COUNCILS URGED TO TAKE UP SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITIES ACT

10.00.00am BST (GMT +0100) Wed 15th Oct 2008

Julia has urged all councils in Cornwall to opt in to the Sustainable Communities act - a piece of legislation that will give real people a real say.

Councils that opt in will work with local communities to identify local priorities, and the Secretary of State will have a duty to assist them in delivering on these issues.

"Local Spending Reports," which will be published at the start of the financial year next April, will list entire public spending across the council area. This detailed breakdown of spending - on education, health and by Quangos, as well as by the local council, will give local voters the opportunity to see where their money is being spent and, if necessary, demand a shift in priorities.

Julia, who first presented the bill in 2006, was present at the launch of the Act this week at the Local Government Association. Secretary of State for Communities Hazel Blears has written to all councils inviting them to participate, and Julia is urging all councils in Cornwall to make the most of the opportunity.

Commenting, Julia said:

"All too often, government policy, dictated from Whitehall, has damaging consequences on the ground, because the decision was made too far from the communities it affects.

"This piece of legislation has the opportunity to change this process dramatically. Instead of Whitehall deciding what happens in local communities in Cornwall, the people who actually live here will be able to decide what their priorities are.

"It is local people who are best placed to recognise and deal with their own problems. This is at the heart of the Act, it is why so many organisations ranging from the Women's Institute to the Beer and Pub Association Support it, and it is why I think it so important that councils in Cornwall make the most of this opportunity.