Minister chosen to lead localism drive
The Conservatives have underlined their commitment to localism by appointing a minister for decentralisation.
It has been announced that Greg Clark, the Conservative MP for Tunbridge Wells who was appointed a minister of state at the Communities and Local Government department on Friday, will be minister for decentralisation.
Decentralisation of power from central and regional government to local authorities is a key agenda for both the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats.
The Conservatives are keen to give local authorities more control over subjects including house building. Rather than being forced to build homes to meet regional targets, councils would be incentivised through financial rewards including matching the council tax revenue from new homes for the first six years after construction, rising to 125 per cent for affordable homes.
As a shadow minister Mr Clark worked on energy and climate change. He had also been shadow minister for charities, voluntary bodies and social enterprise.
The junior ministers who will serve alongside Mr Hands, communities secretary Eric Pickles, and housing minister Grant Shapps are Liberal Democrat Andrew Stunnell, Bob Neill, who was shadow planning and local government minister when the Conservatives were in opposition, and Baroness Hanham.
Former banker Lord Freud will work as minister for welfare reform. Lord Freud formerly worked as adviser to the Labour government on the benefits system.
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Readers' comments (3)
the purple avenger | 17/05/2010 11:07 am
Excellent - because we all know how efficient and well run our local councils are.
And just think, we will have different ways of working in each location. Excellent news for those associations who span LA boundaries. Tailoring services to a locality is a challenge - but just about do able. How difficult will it be when different councils demand different sets of data or require HA presence at their endless committee meetings?
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Tom Pienaar | 17/05/2010 12:13 pm
The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors is currently consulting with housing and property professionals on the impacts localist policies will have on the built environment.
I would be grateful if you could follow the link below and complete an online policy questionnaire. It will take approximately 12 minutes and your views will help shape RICS policies.
Thank you.
http://communities.rics.org/connect.ti/localismconsult/groupHome
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worried well | 17/05/2010 1:47 pm
I am fully supportive of local control, and local responsibility and accountability (although I think that whoever uses the terms needs to be very clear about what they mean when they use it). If localism is everything that is not the imposition of targets, a uniform and corrosive inspection regime, is not a benchmarking-led idiocy then great. If it isn't those at the to of the political spectrum imposing so-called 'good' ideas trickled down through the tiers of control onto service then great. If it means allowed local services to experiment with different ways of providing better services, supported by an inspection process that doesn't want to beat them up for being different. Then great.
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Oh and by the way - the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS).
Is consultation asking people their opinions? There is no fact involved, just listening to people's ideas. So basically, a bunch of people are going to be asked for their ideas of something that they do not do now (and so wouldn't know if there ideas were of any worth) and this is going to be turned into policy?
Now I know why management by policy and consultation under the last government failed so badly. No new thinking at the RICS.
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