Lord Heseltine report welcome but rocket boosters needed for localism agenda, says Localis think tank
Author: Localis |
Responding to the publication today of Lord Heseltine’s report ‘No Stone Unturned’, Alex Thomson, Chief Executive of Localis, the local government think tank, said:
“The Government’s devolution of power that has been hoarded in Whitehall for far too long is great news, but it needs to go much further and faster. We welcome Lord Heseltine’s recommendations to put power and funding in the hands of local leaders and kickstart growth but believe this decentralisation could go further.
“Across the breadth of public services, the time has come to put rocket boosters on the localism agenda. Lord Heseltine’s clarion call to empower local leaders is quite right, but we advocate going further, calling for far greater financial autonomy for local government across the board. This would encourage councils to go for growth like never before.”
ENDS
NOTES TO EDITORS:
1. Upcoming Localis research
Localis are working to develop a comprehensive and radical set of proposals for the next stage of localism, to be launched next year.
2. Localis localism report with foreword from Lord Heseltine
In 2009, Localis produced the report Can Localism Deliver? Lessons from Manchester, with a foreword from Lord Heseltine (available here). The report called for a presumption towards localism by government and made several recommendations that have since become Coalition Government policy, such as the devolving of powers in areas such as economic development and transport, increased financial freedoms for local areas through business rate retention, and a willingness to back those localities with the greatest growth potential. The principles and recommendations of the 2009 research continue to resonate today.
3. Localis financial autonomy report
In 2011, Localis produced the report The Rate Escape – Freeing Local Government to Drive Economic Growth, with a foreword by Sir Michael Lyons (available here). The report argued that the current system of local government finance in England is opaque, highly centralised and riven with perverse incentives. It goes on to suggest that councils should be able to voluntarily ‘buy out’ of a central government administered finance system for a set period of time. Produced before the recent business rate reforms were announced, it represents a more radical solution with the potential for significantly greater benefits.
4. About Localis
Localis is an independent think-tank dedicated to issues related to local government and localism. We carry out innovative research, hold a calendar of events and facilitate an ever growing network of members to stimulate and challenge the current orthodoxy of the governance of the UK. Please visit www.localis.org.uk for more information.