On 26 October 2006, Communities and Local Government published the white paper, 'Strong and Prosperous Communities'. Its aim is to give local people and local communities more influence and power to improve their lives.
It is split into three parts on this page and has put forward a limited number of reforms ostensibly as part of the move from Government to 'Governance'. As the secretary for the Department of Communities & Local Government Ruth Kelly MP stated, "Our clear, overriding principle is that the greater the powers devolved, the greater the role of strong, clear leadership."
Councils can create bylaws with fixed penalty notices, without needing central government approval;
Giving council committees more power to review actions of public bodies, such as police and hospitals;
More councils to have directly elected mayor or chief councillor;
'Short window of opportunity' to allow some councils to become unitary authorities (in charge of all local services);
Good parish councils to get 'general power of well-being', to promote social, economic and environmental improvements;
1,200 national targets and indicators for local government would be cut to 200 indicators and 35 targets.
If you would like to discuss any parts of the White Paper at length, feel free to contact a member of the team. Alternatively, copies of the Local Government White Paper for Strong & Prosperous Communities can be downloaded by clicking on the website link provided below.
