Lord Greaves' Proposes Devolution Commission for England (Pendle Liberal Democrats)

Pendle Liberal Democrats <info@pendlelibdems.org.uk>

Lord Greaves' Proposes Devolution Commission for England

July 5, 2007 12:00 AM

Lord Tony Greaves

Pendle's Liberal Democrat Peer, Lord Greaves, has proposed an amendment to set up a commission to investigate and report on the devolution of powers to local authorities in England.

Lib Dem spokesperson Baroness Scott of Needham Market supported the call, which was made during debate on the local government and public involvement in health bill.

Explaining the background of the proposed amendment, Lord Greaves said:

"Local government has been stripped of powers over the years by what might be kindly called an evolutionary process. It is time to take a long, hard look at just how much power can be returned to local government and provided to it in areas for which it traditionally has not had responsibility. This amendment sets out one way of doing that."

"The precise details of the devolution commission-the standing commission that I am suggesting-are not perhaps vital now. What is important is the principle that there should be a free-standing autonomous body which is representative not just of central government but of local government and which is responsible for looking at issues outside the traditional framework of government and Whitehall departments."

Commenting on government proposals for local engagement, Lord Greaves explained:

"Unless they are prepared to have democratically elected local authorities that have real powers, can achieve things and can raise funds to achieve those things, then all the local engagement in the world is no use. It is a complete waste of time engaging with a local authority whose powers have been emasculated and whose ways of working are subject to the stranglehold of detailed rules and regulations from on top."

"Let us have a bonfire of all those regulations. Let us have a sustained and serious devolution of powers from the centre to local authorities over a period of years. It is no good trying to have a big bang; you need to do it slowly, steadily and evolutionarily, and get a new culture. Until you do that, all that local involvement will do is produce immense frustration because people will get involved but nothing will happen."