Steven Howell quoted in The MJ
Author: Dan Peters, The MJ |
Localis’ Director of Policy and Research, Steven Howell, is quoted in The MJ’s recent piece on the reorganisation of local government:
Suggestions that a redrawing of council maps would improve the planning system have been trashed by the sector.
A planning manifesto by law firm Addleshaw Goddard argues that present local authority boundaries are ‘not fit for purpose’, and calls for the UK council planning map to be realigned to ‘co-ordinate development for metropolitan regions’, with just five boroughs in London.
But Director of Policy and Research at think-tank, Localis, Steven Howell, told The MJ: ‘There is no appetite for a top-down reorganisation of local government at a time when councils are expending all their energy on innovating and changing in response to austerity.’
London Councils’ executive member for housing and Lewisham mayor, Steve Bullock, added: ‘With the scale of the challenge local authorities are facing at the moment, wholesale reorganisation is the last thing they need to be spending their time on.’
A London Councils spokesman said: ‘Better planning processes are a priority for London boroughs, which is why we proposed multi-borough planning teams to be part of the Government’s recent Growth Deal plan for London.
‘Unfortunately, the initiative, which could benefit both residents and developers, was not accepted this time.
‘It is this type of multi-borough collaboration that will best deliver the aspirations of the five borough proposal.
‘History shows that giant boroughs are insensitive to local opinion and take years to be agreed, and, in the meantime, costs get out of hand.’
Local government minister Kris Hopkins said the Government disagreed with the report’s calls for abolishing London Boroughs and reintroducing a tier of regional planning.
He added: ‘Certainly, there is scope for more joint working between local authorities, especially at a back office level – as illustrated by the tri-borough initiative in London – but this should be locally-led rather than imposed from above.’