The White Paper “Communities in control: real people, real power” sets out how the Government plans to give citizens and communities more rights and more power through:
more information and greater influence over the local decisions that affect them:
- new means of holding politicians and councils to account; and
- where they choose, more opportunity to get directly involved in managing and shaping how local services are delivered
Hazel Blears said:
"In many parts of the country, local democracy needs a boost, with low turn out at local elections and people feeling they can't influence the way some issues are decided in their area. This needs to change. That's why the White Paper provides real and practical ways to put communities in control, so that they have a real say, can find out first hand what is being done to improve their local services, and push any issue they think is of importance up the priority list of their local council.
"There is a lot of cynicism about politics but it is through politics that we bring about change for the better. Politicians have a contract with those that they serve - that contract now needs to be rewritten to ensure that the views of local people are taken more into account. Where people have a better solution to a problem or issue, that needs to be taken forward. The public must not only have the right to ask difficult questions, they should also have the right to demand answers."
Read the press notice in full on the Communities and Local Government website.
