WRITTEN EVIDENCE
SUBMITTED BY
STREATLEY PARISH
COUNCIL (LOCO 57)
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
¾ As a
small Parish Council we are closer than many other consultee organisations
to some local issues and in that context we hope to be able to
offer some useful perspectives.
¾ If local
agencies and specialist agencies are enabled to, by the removal
of some aspects of national prescription, they are well placed
to make decisions which best serve the public interest and the
needs of local communities.
¾ We firmly
believe that local authorities are well placed to make decisions
which best serve the local public interest and the needs of local
communities.
¾ We believe
that Government should consider the case for new powers to enable
local bodies to respond imaginatively to local need. And we would
suggest that some thought be given to the increased powers for
parish council spending as a part of that process. We offer a
concrete example in support of this view.
¾ With
regard to the conduct of the public bodies, we would support the
use of codes and guidelines rather than resorting to further and
costly legislation.
INTRODUCTION
1. Streatley Parish Council covers the village
of Streatley and the hamlet of Sharpenhoe together with a small
part of the Bushmead area on the edge of Luton and falls within
Central Bedfordshire unitary council. As a small organisation,
it is not appropriate for us to address all the issues raised
in the localism inquiry and therefore we have not attempted to
do so. On the other hand, we are in some regards closer to the
more local issues which fall within our remit and therefore we
hope to be able to offer some useful perspectives.
The extent to which decentralisation leads to
more effective public service delivery; and what the limits are,
or should be, of localism
2. If substantial reductions in public services
are necessary, we feel it is best to make many of those difficult
decisions at local level where they can have regard to local needs
and circumstances. We would welcome a shift away from the national
prescription and targets, in favour of different service offers
and standards in different communities, as appropriate to those
communities. To take a local example, clearly with some services,
the community in a built up area such as Luton will have differing
needs and priorities compared with those of a very rural community
such as Streatley Parish.
3. Difficult spending decisions will still be
necessary of course. However, if local agencies and specialist
agencies are enabled to, they are well placed to make decisions
which best serve the public interest and the needs of local communities.
4. The removal of some of the more prescriptive
central controls would, for example, allow local authorities to
work in partnership with health and other local service providers
to support joined up local public services.
The lessons for decentralisation from Total Place,
and the potential to build on the work done under that initiative,
particularly through place-based budgeting
No comment.
The role of local government in a decentralised
model of local public service delivery, and the extent to which
localism can and should extend to other local agents
12. Local authorities are democratically accountable
for the decisions they make on behalf of local areas and therefore
we feel that they should have a key role in the delivery of the
aims of localism. If localism is to be extended to other agents
then we would suggest that they should be encouraged to work with
local authorities rather than in isolation.
The action which will be necessary on the part
of Whitehall departments to achieve effective decentralised public
service delivery
13. We believe that Government should consider
the case for new powers to enable local bodies to respond imaginatively
to local need. And we would suggest that some thought be given
to the increased powers for parish council spending as a part
of that process.
14. As a parish council, we have tried to attain
the outcomes which sustained and strong public demand has indicated.
For example, we have—and continue to have—a considerable
concerns around the need for traffic calming as our villages are
used by some as a "rat run" and we are plagued by heavy
and speeding traffic. The unitary council has not seen this as
a priority and has declined our requests even when we have offered
to contribute the funding. Less prescriptive spending powers could
therefore enable us to address these concerns.
15. The impact of decentralisation on the achievement
of savings in the cost of local public services and the effective
targeting of cuts to those services.
16. Streatley Parish Council supports the argument
that decentralisation of power to local authorities could help
achieve savings in the cost of local public services in ways which
to minimise the impact on those services most needed in the specific
circumstances of each local authority.
What, if any, arrangements for the oversight of
local authority performance will be necessary to ensure effective
local public service delivery
17. We believe that local accountability is the
key to effective local decision making and governance. The key
focus should be on equipping local residents with the tools—especially
clear and useful information—they need to contribute towards
local decision making.
How effective and appropriate accountability can
be achieved for expenditure on the delivery of local services,
especially for that voted by Parliament rather than raised locally
18. Where central Government wants to stipulate
the conduct of the public bodies, we would recommend the use of
codes and guidelines rather than legislation.
October 2010
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