An official capability review said that the Department for Communities and Local Government had clear strategic objectives, and had strengthened its strategic capability through improvements to the use of evidence and analysis in policy-making.
Source: Communities and Local Government: Progress and Next Steps, Cabinet Office (020 7261 8527)
Links: Report | Cabinet Office press release
Date: 2008-Dec
The government began consultation on proposals to alter the way a community could trigger a referendum on changes in local governance arrangements, to either a directly elected mayor or indirectly elected council leader.
Source: Changing Council Governance Arrangements: Mayors and indirectly elected leaders, Department for Communities and Local Government (0870 1226 236)
Links: Consultation document | DCLG press release
Date: 2008-Dec
The government published the Local Democracy, Economic Development and Construction Bill. The Bill was designed to place a duty on local councils to 'promote democracy' and monitor local economic conditions; make it a legal duty for them to respond to petitions; and provide for the setting-up of a 'National Tenant Voice' to ensure that tenants' views were 'central' to housing decision-making.
Source: Local Democracy, Economic Development and Construction Bill [HL], Department for Communities and Local Government, TSO (0870 600 5522)
Links: Text of Bill | Explanatory notes | DCLG press release | CPRE press release | NLGN press release | LGA briefing | RSN press release | BBC report | Guardian report | Inside Housing report
Date: 2008-Dec
A report called on central government to push decision-making to the lowest possible level, so that people felt that they had more influence and became more engaged and satisfied with political processes.
Source: One Country, Two Systems? How national and local democracy can work together to improve Britain's political culture, Local Government Association (020 7664 3000)
Links: Report | LGA press release
Date: 2008-Dec
A think tank published a collection of essays (many written by government ministers) that set out the case for greater devolution of power from central government to local communities.
Source: Michael Barber et al., Beyond Whitehall: A new vision for a progressive state, Progress (020 3008 8180)
Links: Report
Date: 2008-Nov
The final report of an official taskforce said that, despite making some progress, central government needed to further reduce central control of local authorities and streamline bureaucracy.
Source: The State of the Burden, Lifting the Burdens Task Force, c/o Local Government Association (020 7664 3131)
Links: Report
Date: 2008-Nov
The Department for Communities and Local Government published its autumn 2008 performance report, showing progress against its public service agreement targets.
Source: Autumn Performance Report 2008, Department for Communities and Local Government (web publication only)
Links: Report
Date: 2008-Nov
The government began consultation on ways of enabling local people to participate in decisions which affected their everyday lives; to hold to account those who exercised power in their locality; and to facilitate the work of those democratically elected to represent their communities.
Source: Communities in Control: Real People, Real Power – Improving Local Accountability, Department for Communities and Local Government (0870 1226 236)
Links: Consultation document | Inside Housing report
Date: 2008-Aug
A think-tank report said that there was a mismatch between the government's ambition to reinvigorate local democracy and the community empowerment mechanisms that it hoped would provide the solution, particularly in a context where citizens had only limited time and willingness to participate. Rejuvenated parish and town councils could provide the government with a more appropriate solution to match its ambitions.
Source: Jessica Prendergrast, Disconnected Citizens: Is community empowerment the solution?, Social Market Foundation (020 7222 7060)
Links: Report | SMF press release
Date: 2008-Jul
A report said that greater participation by people in the local political process was vital for a healthy democracy.
Source: Sally Cooke and Dhara Vyas (eds.), Votes and Voices: The complementary nature of representative and participative democracy, Local Government Association (020 7664 3000) and National Council for Voluntary Organisations
Links: Report | NCVO press release
Date: 2008-Jul
The government published its response to the report and recommendations of the Councillors Commission, published in December 2007, on the role of local councillors. It set out the action planned or already taken on the recommendations.
Source: The Government Response to the Councillors Commission, Department for Communities and Local Government (0870 1226 236)
Date: 2008-Jul
A think-tank report brought together the reflections of leading thinkers within local government on future service delivery, leadership, citizen interaction, and rebalancing the relationship between central and local government.
Source: Iain Roxburgh (ed.), Next Steps for Local Democracy: Leadership, accountability and partnership, New Local Government Network (020 7357 0051)
Links: Report | NLGN press release
Date: 2008-Jul
The government published a White Paper containing proposals designed to deliver a 'fundamental shift in power, influence and responsibility into the hands of communities and citizens', through: more information and greater influence over the local decisions that affected them; new means of holding politicians and councils to account; and, where they chose, more opportunity to get directly involved in managing and shaping how local services were delivered.
Source: Communities in Control: Real people, real power, Cm 7427, Department for Communities and Local Government, TSO (0870 600 5522)
Links: White Paper | Summary | Annex | DCLG press release | LGA press release | NLGN press release | LGIU press release | CIH press release | London Councils press release | CSV press release | NSS press release | Friends of the Earth press release | ERS press release | Liberal Democrats press release | BBC report
Date: 2008-Jul
A think-tank report said that the government should consider introducing more elected mayors with powers over local police, transport, and health services.
Source: Lucy Mott (ed.), Directly Elected, Direct Results: Reflections on the mayoral model in the UK, New Local Government Network (020 7357 0051) and Institute for Public Policy Research
Links: NLGN press release
Date: 2008-Jun
An article said that proposals for strengthening local political leadership outlined in the 2006 White Paper were based on an 'unconvincing, methodologically flawed' analysis of the benefits of strong individual leadership. It highlighted the importance of a continuing role for local parties and party groups.
Source: Steve Leach and David Wilson, 'Diluting the role of party groups? Implications of the 2006 Local Government White Paper', Local Government Studies, Volume 34 Number 3
Links: Abstract
Date: 2008-Jun
A think-tank report welcomed government plans for greater empowerment of local and regional government in England in the area of economic development and regeneration: but it raised concerns about delivery mechanisms.
Source: Olga Mrinska, Decentralisation in England: How far does the Sub-National Review take things forward?, Institute for Public Policy Research (020 7470 6100)
Links: Report | IPPR press release
Date: 2008-Jun
The government announced (in the draft Queen's Speech) plans to introduce a Community Empowerment, Housing and Economic Regeneration Bill, designed to create greater opportunities for communities and individuals to influence the design and delivery of local public services; reform local and regional governance arrangements to promote economic regeneration; and extend the powers of the new social housing regulator to cover local authority landlords.
Source: Preparing Britain for the Future: The government's draft legislative programme, Cm 7372, Office of the Leader of the House of Commons, TSO (0870 600 5522)
Links: Draft Queens Speech | Amendments | DCLG press release (1) | DCLG press release (2) | LGIU press release | NHF press release | RTPI press release | CPRE press release | Shelter press release | BPF press release
Date: 2008-May
The Department for Communities and Local Government published its annual report for 2007-08.
Source: Community, Opportunity, Prosperity: Annual Report 2008, Cm 7394, Department for Communities and Local Government, TSO (0870 600 5522)
Links: Report
Date: 2008-May
A report examined what needed to be done to reinvigorate local government. Local authorities should be given: powers to do things that mattered to people in the locality; discretion over what they did and how they did it; the ability to finance their expenditure decisions by levying local taxes that bore on local voters.
Source: George Jones, The Future of Local Government: Has It One?, Public Management and Policy Association (020 7543 5679)
Links: Summary | PMPA press release | LGA press release
Date: 2008-May
An article said that the government should introduce elected mayors in every major town and city in England. This would give stronger local political leadership and clearer accountability, and would encourage central government to decentralize more powers to local government.
Source: Michael Kenny and Guy Lodge, 'Mayors rule', Public Policy Research, Volume 15 Issue 1
Links: Abstract | IPPR press release | BBC report
Date: 2008-Apr
The government announced that it planned to publish a White Paper in the summer of 2008 focusing on ways to give citizens greater influence over how local council services were run. It published a 'launch document' which highlighted the issues involved.
Source: House of Commons Hansard, Written Ministerial Statement 5 March 2008, columns 112-113WS, TSO (0870 600 5522) | Unlocking the Talent of Our Communities, Department for Communities and Local Government (0870 1226 236)
Links: Hansard | DCLG press release | Launch document | LGA press release | CAP press release | Guardian report | Telegraph report
Date: 2008-Mar
An article said that the government's third White Paper on local government had promised the revitalization of local government, but did not live up to the promise of a 'new localism'. The tenor of the paper was 'moralizing and prescriptive'. Proposals for reform were ambiguous, offering no guarantees against back-door centralization. Such cause as there might be for optimism largely depended on the capacity of localities to take the initiative.
Source: Jonathan Davies, 'Double-devolution or double-dealing? The Local Government White Paper and the Lyons Review', Local Government Studies, Volume 34 Number 1 Links: Abstract
Date: 2008-Feb
A report examined the local elections held in Scotland in May 2007. It said that the introduction of the 'single transferable vote' system had been a success – it had produced more representative councils, allowed voters to express their views on who they wanted to represent them in a more sophisticated way, and given most voters a councillor of their choice.
Source: Lewis Baston, Local Authority Elections in Scotland: Report and analysis, Electoral Reform Society (020 7928 1622)
Links: Report | ERS press release
Date: 2008-Feb
A think-tank report said that the government should reform local democracy to empower councils to offer a multi-functional democratic oversight of public services across the local place. The Audit Commission's proposed 'comprehensive area assessment' should include provision to pilot multi-functional management of police and health services through local authorities.
Source: Making Place-shaping a Reality, New Local Government Network (020 7357 0051)
Links: Report | NLGN press release
Date: 2008-Feb
A think-tank report examined what could be achieved by greater 'localism', in terms of democratic renewal, active citizenry, improved local services, local economic development, and 'place shaping'.
Source: David Walker (ed.), Real Localism, Smith Institute (020 7592 3618)
Links: Report
Date: 2008-Feb
A report examined the local authority elections in England in May 2007. There were 15 councils with 'wrong' winners (that is, where the party with most votes failed to get the most seats), 42 councils where parties gained no seats despite receiving a substantial percentage of the vote, and 30 councils with a high number of uncontested seats.
Source: Gertrud Malmersjo, Local Authority Elections in England: Report and analysis, Electoral Reform Society (020 7928 1622)
Links: Report | ERS press release
Date: 2008-Feb
A think-tank report said that devolving welfare-to-work policy to local government level would be key to the government achieving its target of 80 per cent of people in employment. Local authorities and their partners were best placed to understand local issues and how best to target certain areas of worklessness.
Source: Anthony Brand, Owen Dallison and Giorgia Iacopini, The Local Journey to Work: Localism, welfare and worklessness, New Local Government Network (020 7357 0051) Links: Report | NLGN press release
Date: 2008-Feb
A report (by an official advisory body) examined how the role of local councillors could be strengthened. It recommendations included: central government should extend greater trust to both parish and town councils; the government should begin to end its council tax capping regime for rural local government; local government should be supported and encouraged to create neighbourhood budgets and involve local people in spending decisions; greater powers should be given to local strategic partnerships.
Source: Participation Inquiry: Strengthening the Role of Local Councillors, Commission for Rural Communities/Countryside Agency (020 7340 2900)
Links: Report | CRC press release
Date: 2008-Jan