Success at last for Sustainable Communities Bill - actively championed by Green Lib Dems

Given that the Sustainable communities Bill has now become law, here is a motion we invite you to use with your Council:

Local Authority Resolution Sustainable Communities Act

That xxxxx council

(i) expresses its concern at the decline of local services and facilities, local economies and local communities;

(ii) notes that this combination of factors increases people's feelings of exclusion and lack of involvement; and

(iii) further notes that local authorities and their communities know best on the solutions to local problems and so should determine how to promote thriving communities; and so

(iv) supports the bottom up process in the Sustainable Communities Act designed to allow local authorities and their communities to drive the help that central government gives in reversing community decline and promoting thriving, sustainable communities;

(iv) notes that the Act became law in October 2007 with full cross party support and that this was a result of 5 year campaign run by a coalition of over 90 national citizens organisations called Local Works;

(iv) notes that the Act gives local authorities the power to

make proposals to government on the action government must take to reverse community decline and promote sustainable communities, and

argue for a transfer of public money and function from central to local control;

(v) notes that the Act defines the sustainability of local communities broadly, that definition having the 4 aspects of

the improvement of the local economy,

protection of the environment,

promotion of social inclusion, and

participation in civic and political activity;

(vi) notes that the Local Works campaign give a number of reasons for why a local authority should choose to use the Act, those reasons being

1. Assistance from government - Community decline is happening everywhere and local authorities are not able to prevent it on their own. They need government help. This Act gives government a legal duty 'to assist local authorities in promoting the sustainability of local communities'. So by 'opting in' local authorities are, in fact, signing up to receive that 'assistance'.

2. Power to determine that assistance - The Act also gives local authorities (and their representative body, the Local Government Association) real power to determine the nature of the assistance that they receive from government, as explained more fully in our campaign broadsheet on implementing the Act (contact us for free copies).

3. Strength in numbers - By opting in, local authorities can act in unison to put in proposals to government supported by their colleagues elsewhere. Joint suggestions by many authorities will make it even harder for the government to refuse to act on suggestions made by local authorities.

4. Transferring functions and monies from central to local control - The Act also enables local authorities - and thus local authorities acting together - to request the transfer of functions from government or government agencies to themselves. Because decisions on these requests must be made by the LGA and the Secretary of State trying to reach agreement (i.e. in co-operation), this can be used to regain from central government control of many powers and spending that affect local areas.

5. Access to Central Spending Accounts Information - The requirement in the Act for the government to 'open the books' will mean that local authorities will know just how much extra money they can access if they push for a transfer of functions.

6. Democratic citizen involvement - All politicians (and many local authority officers) talk a lot about lack of public involvement in democracy. The recent Power report showed that the more people think that their involvement matters, the more they are likely to get involved. The very 'hassle' required by this Act (reaching agreement with - not consulting - citizens' panels) empowers citizens. Local authorities may well consider that this is a way of increasing citizen involvement; and

(vii) resolves, when invited to by central government in October 2008, to use the Act by preparing and submitting proposals on how central government can help; and

(viii) further resolves to

to inform the local media of this decision;

to write to local MPs, informing them of this decision; and

to write to Local Works (at Local Works, c/o Unlock Democracy, 6 Cynthia St, London N1 9JF) informing them of their resolution to use the Act.