Central and Local Government: Relations (Hansard, 4 November 1996)

§ Baroness Miller of Hendon

In response to the House of Lords Select Committee report, my right honourable friend the Secretary of State for the Environment has today laid before Parliament a White Paper setting out a programme of action to strengthen local democracy, to promote local authorities' local leadership role, and to improve further relations between central and local government. Under this programme of action, we intend:

to agree with the new Local Government Association and the Welsh Local Government Association, a statement of the role and status of local government in England and Wales, for inclusion in the guidelines on central/local relations; my right honourable friend the Secretary of State for Scotland will also consider with the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities a similar statement in relation to Scotland;

to develop further, with the Local Government Association and the Welsh Local Government Association, the guidelines for central/local relations; my right honourable friend the Secretary of State for Scotland will also consider with the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities the development of suitable guidelines for Scotland;

to review the scope for local authorities to fulfil their local community leadership role within Section 137 of the Local Government Act 1972, and to assess whether a more general power of local competence is practicable and advisable (in the light of broader priorities);

to legislate in the next Parliament to enable local authorities in England and Wales to undertake experiments with their internal management structure;

to undertake with the Local Government Association and the Welsh Local Government Association research on public participation in local government; and

to review the arrangements in government for handling cross-departmental business affecting local government.

This programme of action is based on the Government's belief, which the Select Committee shares, that democratically elected local authorities have 40WA important roles, in particular that of community leader, in the world of local governance today. As the committee itself recognised, local authorities are not, never have been, and never will be the sole monolithic providers of all services in a given geographical area; nor can they ever operate wholly apart from powers for central intervention. Our programme represents a significant further chapter in the continuing development of local government within our living constitution, a development which we aim to take forward in a spirit of partnership and collaboration.