Government promises community control as ‘new dawn' Bill introduced
Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner said the Bill provides a 'new dawn of regional power' that will 'rebalance decade old divides'.
Among a range of measures, the Bill would introduce a 'community right to buy' through which communities have the first option to purchase local assets such as pubs and shops that are placed on the market.
Clauses in commercial leases which enforce 'upward only' rent reviews will be banned in a bid to keep small businesses afloat, helping to end the 'blight of vacant high streets' and anti-social behaviour.
The Bill would also establish a new requirement for councils to put in place 'effective neighbourhood governance' aimed at giving local people a direct say in decisions about their areas.
As part of boosting the powers available to regional mayors, they will be responsible for developing local economic plans and gain control over licensing for e-bikes and planning decisions to 'set the direction of growth'.
Mayors will also be able to impose 'development orders' to speed up developments, while new 'mayoral development corporations' are intended to streamline implementation and attract investment.
In a push to restore taxpayers' trust in council spending, the Government has also pledged to address long delays in the process of local authority financial audits.
As previously announced, a Local Audit Office will be established to 'increase transparency, simplify and streamline the system'.
Ms Rayner said: 'We were elected on a promise of change, not just for a few areas cherry-picked by a Whitehall spreadsheet, but for the entire country.
'It was never going to be easy to deliver the growth our country desperately needed with the inheritance we were dumped with.
'But that's why we are opting to devolve not dictate and delivering a Bill that will rebalance decade old divides and empower communities.
'We're ushering in a new dawn of regional power and bringing decision making to a local level so that no single street or household is left behind and every community thrives from our Plan for Change.'
Local government minister Jim McMahon said power concentrated in Westminster and Whitehall has left councils 'frustrated and diminished'.
He added: 'This failed approach has held back growth across our country for far too long.
'Local people see this in the job market, on the high street and in their own household security and prosperity.
'Devolution begins the work of fixing that, with this Bill delivering freedom to local leaders to make decisions for their local areas in partnership with local communities, unleashing more growth and more opportunities for people as part of our Plan for Change.'
Kevin Hollinrake, shadow communities secretary, accused the Government of centralising rather then distributing powers.
He said: 'Labour's so-called Devolution Bill is, in reality, a brazen power grab by Angela Rayner and Whitehall.
'It hands her 90 sweeping 'Henry VIII' powers, stripping authority from local communities and centralising control in Westminster. This is not devolution, it's Labour gerrymandering under the guise of reform.
'Labour's track record speaks for itself: rushed, top-down reorganisations of local government, imposed against the will of elected representatives; higher council tax burdens on residents; and a consistent erosion of neighbourhood planning and localism.
'They are weakening the role of local councillors and transferring key decisions to distant regional bodies, leaving residents with less say over their own communities.
'We believe in genuine devolution: empowering local people, not dictating from Whitehall.
'Communities deserve a voice, not another expensive Labour restructure that sidelines local priorities and inflates costs for taxpayers.'
Responding to the Bill, Louise Gittins, chairwoman of the Local Government Association, said: 'It is critical that the full breadth, diversity and capability of local government is recognised and all councils are enabled to play a meaningful role as partners and, where appropriate, as part of strategic authorities in driving growth, improving services, and improving the lives of our residents.
'Councils across the country are deeply invested in and vital to the success of English devolution. We will respond in more detail on behalf of local government when we have analysed the Bill further.'
Second-tier district councils have previously criticised the Government's plan to give the secretary of state powers to impose new local government structures across areas.
Sam Chapman-Allen, chairman of the District Councils' Network (DCN), said: 'DCN supports devolution. District councils passionately seek a sea change to put power much closer to communities. However, this Bill falls well short of doing that.
'The Bill's devolution label doesn't match the contents. Power isn't flowing downwards. Rather than empowering local leaders, there are substantial new powers for the Secretary of State to direct local government. Many of the new responsibilities for strategic authorities are existing powers being reshuffled from other local bodies.'
The Government has also set out plans to scrap the first-past-the-post voting system for mayoral elections, reversing a change made by the previous Conservative government.
The legislation reinstates the 'preferential' voting system, which enables voters to indicate multiple candidates in order of preference, with these choices weighted or used as contingency votes.
Mr Hollinrake accused the Government of changing the mayoral electoral system to benefit Labour.
He said: 'Faced with waning public support, Keir Starmer's Labour is now trying to rig the system, shifting the electoral goalposts and imposing a discredited voting system to cling to influence in local government.
'It's a blatant attempt to entrench Labour's grip, not empower local democracy.'
But the plan has been welcomed by MPs and campaigners, who say that the current voting system is not fit for purpose.
Alex Sobel, chairman of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Fair Elections, said: 'Since the Tories imposed first-past-the-post on mayoral elections, it has failed to fairly represent voters, undermined the ability of mayors to speak for their whole communities, and therefore eroded trust in politics.
'By committing to changing this, the Government has wisely taken a step in the right direction, but first-past-the-post is just as flawed when it comes to general elections.
'The Government should set up a national commission on electoral reform to find a fair, representative way forward.'
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