City of York Council on Thursday agreed to use the improved Sustainable Communities Act to give local residents more power to influence the government.

The Act became law in 2007 and aims to enable local councils to improve the local economy, protect the environment, promote social inclusion, and increase political activity.

At the time, York Liberal Democrats ensured the Council used the Act which allows residents, through their local councils, to put proposals to government for changes that would help their community. Ideas between 2008 and 2010 resulted in Sheffield City Council taking over local Post Offices and, after proposals from Newcastle, the Government introducing new powers to protect local pubs. In York, ideas included the Council retaining business rates income raised locally – a reform that has now been introduced by the Coalition Government.

Recent changes to the Act mean the process is more streamlined and prevents the government rejecting proposals without justifiable reason. It also introduces a 6 month timetable for the government to decide on the ideas, and allows proposals to be submitted at anytime. A Liberal Democrat motion to use the improved Act and submit proposals was approved by Full Council last night.

Councillor Keith Aspden, Liberal Democrat Councillor for Fulford who seconded the motion, said:

“I am delighted that the Council has decided to opt-in and use the Sustainable Communities Act. Lots of good ideas came from the initial round of proposals between 2008 and 2010. The Act has now been improved to give residents and councils even more power to bring forward good ideas.

“Liberal Democrats have long said that Britain has one of the most centralised governments in the world and more power should be handed back to local councils and communities. The Sustainable Communities Act gives councils and local people the power to request to do things like run local post offices or change planning regulations.

“Crucially, all proposals agreed by residents and councils will go straight to the government for consideration and the government can not just reject good ideas out of hand; it must work to reach agreement with local councils. I am looking forward to working on a cross-party basis to decide how we will use the Act in York in the coming months and engaging with residents to see what ideas they have to improve their communities.”

Notes:

The following motion was moved by the Liberal Democrats and supported by all parties at Thursday’s York Council meeting:

Using the Sustainable Communities Act

City of York Council

(i) supports the bottom up process in the Sustainable Communities Act that enables councils and their communities to drive the action and assistance that central government gives in promoting thriving local economies and sustainable communities;

(ii) notes that the Act gives councils the power to make proposals to government for action and assistance from government to promote sustainable communities, and that those proposals can be for, but are not restricted to, new powers or a transfer of powers or public money and function from central control to local control;

(iii) notes that the Act defines sustainable communities broadly, that definition having the 4 aspects of
• the improvement of the local economy,
• protection of the environment,
• promotion of social inclusion, and
• participation in civic, political and democratic activity;

(iv) notes that new regulations for the Act made in June 2012 improve the process and make it more favourable for councils in the following ways
• councils’ proposals are submitted directly to the government, there will no longer be short listing
• councils can submit proposals whenever they are ready as the process is now ongoing
• there will be a time limit of six months on the government to consult and try to reach agreement with the Selector (currently the Local Government Association) regarding councils’ proposals and to then respond to those proposals
• councils that choose to submit proposals may now decide how to consult and try to reach agreement with representatives of communities in their areas on what proposals to submit;

(v) notes that the Government has formally invited all Local Authorities to use the Act by submitting proposals;

(vi) resolves to use the Act by responding to this invite and submitting proposals for action and assistance from central government each year for the next three years and to then review the outcome of this activity and consider whether to continue to use the Act; and

(vii) further resolves to
• to inform the local media of this decision;
• to write to local MPs, informing them of this decision; and
• to write to Local Works (at Local Works, c/o Unlock Democracy, 37 Gray’s Inn Rd, London WC1X 8PQ or info@localworks.org) informing them of this resolution to use the Act.