UK council leaders united on devolution

Councils in England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales have come together to call for an urgent meeting with UK Government to discuss a deal on further devolution to communities across the UK.

In a letter to William Hague, chairman of the cabinet committee looking at devolved powers, the local government associations of the four countries of the UK have thrown down the gauntlet to government to “take a bold step towards a new system of government” which would move power to the local level across all four nations. 

The letter argues that the Scottish independence referendum has “shown that public trust in the old ways of central control has been shattered beyond repair” and “too many decisions that affect local communities are centralised in Westminster, Holyrood, Cardiff Bay and Stormont”.

The letter states: “This expensive, centralised approach leads to governments trying to second guess what is best for localities.”

Local government leaders stress that the cabinet committee examining devolved powers has a unique opportunity to refresh local democracy and empower local communities right across our nation. They warn that the debate about devolving powers to national parliaments “skews the discussion” and misses the core issue that national parties and local communities in every part of the UK have signalled a desire for a revival of our local democratic systems.  

As the elected voice of communities across England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales, they are now urgently calling for a meeting with government to discuss a revival of local democracy in the United Kingdom.

“Any new settlement which ignores the re-awaking of local identity in the UK is likely to be unsustainable,” they said.

The letter calls on government to urgently address three key principles in the devolution debate by:

•Establishing a principle of subsidiarity, which would ensure that power is transferred to the level of government closest to the people 

•Securing and enhancing the legal position of local government. This would mean a defined set of powers and responsibilities which set out what local government can support at the local level so that public services can be designed around local need

•Providing greater fiscal autonomy for local government. The current centralised system of public finance is inefficient and stymies economic growth. Greater responsibility for funding at a local level would improve public services and ensure that local residents and business see how their money is used

The letter is signed by Cllr David Sparks, chairman of the Local Government Association, Cllr David O’Neill, president of Convention Of Scottish Local Authorities (COSLA), Cllr Bob Wellington, leader of Welsh Local Government Association and Cllr Dermot Curran, president of Northern Ireland Local Government Association. It is also being sent to the Smith Commission, which is looking at devolution of powers to the Scottish Parliament