Is EU membership good for local government?
Author: Jack Airey |
With the EU referendum edging ever closer, yet the core arguments of the debate tending to focus on issues such as the economy, immigration and security, we at Localis have put together a couple of blogs on what a Remain or Leave vote would mean for local government. Considering the compatibility of being a localist with the support for the EU, Localis’ Dominic Leigh and Ben Ramanauskas put the cases for and against EU membership respectively.
Dominic makes the case that “Brexit… could threaten the billions of pounds of funding local areas currently receive from the EU for investment in local projects that support jobs and growth… My question to supporters of localism is: Why would you want to put local authorities’ access to this crucial funding at risk by pulling out of the EU?” You can read Dominic’s piece in full here.
Ben makes the case that “far from being worse off financial, the economies of local areas will benefit if the UK leaves the EU… [moreover] it is surely the case that funds for local governments should be managed, commissioned, and delivered on a local level and not by the bureaucratic and inefficient EU.” Read Ben’s piece in full here.