A plain English guide to the Localism Bill – Update
This guide describes the main measures of the Localism Bill under four headings:
- new freedoms and flexibilities for local government
- new rights and powers for communities and individuals
- reform to make the planning system more democratic and more effective
- reform to ensure that decisions about housing are taken locally
This document is designed to give an overview only. It replaces the version published in January 2011.
Perhaps most significantly the bill will radically change the way homeless provision is dealt with; Councils will be able to discharge their duty by offering statutory homeless the opportunity of a one year rental agreement in the private sector.
Related document:
Decentralisation and the Localism Bill: an essential guide (13/12/2010)
This guide makes the case for a radical shift of power from the centralised state to local communities, and describes the six essential actions required to deliver decentralisation down through every level of government to every citizen. In particular, we focus on the Localism Bill, which will provide the legislative foundation for change.
- Lift the burden of bureaucracy – by removing the cost and control of unnecessary red tape and regulation, whose effect is to restrict local action; and
- Empower communities to do things their way – by creating rights for people to get involved with, and direct the development of, their communities.
- Increase local control of public finance – so that more of the decisions over how public money is spent and raised can be taken within communities; and
- Diversify the supply of public services – by ending public sector monopolies, ensuring a level playing field for all suppliers, giving people more choice and a better standard of service.
- Open up government to public scrutiny – by releasing government information into the public domain, so that people can know how their money is spent, how it is used and to what effect; and
- Strengthen accountability to local people – by giving every citizen the power to change the services provided to them through participation, choice or the ballot box.