Deepen local democracy says Berry
04 July 2007
The Green Party today called on Hazel Blears to take her new proposals on local democracy further by enabling local communities to have a truly meaningful input into the planning and decision-making process.
Communities Secretary Hazel Blears today announced that direct ballots would be held in local areas over "big choices" on local council spending, including choosing priorities between "play areas, youth facilities, traffic calming or more community wardens". Pilot schemes could be extended to allow the petitioning of councils to consider policy proposals from the public (1).
The Green Party has proposed deeper reforms than this for many years, including establishing community meetings with more decision-making power, holding local referenda on decisions of local authorities and encouraging 'Citizens' Initiatives' to allow the public to place propositions on a ballot for popular vote.
The Green Party would also make planning decisions more accountable to the local residents they affect, and allow people greater scrutiny and recall powers over their elected local officials (2).
Furthermore, the Green Party supports the Sustainable Communities Bill, which calls for the decentralisation of decisions from Whitehall to councils and their local communities, in a bottom-up process of consultation on building strong, sustainable local economies (3).
Siân Berry, Green Party Principal Speaker, commented, "The government has finally accepted some of the most basic provisions of a participatory democracy but has failed to go far enough in its reforms. Under Hazel Blears' provisions, local communities will be able to choose between minor community projects but they are not able to play a real part in major planning decisions.
"Meanwhile, the government has consistently forced cuts on local authorities, while increasing the power of private interests in local services through the extension of Private Finance Initiatives. The government's proposals so far will only allow local residents to choose where cuts take place - the public will still not be able to mobilise against cutbacks in community funding".
Cllr. Martin John Love, Leader of the Green Group on Bradford Metropolitan District Council, where a trial of the government's proposals will be undertaken, added, "The Green Party believes that local communities deserve more powers than this government is willing to give them, including having a say on where roads and factories get built and making sure local councils can raise their own funds. In Bradford, the proposals will not address the imbalance between areas who have Parish or Community Councils and those that do not. Real decentralisation for Bradford would mean devolving more powers from the District Council."
