Local councils win right to submit Sustainable Communities Act proposals

Town and parish councils are to be given powers to submit proposals directly under the Sustainable Communities Act 2007, the Government has announced.

Claiming that the proposal to extend the power had received “overwhelming support” in a consultation, the Department for Communities and Local Government said: “We believe this positively embodies the Government’s commitment towards localism and the principle of empowering communities to take decisions about the social, economic and environmental improvements they want to see introduced in their local areas.

“It is evident from the consultation that town and parish councils are particularly enthusiastic at the prospect of engaging local people in the democratic process. These councils understand the local communities they represent and are well placed in the local political landscape to identify opportunities to support the localism agenda.”

The response argued that the new legislation would help local people to work with town and parish councils to consider key issues of concern.

It also said the change would give town and parish councils the incentive to work with their communities to explore opportunities for improving local sustainability and encourage local citizens to become more involved in the democratic decision-making.

The DCLG acknowledged concerns that any extension to the 2007 Act arrangements could result in a more bureaucratic process.

However, it expressed confidence that the arrangements it would put in place would be “robust enough to address the specific concerns about the risk of duplication in the process”.

The Department also plans to “embark on working with key partners to properly engage local councils at all levels in implementing these changes”.

The announcement was welcomed by the National Association of Local Councils (NALC), which has been appointed by the Government as ‘parish selector’.

This role means that local councils will be able to submit proposals turned down by the Government to NALC, which will then act as a kind of independent ‘appeals’ filter.

Cllr Ken Browse, chair of NALC said: “Local councils are the most local part of government and the body most closely connected to the community. Our connection with local people and our knowledge of the local area means we are ideally placed to make use of the Act. No one knows the local community like we do.

“The National Association is very happy to take on the independent ‘selector’ role and will continue to work closely with the Department of Communities and Local Government in implementing the extension of the Sustainable Communities Act to local councils.”