The case for localism
Strong local leadership and well-run local services help engender democratic engagement and civic pride within communities. That’s why politicians need to do more than just pay lip service to localism, says Francis Maude MP
Being localist in opposition is easy. The test comes in government. Ministers get blamed when anything goes wrong – so they want to take control in the vain belief that they can prevent it.
So, in government, sticking with localist intentions requires an iron will. First, do we really mean it? Yes. The Conservative passion for localism runs from Burke’s small platoons through Joseph Chamberlain to the present day. A belief that central government is the default answer to problems is the principal differentiator between the centre-left and centre-right. Conservatives believe that localism holds the key to fostering innovation, involvement and accountability in British political life.
The current government’s watchword has been ‘earned autonomy’. This means in practice that you have complete freedom to do what you’re told. Radical decentralisation means cutting the strings, not keeping them in your hands ready to twitch them when autonomy delivers something uncomfortable. I’ll never forget the Labour chairman’s response when Hartlepool elected the ‘wrong’ mayor. “We’ll have to review how the system works,” he said. No, chairman, you have to mean it. Especially when the results are uncomfortable.
The present government has paid lip service to localism but has done little to loosen its grip on local government. Instead, it has created a new regional tier of government, directed by the centre, to control local affairs. Less than a tenth of the money spent every year on regeneration comes from local government; the rest is from Regional Development Agencies, Learning and Skills Councils, the Homes & Communities Agency and other regional agencies – bodies that are outside the control of local people.
What’s more, councils lack the freedom to take decisions that deviate from central prescription but that could increase the social value of their communities – actions such as stepping in to save post offices or small shops, or protecting residents from new bars and nightclubs that might bring in economic benefits but lead to greater social costs. Labour’s 1997 manifesto stated that “local decision making should be less constrained by central government, and also more accountable to local people”, but they have failed to live up to this pledge.
The simple truth is that most innovation springs from local initiatives in response to local needs and local concerns. If you look abroad to places with more localised power, such as the United States and Sweden, you will see that local government is a hotbed of innovation. For example, the ‘Welfare to Work in Wisconsin’ programme brought in third-sector providers to run welfare-to-work projects for the first time and has since been replicated in many other states. Giving real power to communities allows them to try new things, to adapt to local circumstances and to listen to what the community needs. In a centralised, top-down state, local councils will never be given the space they need to innovate and create new services centred on the citizen.
By giving people more power and control over the services in their area, we can inspire a new spirit of civic pride and involvement in communities. I see so much frustration from my constituents, who feel they cannot influence the things that really matter to them. For example, evidence says we need to build a new hospital in our area, but bureaucrats constantly block the issue. If people could change their surroundings, and if they could influence where local money was spent, I believe they would become more involved in their local community and local politics.
Localism is also important because it allows direct accountability. If local representatives have real delegated power and direct responsibility, then they can be properly held to account. If people do not like council tax rises in their local area, they cannot currently intervene until the next round of elections. If the police are not focusing on local crime priorities, there’s no democratic channel to intervene. We want to bring real accountability back into our communities.
The Conservative party believes in shifting the power balance back to local people and local communities. Our policies aim to push power down, away from Brussels, away from Whitehall and back to communities and individuals.
First, we want to encourage local control over schools, housing and policing. We will enable local groups to set up new schools when the existing ones fail to meet their needs. We will establish local housing trusts to give neighbourhoods the power to build the homes they want. We want locally elected police chiefs so that communities can monitor and influence the ways in which local police officers spend their time.
Second, we believe local councils should be freed from their bureaucratic constraints and be given ‘general powers of competence’ so they no longer need a mandate from central government to act on areas of local concern. To make them more accountable, we will give people the power to instigate referendums on local issues – including council tax rises. If there is a local consensus that a tax increase is unnecessary, people will be able to club together and vote it down. This isn’t the sham ‘power to the people’ of a one-day consultation or a citizens’ jury; it’s real power in the hands of local people.
Our third front is a restructuring of political power in cities. The case of London shows that having a single accountable mayor is a huge boost to democratic engagement, and we want other cities to benefit too. We’re not going to enforce a mayoral system anywhere; instead, we will legislate to hold a referendum on the change in 12 of our largest cities. Unless they reject the new structure, cities from Bristol and Birmingham to Nottingham and Newcastle will have a mayor. Strong local leadership is just one of the ways in which we can start rebalancing power and responsibility in Britain.
Many worry that decentralisation is a step backwards. But localism isn’t some romantic attachment to the past. It is absolutely essential to our economic, social and political future. If our local economies are innovative, vibrant and strong, we are far less vulnerable to global shocks or the failures of a few dominant industries. If people know that their actions can make a real difference to their local communities, they’re far more motivated to get involved – and civic pride is revived. If local government is both more powerful and more accountable, we can start to restore the trust that’s been lost in our political system.
Francis Maude is MP for Horsham and shadow minister for the Cabinet Office
See also Sam McLean's Citizenpower blog post: 'easyCouncils' ... not for me thank you!
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