Reacting to publication of the Empowerment White Paper, NLGN Director Chris Leslie said that it represented an “important first step in promoting active citizenship and bringing people closer to local decision making”. However he stressed that “much more needs to be done to make central government itself more responsive to citizens” and suggested that many of the initiatives in the paper should be extended to Whitehall and not simply to local authority services.

Chris Leslie also called for the local government family to use the consultation process to promote a greater role for councils in local health and policing delivery, such as council leaders having a greater role in the management of local PCTs and being able to agree local crime priorities with their local police commander.

He also said that whilst the paper challenges local authorities to become more responsive to local citizens, true devolution must begin at central government level with Whitehall devolving greater power to frontline agencies – including to democratically elected councils.

Mr Leslie said:

“This paper provides a solid addition to the 2007 Local Government Bill and will help to open up opportunities for more people to get involved in local decision-making. Increased powers on petitioning should not be feared by local councillors and I hope that many will embrace the opportunity to give people an easier way of making their voice heard.”

“While devolution at a local level is to be welcomed, there is no reason why the Empowerment White Paper shouldn’t also shine a light into Westminster and Whitehall, applying all these laudible principles across the entirety of public services, not simply local government activity alone. Why shouldn’t central government departments also all have a duty to respond to petitions? Why shouldn’t Whitehall have a duty to involve?”

“Putting communities in control should also mean stepping away from quango management towards greater local accountability over policing and community health service commissioning. Direct election has a strong part to play, but drawing together local services within a coherent joined-up local democratic framework should be the ideal objective.”

“NLGN and IPPR jointly urged Ministers to use the elected Mayoral model as the gateway for delivering further devolution to local government in our pamphlet ‘Directly Elected, Direct Results’ in June, and we are pleased that this has struck a chord. The elected mayoral model offers the prospect of crystallising strong leadership – a prerequisite for true place-shaping and stronger communities in the 21st century”.