The government last night announced that it will end the delays on key legislation to protect local trade and services and strengthen communities after pressure from Brighton Pavilion MP Caroline Lucas.
The announcement came during a debate organised by the Green Party's leader at 10pm last night in the House of Commons.
The debate discussed the government's stalling over the next step of the Sustainable Communities Act. It was confirmed that the consultation needed to allow local people to make future proposals under the Act will start immediately (1).
Responding to the announcement, Caroline Lucas said: "I am delighted that the Government has recognised the importance of progressing the Sustainable Communities Act and agreed to start the consultation on the next phase today (29 March). This move will open the door for new proposals from local people to protect their services and trade and improve their communities.
"Thankfully, in Brighton Pavilion, there is still a thriving local economy, with traders and businesses fighting off incursions onto the high street by the big chain stores and supermarkets.
"But there are many battles ahead, and we need more powers to restrict the number of large chain stores that pose a threat to the unique character of Brighton. I hope that the new phase of this Act will bring about regulations to help local people stop aggressive supermarket expansion - given that we already have about 56 major stores."
Caroline Lucas continued: "In the past decade, Britain has lost a quarter of all its post offices, a quarter of all its independent newsagents and a fifth of all its bank branches - with unsustainable consequences for local communities.
"The relentless march of the high street clones is taking its toll, as is the prevalence of out-of-town shopping centres, the push to run public services such as our post offices for private profit, and the legacy of inequality.
"Local people want to be engaged and to get involved, but they often feel that they can't change anything. The Prime Minister talks about the Big Society, but without adequate resources it is unreasonable to expect that people will have the capacity and skills to either plug the gap left by cuts to public services or provide the input required for genuine community development.
"This is what the Sustainable Communities Act is about - long term, community controlled sustainable engagement allowing local people to decide the solutions to problems in their communities."
Notes
1) Read Caroline's speech to the Adjournment Debate last night: http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201011/cmhansrd/cm110328/debtext/110328-0004.htm#11032843000002
2) The Sustainable Communities Act became law in 2007 as a result of a long and widespread grass-roots mobilisation campaign organised by Local Works, a coalition of more than 120 national organisations. The campaign inspired tens of thousands of citizens to urge their MPs to back the Sustainable Communities Bill.
3) The Green Party was the first political party to back the Bill formally, and the campaign continued to call for cross-party support. That was eventually achieved, and the Act became law in 2007 with the support of all parties across the House. In October 2008, the Government launched the first invitation for proposals under the 2007 Act. Local Works held many more public meetings across the country, where communities lobbied their councillors to resolve to use the Act. A hundred local authorities responded.
4) The people of Brighton and Hove successfully urged the council to opt into the Act, and then many got involved in coming up with the proposals that would help the area become a more sustainable place. Of those proposals, eight were shortlisted by the LGA. Examples include allowing food grown in allotments to be sold locally, introducing feed-in tariffs for local renewable energy and empowering councils to have more flexible business rates to encourage local trade and jobs.
5) In early 2010, Local Works successfully campaigned for the Sustainable Communities Act 2007 (Amendment) Act 2010. The 2010 Act ensured that the process would be ongoing, and allowed parish and town councils to submit proposals to central Government directly.