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The government thinks this new Bill they’retaking through Parliament is going to helpcouncils and local people be more independentand have more control over their lives.These are some (but not all) of the changesthey see happening.
At the moment councils with good ideas nd
themselves unwilling or unable to make themhappen, feeling they aren’t covered by existinglaws and they’re likely to get taken to court. Thegovernment’s solution is to say to councils; don’tbreak the law, sure, that’s a given. But if thereisn’t a law for something, we trust you – do it,see what happens.The government wants to get rid of of thecommittees that oversee complaints aboutcouncillors. They feel councillors end up gettingbogged down with small complaints, puttingpeople off taking part in local government incase they get into the same thing. Instead,they want to make it a crime for councillors tolie about (or leave out) people and companiesthey’re associated with, so genuinely corruptcouncillors will really have to pay for it.At the moment councillors can feel they’re notallowed to talk to people properly because ofa rule called ‘predetermination’ which when
 
they go into ofcial meetings they should have
an open mind. The government wants local
government ofcials to understand that it’s ne
to have opinions, and to talk about them.The government thinks we’re well behind therest of the world on this one, and that Mayor’sare a great way to make us feel we have reallocal leaders.So they want to give it a trial run – 12 morecities (adding to the 12 that already haveMayors) will have a ‘shadow Mayor’, then in2013 they’ll vote on whether they want to keephaving a Mayor. If you’re not in one of thosecities, you can call a local referendum to vote forwhether you want one or not.The Mayor of London will be able to do morewith London housing projects that the Homesand Communities Agency are in charge of at themoment. They’ll also have more say in the wayLondon as a whole is developed.The government believes there are peopleand groups out there who would really liketo get more involved in local government butdon’t really get the chance. They also believethey should get the chance to take over localservices, if they’re up to the job, and councilsshould let them.
 
The government believes that if your localservices are threatened and about to be closedor sold off, local communities should get achance to run them by themselves. This hasalready happened in a few places, but thegovernment wants to make it easier for localgroups to compete with private businesses thatcan raise the money faster. They want to letlocal people put forward a list of the essentialthings in their community – shops, leisurecentres, halls, markets, etc, so when they go upfor sale or close down, any community groupthat might want to run them instead gets thetime they need to raise a proper amount ofmoney and work out how to make them into aproper business.The government wants to give local peoplethe right to call for a vote – a referendum – onwhatever they want.The government still wants to set their own ratefor how fast Council Taxes can rise, and if alocal government decides they need Council Taxto rise more than that, local people should beallowed to vote about whether they can afford itor not.The government wants to abolish a 2004 lawthat lets them set housing targets for differentareas.
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