the short time available, to involve people in determining a way forward.

"Even if current spending could be maintained, it would not necessarily produce the outcome that would be desirable for us as a society anyway," said Lucas. "The truth is that we've changed enormously as citizens and in many ways public services haven't kept up with those changes."

Describing the more consumerist view of public services in the 1980s and 1990s as "fairly inadequate", Lucas discouraged the term "customer" when talking about service users.

"For me the priority should be about citizenship, not just a consumer relationship, because public services are not straightforwardly a market commodity," he said. "They're something which as citizens we co-produce. We shape them through democratic deliberation.

"The value that comes from those services comes very often from the quality of the interaction between the citizen and the service. If, for example, in health you aren't able to influence people's behaviour in public health, then it doesn't matter how good the institutional form of that service is, that is not going to achieve the type of outcome that is required."

Key to getting value from services, Lucas said, was the concept of "social citizenship", an improved dialogue between citizens and the institutions that served them.

"The emphasis in reform should be on how you can unlock citizen and social potential to be more involved in the creation of services and also how you can reform state and public services so they can have a better relationship with citizens," he said. "To some extent the Big Society takes on much of this, but it puts insufficient emphasis on the role of the state in creating social productivity and the relationship between the citizen and the services."

He said that apart from public sector staff being asked to email their suggestions to government, there had not been anything like a national conversation.

In summary, Lucas said that the public sector must tackle cuts in a way that appreciated what changes must take place in order for services to succeed. It was no longer good enough to provide the monolithic service structures of old.

"There's some big and interesting challenges there, but they've got to start from a very different conception of the relationship between the citizen, the locality and the state," he said, "and all of those elements have got to change to achieve a better settlement."

There was a need to ensure better quality interaction between service and citizen, agreed Jude Palmer of Digital Outreach, and to ensure that services (digital by default) were still accessible to the digitally excluded. The voluntary and community sector was uniquely placed to support this.

IPPR director Nick Pearce emphasised the importance of building democratic accountability. No one had blinked at the abolition of regional development agencies. City region mayors would begin to turn the democratic tide, but even London's elected mayor could raise only 7 per cent of his own revenue.

He described services already evolving, particularly through transparency and accountability. Very little information was in the public domain in the post-war years. It started to change with league tables – performance measures mandated by central government.

An open data environment was crucial to citizen choice. Following the death of an IPPR intern in a cycling accident, he said Transport for London released statistics on the capital's road deaths, and the cycling community latched on to the data very quickly.

"Within a matter of hours, a new website was put up," said Pearce. "Some geek in Shoreditch basically took the data and turned it into a Google map of London and where the cycling deaths happened." The website revealed the accident location as a black spot and would almost certainly have changed the intern's route to work had it been known.

"The issue is not necessarily that it benefits the individual using a service, but it does benefit a community," he said.

http://www.publicservice.co.uk/feature_story.asp?id=15596

The Committee will then consider the Bill every Tuesday and Thursday from that point concluding on Thursday 10 March (apart from the week beginning 21 February when the House of Commons will not be sitting).

• Second reading of Localism Bill, have your say

Programme and witnesses

Tuesday 25 January

in the Boothroyd Room, Portcullis House

• Watch the morning Committee meeting
• Watch the afternoon Committee meeting

at 9.30am

• Local Government Association, Localis, Centre for Local Economic Strategies and Local Government Information Unit

at 11.00am

• Civic Voice, Cllr Keith Barrow of Shropshire Council, Cllr Mike Jones of Cheshire West and Chester Council

at 11.30am

• SOLACE, New Local Government Network, Professor George Jones, Emeritus Professor of Government at the London School of Economics, Professor John Stewart, Emeritus Professor of Local Government and Administration at the University Birmingham

at 12.15pm

• Greater London Authority, London Councils and Unison

at 4.00pm

• Chartered Institute for Housing, Shelter, National Housing Federation, Brent Private Tenants Rights Group and Tenant Services Authority

at 5.00pm

• Barratt Developments, Redrow, Taylor Wimpey and Emerson Group

at 6.00pm

• Homebuilders Federation, British Property Federation, National Federation of ALMOs and British Land

Thursday 27 January

in the Boothroyd Room, Portcullis House

at 9.00am

• Confederation of British Industry, British Chambers of Commerce and Federation of Small Businesses

at 10.25am

• Campaign to Protect Rural England, The Country Land and Business Association, Action with Communities in Rural England, Simon Marsh representing both the RSPB and Wildlife and Countryside Link

at 1.25pm

• Town and Country Planning Association, Planning Officers Society and Royal Town Planning Institute and Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors

at 2.00pm

• National Association of Local Councils, National Council for Voluntary Organisations, Association of Chief Executives of Voluntary Organisations, National Association for Voluntary and Community Action and Open Spaces Society

at 2.45pm

• Department for Communities and Local Government

Line by line scrutiny of the Bill

Committee Room 12, Palace of Westminster

Tuesday 1 February 10.30am and 4.00pm
Thursday 3 February 9.00am and 1.00pm
Tuesday 8 February 10.30am and 4.00pm
Thursday 10 February 9.00am and 1.00pm
Tuesday 15 February 10.30am and 4.00pm
Thursday 17 February 9.00am and 1.00pm
Tuesday 1 March 10.30am and 4.00pm
Thursday 3 March 9.00am and 1.00pm
Tuesday 8 March 10.30am and 4.00pm
Thursday 10 March 9.30am and 1.00pm

The Committee must complete consideration of the Bill no later than 4pm on Thursday 10 March.

These sessions will be open to the public on a first come, first served basis. There is no system for the prior reservation of seats in Committee Rooms.

It is advisable to allow about 20 minutes to pass through security checks. Timings and room numbers are subject to change.

Further Information

The Scrutiny Unit can help with any queries about oral evidence.

• Scrutiny Unit
• About Parliament: General Committees
• Visiting Parliament: Watch Committees

Key areas of the Bill

• Bills before Parliament 2010-11: Localism Bill 
• About Parliament: Passage of a Bill

Summary of the Bill

• Provisions in relation to local government, including a general power of competence for local authorities and relevant Fire and Rescue Authorities, changes to local authority governance arrangements  including provision for directly elected mayors, the abolition of the Standards Board regime, and requirements for  local authorities to set senior pay policy statements.
• Provisions  relating to community empowerment, including  giving people, councillors and councils the power to instigate local referendums on any local issue and a power to approve or veto in a referendum a council tax increase deemed to be excessive, and enabling voluntary and community bodies and others to express an interest in running a local authority service, and local community groups to bid or buy buildings or land which are listed as assets of community value,
• Reform of the planning system; including provisions to abolish regional strategies, provide for neighbourhood development orders and plans, make pre-application consultation compulsory, and make changes to planning enforcement.
• Provisions to reform social housing including measures to offer flexible tenancies for new social tenants; create a new system of council housing finance; provide assistance for tenants to exchange their social rented property; and transfer the functions of the Tenant Service Authority to the Homes and Communities Agency.
• Abolition of the Home Information Pack.
• Provisions for London that provide the Mayor with additional powers relating to housing and regeneration.
• Abolition of the London Development Agency.

http://www.parliament.uk/business/news/2011/january/localism-bill-commit...

The Localism Bill (external link) was introduced to Parliament on 13 December 2010.

This Bill will shift power from central government back into the hands of individuals, communities and councils.

We are committed to this because over time central government has become too big, too interfering, too controlling and too bureaucratic. This has undermined local democracy and individual responsibility, and stifled innovation and enterprise within public services.

We want to see a radical shift in the balance of power and to decentralise power as far as possible. Localism isn't simply about giving power back to local government. This Government trusts people to take charge of their lives and we will push power downwards and outwards to the lowest possible level, including individuals, neighbourhoods, professionals and communities as well as local councils and other local institutions.

• for services which are used individually, this means putting power in the hands of individuals themselves
• where services are enjoyed collectively, they should be delivered by accountable community groups
• where the scale is too large or those using a service are too dispersed, they should be delivered by local institutions, subject
  to democratic checks and balances, enabled by full transparency.

The Localism Bill includes a number of important packages:

• decentralisation and strengthening local democracy
• Non-Domestic Rates
• community empowerment
• a radical re-boot of the planning system including neighbourhood planning
• changes to social housing policies
• devolving Powers to the Mayor and London Boroughs.

The measures in the Bill exemplify and take forward the six actions of decentralisation that underpin the Government's approach to decentralisation. See Decentralisation and the Localism Bill: an essential guide for further background (available for download below).

Related publications

• A plain English guide to the Localism Bill

  • Published: 17 January 2011
  • Site: Local government

• Decentralisation and the Localism Bill: an essential guide

  • Published: 13 December 2010
  • Site: Local government

• Localism Bill: A fairer future for social housing - Impact Assessment

  • Published: 31 January 2011
  • Site: Local government

• Localism Bill: The abolition of the Standards Board regime, clarification of the law on predetermination and the requirement to register and declare interests - Impact Assessment

  • Published: 31 January 2011
  • Site: Local government

• Localism Bill: Business Rate Supplement - Requirement for a Ballot for all Business Rate Supplement Proposals - Impact Assessment

  • Published: 31 January 2011
  • Site: Local government

• Localism Bill: Cancellation of certain backdated non domestic rates liabilities - Impact Assessment

  • Published: 31 January 2011
  • Site: Local government

• Localism Bill: Community Infrastructure Levy - Impact Assessment

  • Published: 31 January 2011
  • Site: Local government

• Localism Bill: Community Right to Buy - Impact Assessment

  • Published: 31 January 2011
  • Site: Local government

• Localism Bill: Community Right to Challenge - Impact Assessment

  • Published: 31 January 2011
  • Site: Local government

• Localism Bill: Compulsory pre-applications for consultations between prospective developers and local communities

  • Published: 31 January 2011
  • Site: Local government

• Localism Bill: Creating a single housing ombudsman - Impact Assessment

  • Published: 31 January 2011
  • Site: Local government

• Localism Bill: Devolution package - Impact Assessment

  • Published: 31 January 2011
  • Site: Local government

• Localism Bill: Discretionary Business Rates discounts - Impact Assessment

  • Published: 31 January 2011
  • Site: Local government

• Localism Bill: Enforcement package - Impact Assessment

  • Published: 31 January 2011
  • Site: Local government

• Localism Bill: General power of competence - Impact Assessment

  • Published: 31 January 2011
  • Site: Local government

• Localism Bill: General Powers for fire and rescue authorities

  • Published: 31 January 2011
  • Site: Local government

• Localism Bill: Giving councils greater freedom over their governance arrangements - Impact Assessment

  • Published: 31 January 2011
  • Site: Local government

• Localism Bill: Local plan reform - Impact Assessment

  • Published: 31 January 2011
  • Site: Local government

• Localism Bill: Local referendums - Impact Assessment

  • Published: 31 January 2011
  • Site: Local government

• Localism Bill: Summary Impact Assessment

  • Published: 31 January 2011
  • Site: Local government

• Localism Bill: Major Infrastructure Projects - Impact Assessment

  • Published: 31 January 2011
  • Site: Local government

• Localism Bill: Neighbourhood plans and community right to build - Impact Assessment

  • Published: 31 January 2011
  • Site: Local government

• Localism Bill: Payment of European Union infraction fines by local and public authorities - Impact Assessment

  • Published: 31 January 2011
  • Site: Local government

• Localism Bill: Provision for referendums to veto excessive council tax increases - Impact Assessment

  • Published: 31 January 2011
  • Site: Local government

• Localism Bill: Reform of social housing regulation - Impact Assessment

  • Published: 31 January 2011
  • Site: Local government

• Localism Bill: Reforming the Annual Housing Revenue Account Subsidy system - Impact Assessment

  • Published: 31 January 2011
  • Site: Local government

• Localism Bill: Repeal of Home Information Packs - Impact Assessment

  • Published: 31 January 2011
  • Site: Local government

• Localism Bill: Local Government Senior Officer Pay Accountability - Impact Assessment

  • Published: 31 January 2011
  • Site: Local government

• Localism Bill: Small Business Rate Relief Automation - Impact Assessment

  • Published: 31 January 2011
  • Site: Local government

• Localism Bill: Creating executive mayors in the 12 largest English cities - Impact Assessment

  • Published: 31 January 2011
  • Site: Local government

• Localism Bill: Abolition of the regional planning tier and introduction of the duty to cooperate - Impact Assessment

  • Published: 31 January 2011
  • Site: Local government

• Localism Bill: Abolition of the Standards Board - Equality Impact Assessment

  • Published: 31 January 2011
  • Site: Local government

• Localism Bill: Discharging the main homelessness duty - Equality Impact Assessment

  • Published: 31 January 2011
  • Site: Local government

• Localism Bill: Neighbourhood plans - Equality Impact Assessment

  • Published: 31 January 2011
  • Site: Local government

• Localism Bill: Abolition of the Tenant Service Authority and transfer of its regulatory functions - Equality Impact Assessment

  • Published: 31 January 2011
  • Site: Local government

http://www.communities.gov.uk/localgovernment/decentralisation/localismb...

Bob Neill (Parliamentary Under Secretary of State, Communities and Local Government; Bromley and Chislehurst, Conservative)

Further to my statement on Monday 31 January on the local government finance settlement, I am announcing that I will be making a technical change to the provisional formula grant allocations for 2012-13 increasing the overall total for formula grant by £11.3 million.

I have today placed in the Library of the House revised tables which reflect this change. Copies are available from the Vote Office and should be referred to in place of those issued on Monday 31 January which related to the 2012-13 settlement. All local authorities have been notified directly today of this change.

http://www.theyworkforyou.com/wms/?id=2011-02-07a.1WS.4