Decentralisation and Localism Bill

posted on 25 May 2010, updated on 25 May 2010

The new Decentralisation and Localism Bill aims to devolve greater powers to councils and neighbourhoods and give local communities control over housing and planning decisions.

The main elements of the Bill include:

• abolishing regional spatial strategies;
• returning decision-making powers on housing and planning to local councils;
• abolishing the Infrastructure Planning Commission and replacing it with an efficient and democratically accountable system that provides a fast-track process for major infrastructure projects;
• new powers to help save local facilities and services threatened with closure, and giving communities the right to bid to take over local state-run services.
• abolishing the Standards Board regime;
• giving councils a general power of competence;
• requiring public bodies to publish online the job titles of every member of staff and the salaries and expenses of senior officials;
• giving residents the power to instigate local referendums on any local issue and the power to veto excessive council tax increases;
• greater financial autonomy for local government and community groups;
• creating local enterprise partnerships (to replace regional development agencies) – joint local authority-business bodies brought forward by local authorities to promote local economic development;
• forming plans to deliver a genuine and lasting Olympic legacy;
• outright abolition of home improvement packs;
• creating new trusts that would make it simpler for communities to provide homes for local people;
• review of Housing Revenue Account.