The Welsh Assembly government announced a consultation on recommendations in a survey of the role, functions and future potential of community and town councils in Wales. The survey report concluded that community and town councils had the potential to make significant contributions to the areas they served by being responsive to local needs, representing local interests to external bodies, facilitating community activities and events, and enhancing the services provided by other bodies: their benefits outweighed their associated costs.
Source: Michael Woods, Bill Edwards, Jon Anderson, Graham Gardner and Rachel Hughes, A Research Study into the Role, Functions and Future Potential of Community and Town Councils, Welsh Assembly Government (029 2082 5490)
Links: Report (pdf) | Summary (pdf) | WAG press release
Date: 2003-Nov
The government began consultation on proposals for the removal of a number of statutory requirements for certain local authorities to produce service-related plans.
Source: Removing Plan Requirements: The modification of legislation requiring certain statutory plans for relevant local authorities, Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (0870 1226 236)
Links: Consultation paper (pdf) | Consultation paper
Date: 2003-Nov
A report proposed 'second generation' local public service agreements designed to enable a joined-up approach to service delivery, through wider cross-service ways for citizens to access services, and greater working across geographical and public sector boundaries.
Source: Freedoms and Flexibilities: Route map to a Brave New World , New Local Government Network (020 7357 0051)
Links: Report (pdf) | NGLN press release
Date: 2003-Nov
The Scottish Executive published a Bill to introduce the 'single transferable vote' system for local government elections; reduce the age at which people could stand as a councillor to 18; remove 'unnecessary' political restrictions on council employees standing for local authority elections; and establish an independent remuneration committee for councillors. It also published a summary of responses to consultation on an earlier draft Bill.
Source: Local Governance (Scotland) Bill, Scottish Executive, TSO (0870 606 5566) | Local Governance (Scotland) Bill - Summary of Issues and Responses Received to 31 October 2003, Scottish Executive (0131 556 8400)
Links: Consultation responses (pdf) | SE press release
Date: 2003-Nov
The government announced plans to extend to district councils the freedoms and flexibilities announced in 2002 for county and unitary councils and London and metropolitan boroughs. But local authorities said the government had not considered the potential contribution district councils could make to delivering better public services.
Source: Comprehensive Performance Assessment for District Authorities, Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (0870 1226 236) | Press release 20 November 2003, Local Government Association (020 7664 3000)
Links: Report (pdf) | Report | ODPM press release | LGA press release | Guardian report
Date: 2003-Nov
Most provisions of the Local Government Act 2003 came into force from 18 November 2003. All 'best value' authorities in England and Wales gained a new power to charge for discretionary services. Section 28 of the Local Government Act 1988, which prohibited local authorities from promoting homosexuality, was repealed. All local authorities were enabled to conduct 'advisory polls' to help them gauge their communities' views on local service delivery. New grant making powers made it easier for the government to pay grants to councils without restrictions on how they should use the money.
Source: Local Government Act 2003 (Commencement No.1and Transitional Provisions and Savings) Order 2003, Statutory Instrument 2003/2938, TSO (0870 600 5522)
Links: Statutory Instrument | ODPM press release | Speech by Minister
Date: 2003-Nov
The Welsh Assembly approved a severance package for people who had served as local councillors 15 years or more, in an attempt to attract younger people into local government.
Source: The Local Authorities (Allowances for Members of County and County Borough Councils) (Past Service Awards) (Wales) Regulations 2003, Welsh Statutory Instrument 2003/2676 (W.258), TSO (0870 600 5522)
Links: Statutory Instrument | NAW debate | Guardian report
Date: 2003-Oct
A discussion paper said central government was increasingly recognising the role played by community organisations and the voluntary sector, and handing them powers and funding traditionally managed by democratically-elected councillors: but this 'new localism' agenda raised some serious concerns about representation and accountability.
Source: Alan Pike, The Disintegration of Local Government: Dangers of single-service elected bodies, Association of London Government (020 7934 9999)
Links: Report (pdf)
Date: 2003-Oct
A report examined how local authorities had implemented the Local Government Act 2000 (which provided a range of options for new executive arrangements). The evidence suggested that there had been a 'significant structural change' in the legal and institutional framework of local authority decision-making.
Source: Gerry Stoker, Francesca Gains, Peter John, Nirmala Rao and Alan Harding, Implementing the 2000 Act with Respect to New Council Constitutions and the Ethical Framework: First report, Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (0870 1226 236)
Links: Report (pdf) | Summary (pdf)
Date: 2003-Sep
Local authorities published five 'key tests of democratic localism', to be applied to new policies affecting local people. They included whether the policy let local people make decisions about their services and priorities through their locally elected representatives, and whether the policy directed money to meet locally agreed needs or helped councils raise resources locally.
Source: Five Key Tests of Democratic Localism, Local Government Association (020 7664 3000)
Links: Tests (pdf)
Date: 2003-Sep
The Local Government Bill received Royal assent. The Act gave new devolved powers for local councils, financial help for small businesses and sports clubs, and incentives for councils to work with business. It also repealed the ban on local authorities 'promoting' homosexuality.
Source: Local Government Act 2003, TSO (0870 600 5522)
Links: Text of Act | ODPM press release (1) | ODPM press release (2) | ODPM press release (3) | WAG press release | Stonewall press release
Date: 2003-Sep
A report was published by public service campaigners on the modernisation agenda in local government. The study examined perceptions of recent changes in the role of elected members, with a view to understanding trends.
Source: The Future Role of Elected Members, Association of Public Service Excellence (fax: 0161 772 1811)
Links: No link
Date: 2003-Aug
Less than a quarter of local authority chief executives, and under a third of council leaders, were satisfied with the freedoms and flexibilities granted by central government, according to a survey of the councils which took part in the first round of 'comprehensive performance assessment'.
Source: Freedom to Improve? Evaluating the first round of the Comprehensive Performance Assessment, LGA research report 45, Local Government Association (020 7664 3131)
Links: Summary (pdf) | LGA press release
Date: 2003-Aug
The Scottish Executive began consultation on the draft Local Governance (Scotland) Bill, including proposals to introduce the single transferable vote system for the local government elections.
Source: Draft Local Governance (Scotland) Bill: Consultation, Scottish Executive, TSO (0870 606 5566)
Links: Consultation document (pdf)
Date: 2003-Jul
A report examined the different ways in which local authorities had implemented the principles set out in the Local Government Act 2000 for good decision-making procedures. It illustrated how councils could improve individual elements of their constitution; enhance the role and capacity of members; provide links with other aspects of the 'modernisation' agenda; and use their constitutions as a vehicle for local democratic renewal.
Source: Steve Leach et al., Strengthening Local Democracy: Making the most of the constitution, Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (0870 1226 236)
Links: Report (pdf)
Date: 2003-Jul
Local authorities called for steps to devolve power to local communities and develop a genuinely 'localist' approach to improving public services. These steps should include: a new generation of more ambitious agreements between individual councils and government; the development of more robust and effective partnership arrangements at a local level, harnessing all the relevant players behind a single community strategy; pathfinder projects exploring new ways of delivering the shared priorities and work of councils identified as excellent , providing a laboratory for testing genuinely radical approaches; and a concerted effort to strengthen civil society and revitalise local politics.
Source: Special Delivery: Politics, partnership and pluralism, Local Government Association (020 7664 3000)
Links: Report (pdf)
Date: 2003-Jun
A report (edited with others by a senior economic adviser to the Treasury) called for central government to allow local authorities greater freedom in the delivery of key public services and the regeneration of cities and regions.
Source: Ed Balls, John Healey MP and Cathy Koester (eds.), Growing the Economy: The Local Dimension, Smith Institute (020 7592 3618)
Links: Report (pdf)|Guardian report
Date: 2003-Jun
The Local Government Bill received its third reading. The Bill would give councils freedom to borrow to pay for major projects, and powers to set up schemes with businesses to improve their area; and would make provision for the number of council tax bands to be changed.
Source: Local Government Bill (2002), Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, TSO (0870 600 5522) | House of Commons Hansard, Debate 10.3.03, columns 40-126, TSO
Links: Hansard | Text of Bill
Date: 2003-Mar
A report analysed the institutional capacity of the Greater London Authority to address issues of transport, economic development, infrastructure and modernisation. It argued that the tight financial limits on the GLA, added to the peculiar institutional structure under which the London Assembly and the four 'functional bodies' work, are detrimental to the effectiveness of a strategic, enabling government.
Source: Scott Greer and Mark Sandford, Fixing London, Constitution Unit/University of London, available from Imprint Academic (01392 841600)
Links: Press release
Date: 2003-Feb
A report argued that the government should replace all centrally mandated local government plans - except for the 'best value' performance plans and community strategies - with performance assessment or management systems, notably 'comprehensive performance assessment', to assess the effectiveness of authorities planning, together with clear communication of national priorities.
Source: Plans Rationalisation Study Report, New Policy Institute (020 7721 8421) and Portico Consulting
Links: Report (pdf) | Summary
Date: 2003-Feb
Research into local council structures established by the Local Government Act 2000 found that 'councils of all political hues are turning the new structures into effective tools to help deliver manifesto promises and policy objectives'. But it also found evidence that the new executive structures were weakening accountability to political groups, and had not made the political process more transparent to local communities than the old committee structures they replaced.
Source: The Effective Executive, Local Government Information Unit, available from Central Books (020 8986 5488)
Links: LGIU press release
Date: 2003-Feb
The government asked the Electoral Commission to carry out a review of options for simplifying local elections in England. It will review the current cycle in which many councils are elected once every four years, although not all in the same year, while others have elections in three years out of four, or every two years. Any changes would be aimed at making the timing of elections clearer to electors.
Source: Press release 28.1.03, Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (020 7944 3000)
Links: Press release
Date: 2003-Jan
The Local Government Bill received its second reading. The Bill gives councils freedom to borrow to pay for major projects, and powers to set up schemes with businesses to improve their area; and makes provision for changing the number of council tax bands. The House of Commons Library produced a background research paper on the Bill.
Source: Local Government Bill (2002), Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, TSO (0870 600 5522) | House of Commons Hansard, Debate 7.1.03, columns 45-140, TSO | Edward Wood, The Local Government Bill, Research Paper 03/01, House of Commons Library (web publication only)
Links: Hansard | Text of Bill | HOC research paper (pdf)
Date: 2003-Jan