A think-tank report said that the government should pass greater power and responsibilities to new local authority alliances, called 'city regions'. Local authorities should form voluntary alliances within naturally occurring boundaries, with executive decisions being made by a senate of leaders drawn from the component councils.
Source: Seeing the Light?: Next steps for city regions, New Local Government Network (020 7357 0051)
Links: Report | NLGN press release
Date: 2005-Dec
The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister published its autumn performance report for 2005, providing information on progress made against its public service agreement targets.
Source: Autumn Performance Report 2005, Cm 6722, Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, TSO (0870 600 5522)
Links: Report
Date: 2005-Dec
A report called for local authorities to be given a bigger role in developing housing strategies.
Source: Merron Simpson, Ruth Lucas, Bob Blackaby and Sarah Davis, Visionary Leadership in Housing: A new future for local housing strategy, Chartered Institute of Housing (024 7685 1700) and Local Government Association
Links: CIH press release | LGA press release
Date: 2005-Nov
A report examined the challenges that faced local authorities in the 21st century. It said that local authorities needed to assert their individual strategic goals, review their organizational capacity, and "seize the initiative" on behalf of the communities they served.
Source: Steve Leach and Vivien Lowndes, Fitness for Purpose in the 21st Century, Improvement and Development Agency (020 7296 6693) and Audit Commission
Links: Report (pdf) | IDeA press release | Audit Commission press release
Date: 2005-Jul
An article examined the effect of devolution on local government in Scotland. It said that Scottish central?local relations continued to be characterized by a sense of mistrust of local government, especially among civil servants and a continuing desire for central control of key policy agendas.
Source: Mark McAteer and Michael Bennett, 'Devolution and local government: evidence from Scotland', Local Government Studies, Volume 31 Number 3
Links: Abstract
Date: 2005-Jun
The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister published its annual report for 2004-05.
Source: Annual Report 2005, Cm 6526, Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, TSO (0870 600 5522)
Links: Report (pdf)
Date: 2005-Jun
The government published an action plan to pass more power from central government to local communities. The plan set out the government s commitments to citizens, communities and public bodies in key policy areas - citizens and democracy; regeneration and cohesion; safety and justice; and health and sustainability. These would be carried out by twelve different government departments.
Source: Together We Can, Civil Renewal Unit/Home Office (020 7035 5305)
Links: Action plan (pdf) | Appendix (pdf) | Text of ministerial speech | DWP press release
Date: 2005-Jun
A think-tank report called on the local government community to learn from the innovative work of leading councils, and embrace the opportunities for greater local devolution as a means of having a real impact on the governance of local communities.
Source: Anna Randle, Councils Embracing Localism: Lessons in decentralisation from Birmingham, Wakefield and West Sussex, New Local Government Network, available from York Publishing Services Ltd (01904 431213)
Links: NLGN press release
Date: 2005-Jun
The opposition Conservative Party published its manifesto plans on local government issues. It said that it would cut local taxes and improve local accountability.
Source: Local Taxes, Local Accountability, Conservative Party (020 7222 9000)
Links: Manifesto (pdf)
Date: 2005-Apr
A think-tank report called for a new relationship between central and local government, based on 'community leadership' by local councils. The role of councils would be to bring partners together, join up local services, engage with citizens, and create a vision for their localities.
Source: Kiran Dhillon and Anna Randle, Making Community Leadership Real, New Local Government Network (020 7357 0051)
Links: Report (pdf) | NLGN press release
Date: 2005-Apr
A think-tank report called for a radical rethink of the purpose and structure of local government, and its replacement with a new system made up of powerful community governance and strategic level, super-sized cities and counties.
Source: Gerry Stoker, What Is Local Government For? Refocusing local governance to meet the challenges of the 21st century, New Local Government Network (020 7357 0051)
Links: NLGN press release | Guardian report
Date: 2005-Mar
A report summarized the progress made in implementing the 2001 local government White Paper.
Source: 2001 Local Government White Paper Implementation: Summary of progress, Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (0870 1226 236)
Links: Report (pdf)
Date: 2005-Mar
A collection of essays examined the opportunities and challenges that would be presented by moves to decentralize decision-making, across a range of policy areas.
Source: New Localism in Action: An NLGN collection, New Local Government Network (020 7357 0051)
Links: Summary (pdf) | NLGN press release
Date: 2005-Feb
A report examined how local authorities implemented the political management reforms under the Local Government Act 2000, examined attitudes towards leadership in authorities, and explored how the leadership role was developing.
Source: Peter John and Francesca Gains, Political Leadership under the New Political Management Structures, Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (0870 1226 236)
Links: Report (pdf)
Date: 2005-Feb
A new book said that local councils should be recognized as community leaders, should be subject to less regulation and more proportionate inspection, and should be much less dependent on central funding - if they were to identify and meet the needs of their local communities.
Source: Jeremy Beecham, The Future of Local Government, Public Management and Policy Association (020 7543 5679)
Links: PMPA press release | Guardian report
Date: 2005-Feb
A report described the nature and impact of effective community engagement from the first confirmed 'Civic Pioneers'. Areas where Pioneers tended to be strong in engagement were regeneration and housing, New Deal programmes, youth initiatives, area working, and crime and safety. (Civic Pioneers are local councils committed to involving local people in decision-making processes on policy and implementation in public services.)
Source: Maire Gaffney, Civic Pioneers: Local people, local government, working together to make life better, Civil Renewal Unit/Home Office (020 7035 5305)
Links: Report (pdf)
Date: 2005-Feb
A literature review looked at existing evidence around the topic of new localism - taken to refer broadly to active participation by citizens in local democracy and decision-making. The particular focus was on user involvement in service delivery and decision-making.
Source: Jane Aspden and Demelza Birch, New Localism: Citizen engagement, neighbourhoods and public services - Evidence from local government, Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (0870 1226 236)
Links: Report (pdf)
Date: 2005-Feb
A collection of essays and case studies sought to clarify the different understandings of 'localism', and to suggest practical ways forward that reconciled as many of them as possible.
Source: Jim Robertson (ed.), Smart Localism, Smith Institute (020 7592 3618)
Links: Report (pdf) | Summary
Date: 2005-Feb
The government published a five-year plan for promoting sustainable communities in England. It said that communities across the country would be given more say in the decisions which made a difference to their lives. Key proposals included putting more power in the hands of communities to improve local services and create safer communities, through a 'neighbourhoods charter'. A pilot initiative would seek to break up 'sink estates' by creating a greater mix of housing types in areas that were dominated by social housing tenants.
Source: Sustainable Communities: People, Places and Prosperity, Cm 6425, Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, TSO (0870 600 5522) | House of Commons Hansard, Written Ministerial Statement 31 January 2005, columns 41-45WS, TSO
Links: Plan (pdf links) | Hansard | ODPM press release | LGA press release | Guardian report
Date: 2005-Jan
A think-tank called for central and local government reformers to continue the process of modernizing local government, and for a programme of incremental radicalism . It proposed a localism test , with any new central initiative first going through a cabinet sub-committee to test if it could be delivered in a more devolved way.
Source: Dan Corry and Ian Parker, The Modernisers Tale: Why modernisation in local government must continue, New Local Government Network (020 7357 0051)
Links: NLGN press release
Date: 2005-Jan
An article examined what current theory and evidence had to teach about how local governance should be changed in order to make it more conducive to human emancipation. It assessed the potential for democratization at community level, given the 'persistence of oligarchy', and suggested ways to build countervailing power in order to promote democratization.
Source: Peter Somerville, 'Community governance and democracy', Policy & Politics, Volume 33 Number 1
Links: Abstract
Date: 2005-Jan
The government published a discussion document aimed at enhancing the role of local neighbourhoods. It included proposals for a 'neighbourhoods charter', designed to enable people in particular neighbourhoods, in partnership with local authorities and other stakeholders, to help shape and drive improvements in the services they received.
Source: Citizen Engagement and Public Services: Why neighbourhoods matter, Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (0870 1226 236)
Links: Discussion paper (pdf) | ODPM press release | LGA press release | NALC press release
Date: 2005-Jan
Local authorities said that a radical devolution of power, and a strengthening of local leadership, were critical if local neighbourhoods were to be revived. It argued that a one size fits all approach to local government would not work, and called for greater freedom for councils to determine, in consultation with local communities, what arrangements best suited local circumstances.
Source: Stronger Political Leadership, Better Local Government, Local Government Association (020 7664 3000)
Links: Report (pdf) | LGA press release
Date: 2005-Jan
The government published a discussion document aimed at strengthening local leadership. It said that it would be seeking to allow more options for the way in which councils were run, in particular working in partnership with local authorities to develop a new approach to creating more mayors, with more powers to transform major cities. The document also set out plans to strengthen the role of councils in leading their areas, and of individual ward councillors as the leaders and advocates of their neighbourhoods and communities.
Source: Vibrant Local Leadership, Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (0870 1226 236)
Links: Discussion paper (pdf) | ODPM press release | LGA press release
Date: 2005-Jan
A literature review examined the concept of citizenship and how it related to local authorities.
Source: Richard Cowell, Rhys Andrews and Steve Martin, Civic Education and Local Government: A literature review, Centre for Local and Regional Government Research/Cardiff University (029 2087 4000)
Links: Report (pdf) | Summary (pdf)
Date: 2005-Jan
Countryside campaigners said that the reality of the government's sustainable communities plan was a long way from the rhetoric. Without an urgent change of course by all those involved in the plan's implementation, the countryside, urban regeneration and the quality of life of countless communities were set to suffer lasting damage.
Source: Sustainable Communities? The gap between rhetoric and reality in the sustainable communities plan, Campaign to Protect Rural England (020 7981 2800)
Links: Report (pdf) | CPRE press release
Date: 2005-Jan