New act offers devolution

Communities secretary Hazel Blears will next week formally invite councils to put forward proposals under the Sustainable Communities Act.

The act will allow councils to request the devolution of any powers, responsibilities and funding that will promote the sustainability of local communities.

Although the act is in its infancy, councils are already coming up with proposals.

Norfolk CC leader Daniel Cox (Con) told LGC the county was considering a bid for greater powers to protect communities vulnerable to coastal erosion. “We want to see if there is an opportunity to use the act to give the county a greater role in dealing with those concerns,” he said.

The New Local Government Network thinktank suggested the act could be used to secure a role for councils to make joint appointments to struggling primary care trusts or ring-fence rises in local tax revenues to finance regeneration or capital investment.

Council leaders will next week be sent a letter signed by more than 50 organisations as diverse as the Campaign for Real Ale and the Muslim Council of Britain urging them to use the act.

“There is no concerted action from central government to assist councils in stopping ghost town Britain,” the letter read. “The Sustainable Communities Act fills this vacuum. We hope you choose to use it.”

Councils must submit their proposals by next spring.

Potential uses of the act

• Preventing developers demolishing pubs without planning permission.

• Levies on out-of-town supermarket car parks to fund rebates for local shops.

• Making it easier for councils to set up local energy grids to encourage renewable energy use.

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