Community businesses, such as community-owned pubs, provide the locals with a stake in their area.
People believe in their local place and community, but they want to feel that national government is backing them too. These are the lessons from our focus groups.
Given more control and fairer settlements, councils could cut local taxes, back small businesses, and invest in preventative social services. Ultimately, power would rest with communities to kick out wasteful councillors and reward the prudent.
Last week’s Autumn Statement signalled a significant shift in power in the UK. For the West Midlands, it delivered not only announcements that will help supercharge our economy, but a fundamental change in how this region will be run.
Some projects that had previously been announced were included, as were some projects that had even been completed. Some of the announcements related to local projects for which the decision to proceed rested with regional mayors not central government.
What is the point of giving power to local education authorities, academy trusts, and school governors of the Secretary of State is held responsible for every ill-maintained roof?
The concluding article of a new series on ConHome about how government might be made smaller, taxpayers better off and and society stronger – through strong families, better schools and good jobs.
A fairer deal for those who have to tolerate new power lines and pylons is the best way to reach Net Zero and secure Britain’s energy supply.
He will probably get the Conservative nomination, while defeating Labour in the election next May will be more challenging. But doesn’t being a county council leader have more power anyway?
The localist idea that decisions should be taken as close to the people they affect as possible, has been undermined by the Mayor of London’s failings.
Sunak deserves more time to deliver on his pledges. In any case, the decision today is about choosing councillors with a practical, value for money, approach.
The changing global landscape should refocus our policy on the factors that are need to improve the investment outlook – such as sound macro polices and the level, predictability and simplicity of tax.
There’s no better time to look beyond arguments about regional funding allocations to re-address how neighbourhood-level communities that have been historically overlooked do not go unnoticed anymore.
Empowering left-wing leaders is the price that one has to pay for the local experimentation that devolving power and funds entails.
The fundamentals of our democracy are strong: voters continue to take pride in their community, to respect their neighbours, and to want Britain to be an outgoing, self-confident country that plays its part on the world stage.