LGA hails Government agreement on consultation arrangements post-Brexit

The Local Government Association has hailed ministerial confirmation that, once the UK exits the EU, a process will be established to consult local government on matters they would have been consulted on through the EU Committee of the Regions.

In the House of Lords last night Lord Bourne, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State in the Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government, said: “Through a ministerial Statement to Parliament, the Government will give local government a clear assurance about how it can expect to be consulted on certain matters which, following their repatriation from Europe, will now be handled at the United Kingdom level.

“In this way, we could have a flexible, non-statutory mechanism that, in essence, replicates for local government the rights and responsibilities it had through the Committee of the Regions, but in a lighter-touch, non-bureaucratic way. Any such new consultative arrangements will need to complement the wide range of domestic processes and procedures the Government already have for consulting local government.”

The LGA said membership of the EU Committee of the Regions gave it a formal advisory role in the EU law and policy-making process, adding that this had ensured that EU laws were “improved by the experience of those at the frontline of delivery”.

The Association, together with the local government associations in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, had been in discussion with the UK Government about how this advisory role might be replicated in UK law.

“Our shared ambition is to replicate the advisory role of local government in the UK post-exit, without creating new bureaucracies, to help continue our role in good law-making and ensure no deficiency in local government powers,” it said.

Cllr Kevin Bentley, Chairman of the LGA’s Brexit Task and Finish Group, said: “Brexit should not simply mean a transfer of powers from Brussels to Westminster, Holyrood, Stormont and Cardiff Bay. It must lead to new legislative freedoms and flexibilities for councils so that residents and businesses benefit. Taking decisions over how to run local services closer to where people live is key to improving them and saving money.

“We are pleased that the Government has offered assurances that they will replicate the consultative rights that local government currently has at European level following the UK’s exit from the EU. We look forward to meeting with the Government very soon to iron out the details.

“Replicating the advisory role of local government in the UK post-exit, without creating new bureaucracies, will help continue our role in good law-making and ensure no deficiency in local government powers, bringing decisions closer to the communities they affect.”