Localism, energy and benefit plans in legislative programme
Queen's speech bill will shift power to councils
Legislation to shift responsibility for housing from central to local government and give communities the power to build homes have been set out in the Queen’s speech.
The decentralisation and localism bill contains proposals to implement many of the Conservatives’ key policies on housing, including giving councils more control of planning decisions, and setting up local housing trusts that will be able to grant planning permission for homes that meet local need.
The public bodies bill will give ministers the power to abolish or merge quangos, or transfer them into government departments.
An energy bill will back the creation of a ‘green deal’ scheme where households can get £6,500 of energy efficiency improvements which they will pay off with fuel savings.
Other bills will address welfare reform, and clamp down on alcohol fuelled crime and anti-social behaviour.
Housing minister Grant Shapps said: ‘This government is taking the swift action needed to sweep away the needless bureaucracy and centralisation that is stifling communities and the housing market. In its place we will introduce powerful incentives which mean that development is something which is of direct benefit to local people, rather than a threat imposed from above.
‘For too long councils have had to battle with a one-size fits all approach. This new government recognises that different local needs require different solutions, so we’re putting local people and councils back where they should be - at the heart of decision making.’
Kate Henderson, chief executive of The Town and Country Planning Association, said: ‘The TCPA has long campaigned for community empowerment and we therefore welcome the emphasis in the proposed decentralisation and localism bill on giving local people more power to influence the decisions that affect them and take a more active role in their area.
‘Similarly, the proposed energy bill which focuses on energy efficiency in the home, will have an important role to play in reducing our carbon emissions to tackle climate change.’
Mark Seaborn, managing director of consultancy Pennington Choices, said the government stance on quangos should prompt regulator the Tenant Services Authority to evaluate its activities and costs.
He added: ‘It could also sensibly look at implementing the powers available to it to levy a charge to registered providers for its regulation activities.’
The bills in detail
Decentralisation and localism bill
Will devolve powers from central and regional government to local authorities on key subjects including housing and planning, and seek to increase community involvement.
Specifically it will:
- abolish regional spatial strategies
- return decision making powers on housing and planning to councils
- require public bodies to publish the salaries of senior officials
- give residents the power to instigate local referendums on any issue
- create local housing trusts that would allow communities to grant planning permission for homes that meet local needs
- make it easier for communities to provide homes for local people
- review the housing revenue account.
Welfare reform bill
Will simplify the benefits system and improve incentives to find work by:
- Making people see they can gain by entering work
- Reducing the scope for fraud and error
- Reducing administration
Energy security and green economy bill
Will introduce a national energy efficiency programme for homes and businesses, reform energy markets, and put in place a framework for the development of a ‘smart grid’ to change how supply and demand is managed.
From a housing perspective, the main element will be the introduction of the Conservative’s green deal scheme, where homes will be eligible for £6,500 of energy efficiency improvements paid for over time through reduced bills.
Police reform and social responsibility bill
Will strengthen links between police and residents by allowing elected individuals to hold the police to account. There will also be tougher immigration controls, and stronger powers to tackle alcohol fuelled crime and disorder.
Public bodies (reform) bill
Will give ministers the power to abolish, merge or transfer public bodies into government departments. The Conservatives have said they want to slash the number of these quangos, and social housing regulator the Tenant Services Authority is expected to be in the firing line.
Have your say
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Readers' comments (7)
Anonymous | 25/05/2010 12:20 pm
In Birmingham it means con/lib coalision decentralising power to con/dem coalision!
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Joe Halewood | 25/05/2010 1:36 pm
When powers are 'shifted' blame is too.
The rhetoric or spin employed by all parties is always superficial and focuses upon that. Local government knows local needs best is after all hard to argue against, except that blame is also transferredd awy from central government when local government dont get it right.
This government is saying that housing and particularly the chronic social housing shortage is not a national problem but a local one. That is total nonsense.
Yesterday it was anoounced that local government would get £1.2bn less money and today they have extra responsibilities to build more out of this dwindling pot. That is a factual statement yet it is the reality that rails against the headline here that councils get more powers.
'Powers' by the way are discretionary for local government as opposed to 'duties' which are mandatory. So given that local government of all political parties have to fulfill their mandatory 'duties' first out of a reducing cash pot, will these new 'powers' (that is discretionary actions) of local government win out with increased house building? The answer to that has to be a resounding no.
It just means local and not central government will be blamed
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Anonymous | 25/05/2010 1:37 pm
we will see if this works.......
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the purple avenger | 25/05/2010 3:10 pm
Joe ahlewood is of course correct. This is a perfect get out clause for the Government - cuts will have to be applied by local government so the central government can point fingers in that direction. Complete cop out.
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Anonymous | 25/05/2010 10:25 pm
Immigration control for people outside the EU is the emphasis for all governments; be it the coalition, conservatives, Labour and the likes. The problem is not people from outside the EU, tougher measures should be placed on people within the EU as they are the real culprits who takes all the jobs and housing and put more pressure on public services, like the NHS, education, local council budgets and what have you. This is because they have all the rights and privileges as UK citizens as they are within the European union. I find the immigration policy bigoted. Governments never really tell us the real statistics of immigrants into the UK outside the EU. From my experiences, there are very little amount of people coming from outside of the EU to put a dent or pressure on our public services. The problem of immigration in this country is more Islamophobia during the wake of 911 and July 7 bombing in London rather than people coming from outside the EU and putting pressure on public services.
England will always be a nation of immigration because she had enjoyed the benefit of colonialism. The core of UK wealth and prosperity is gotten from colonial exploitation.
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bystander | 26/05/2010 10:32 am
Anonymous please provide evidence of your claim that 'people within the EU as they are the real culprits who takes all the jobs and housing and put more pressure on public services, like the NHS, education, local council budgets' REALLY?????????
Please explain with your evidence.
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Anonymous | 23/11/2010 4:21 pm
While I fully applaud the objectives of the new Universal Credit, why is it being administered by Central Government? Removing housing benefit from local authority control and centralising it within DWP goes completly in the face of localism. Why can't councils process Universal Credit? Instead we will end up with a remote, unaccountablea nd one size catches all approach to benefits administration.
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