Local Government (Hansard, 3 March 1998)

§ 11. Mr. Bob Russell
If he will reduce central Government intervention in local government. [30631]

§ Ms Armstrong
We are committed to making local decision making less constrained by central Government and more accountable to local people. However, there will remain a need for reserve powers for Government to act if and when councils fall seriously short of what people are entitled to expect.

§ Mr. Russell
While I acknowledge the Minister's response, does she agree that, after 18 years of relentless attacks on local government by the former Government, Britain now has the most centralised local government system anywhere in the democratic world—even more centralised than the system that Stalin achieved in the former Soviet Union? Is it not time that the Government started to roll back central Government control and get rid of the quangos? In short, is it not time that central Government got off local government's back?

§ Ms Armstrong
I certainly accept and agree that we have ended up with the most centralised system in Europe. Indeed, the number of Acts that the previous Government passed to try to neuter and devalue local government was almost more than the number of Conservative representatives on the Opposition Benches at the moment. We are determined to change the situation, but we want to do so in partnership with local government. That means that we are working with local government to plan the way forward and to do that in partnership. We shall not take decisions on our own without recognising the valuable contribution that local government has to make to the way forward.

§ Mr. Rammell
All of us would want to see an end to crude and universal capping as soon as possible, but does the Minister agree that political consistency is necessary on those issues? While in the House the Liberals argue for extra powers, extra expenditure and extra taxation at a local level by local councils, in my constituency and, I imagine, in others they criticise the fact that council taxes are increasing to fund reasonable increases in expenditure. Do we not need some consistency on those matters and does not that problem undermine the credibility that the Liberals might otherwise have on such issues?

§ Ms Armstrong
I think that both Opposition parties have some difficulties in consistency in their local government policy. Of course we need consistency, but, more than anything else, if we are to get a proper democratic balance in this country, we need a rejuvenated local government. We need that rejuvenation and diversity properly to express the will of local people and to ensure that they really are in the driving seat and we get a democracy worthy of its name.

§ Mr. Pickles
One of the principal worries of local councils about Government intervention concerns the planning powers of the regional development agencies. There is confusion on that. The Select Committee on the Environment, Transport and the Regions was told that there were no plans to take away powers from local authorities. The Regional Development Agencies Bill originally proposed to give the agencies such planning powers, but those proposals were then withdrawn. I accept that there may have been drafting problems, but my question is wholly reasonable—what powers does the Minister believe that the RDAs should have on planning?

§ Ms Armstrong
I am staggered by the hon. Gentleman. Year after year, he supported measures that gave central Government greater powers of intervention in local government. He knows that the issue will be dealt with properly on the Floor of the House on Report.