Westminster's top 10 reform wishlist
Author: Local Government Chronicle - Nov 23, 2009
Westminster City Council has called for a set of reforms to give councils powers over everything from police budgets to streetworks.
Leader Colin Barrow said the council faced more than 600 new regulations and 11 pieces of primary legislation every year.
"Westminster, and most councils, can demonstrate that localism works, and local authorities are best placed to respond to the public need on a local level," he said.
"However we are limited in this role by over regulation, lack of funding and lack of real influence over the way a number of our key services are delivered and financed."
Cllr Barrow said the proposals in Local Power, Better Results for People were "designed to add to the public debate and illustrate how by devolving power and making a bonfire of the regulations we can improve results for local people and reinvigorate our local communities".
Westminster has called for:
* Localisation of business rates
* Unification of public spending under local authority leadership
* Transfer of local police budgets to councils
* Local solutions to worklessness with councils given incentives to get people into work
* Local licensing of streetworks
* Local control over licensing fees
* All housing rents and receipts to be locally retained for reinvestment
* Council powers over failing academy schools
* Scrap the need for local panels to approve Sustainable Communities Act 2007 proposals
* A general power for councils to trade
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