Archive for January, 2011

First for People Power

Monday, January 24th, 2011

Residents in Westminster’s Queen’s Park ward turned out in force this weekend to support the launch of a local campaign to set up London’s first parish council.  Queen’s Park residents feel they are well placed to blaze a trail for Westminster in turning the government’s Big Society vision into meaningful action on the ground.  Getting it right and addressing the things that really matter to local people are essential. “This is about more than just window dressing”, says Neighbourhood Manager for Queen’s Park - Fabian Sharp, “people here have for years been concentrating minds on the things that matter most to local people;  they’ve done it by pulling together detailed Neighbourhood Plans that harness the local knowledge and aspirations of the whole community”.  Now, as communities around the country are being encouraged by the Localism Bill to follow Paddington’s lead and develop their own Neighbourhood Plans, Queen’s Park  residents are again breaking new ground. Buoyed by the opportunities offered through the Localism Bill, local active citizens and volunteers are set on making Queen’s Park the first parish council in London.  www.campaign4queenspark.org

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Communities to take control! Eric Pickles leads the way

Friday, January 7th, 2011

Putting you back in control

Today we unveiled radical new reforms that will mark an end to the hoarding of power within central government and hand control back to individuals, communities and councils.

For the first time, we will establish powerful new rights for communities, revolutionise the planning system, and give local neighbourhoods control over housing decisions.

Under Labour, central government became too big, too interfering, too controlling and too bureaucratic. But we will push power downwards and outwards to the lowest possible level.

Under Labour, council tax more than doubled. But we will freeze council tax, abolish Labour’s bin taxes and give local residents new powers to veto future excessive council tax rises.

Our plans also include:

  • Putting local communities in charge of the look and feel of their locality through a new system of neighbourhood planning
  • Freezing council tax for 2011-12 and protecting you, the taxpayer, from Labour’s planned tax hikes
  • Giving local groups new rights to protect their local shops, pubs, libraries and leisure centres through a Community Right to Buy
  • Freeing councils from bureaucracy by giving them more freedoms and flexibilities to act in the best interests of their area

It’s time to put local decision-making back in the hands of local people.

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