Cameron promises more local powers

David Cameron promised to decentralise power in a speech to the Local Government Association Conference, but, in return, asked for help in getting more for less.

He stressed that “thriving local government” was at the heart of his vision for the country and called for “new ideas, new activism and a new dynamism” at local level.

He pledged that a Conservative Government would devolve power “downwards and outwards” and spelt out the areas where local government would gain more control:

“All those layers of bureaucracy that are a straitjacket on everything you do - the process targets, the Comprehensive Area Assessments, the regional strategies and plans - we’re going to scrap them and let you get on with the job.”

“All that ring-fencing that makes you budget with one hand behind your back - we’re going to phase it out to allow for real local discretion on spending. All those quangos, like the Standards Board, that has just become a forum for pointless and vexatious complaints - we will scrap them.”

David asked delegates to “find even more savings, innovate and help bring us through this debt crisis”.

And he stressed the importance of making local government spending transparent:

“In the post-bureaucratic age we can get citizens involved in the whole debate about what is spent, excite our politics and improve our administration. We must do it.”

Leave the Shops Alone, Get Creative and Worry About Housing Please

Britain's high streets are becoming more and more empty because of the current economic troubles says ITN. The Local Government Association wants the government to grant them emergency powers to occupy shops that have been abandoned for three months by names like Woolworths and Zaavi and use them for community projects.

In theory what they're proposing is for the good of the community. Places where there are clusters of unused retail units have supposedly become magnets for anti-social behaviour and the buildings themselves are beginning to fall into disrepair. The less "open" a high street looks the less likely shoppers are to visit but the extra space could be really useful for local projects which might actually help to return a sense of community to this increasingly cold and unfriendly country.

I do have concerns. The things that would worry me however would be the cost and the possible detriment these forced occupations would have on the high street. If the council is proposing to pay rent for these premises then this would presumably be added to our council tax. If they're not then it results in even more bashing of the pension system because commercial property features highly in pensions funds as well as equities.

The detriment to the high street is that these occupations will only stifle retail competition for the supermarkets and super shopping centres. Presumably, all high streets would simply become a collection of charity shops, coffee shops, chain restaurants and community projects. I think it's absolutely crucial to retain the potential opportunity that these empty spaces offer to new and start-up businesses. We need to encourage start-ups and growth to try and stimulate a healthy competitive business environment again if we ever want the economy to recover any time soon.

Rather that increasing the dwelling space of the local councils (most already occupy huge properties), these empty premises should be kept firmly within the control and remit of the private sector with no interference from any part of government other than in support. Local councils could maybe even grant some exemptions to business rates and offer other incentives to new tenants to make their ailing commercial regions more attractive to entrepreneurs.

Instead of seeing this economic climate as a land grab opportunity for themselves, local councils should perhaps be spending more time, effort and money on reinvigorating the retail sector and not into killing it off completely. An equally important issue they should be focusing on is how to solve the housing crisis that has and continues to mushroom out of control as more and more people are loosing their homes due to repossession. Now that's an issue that really makes me mad!