Sustainable Communities Act and Barrier Busting

Greg Clark Excerpts

Wednesday 15th December 2010 Written Statements

[The Minister of State, Department for Communities and Local Government (Greg Clark)]

I am today announcing ways the Government will further redistribute power from Westminster and Whitehall to people, neighbourhoods, communities and local institutions.

Sustainable Communities Act 2007

The Secretary of State has today issued decisions on whether to implement proposals submitted by local authorities under the Sustainable Communities Act. The Government are grateful to the Local Government Association for undertaking the role of “selector”, and shortlisting 199 proposals in December 2009. The Secretary of State has examined all the requests for assistance contained within the proposals in the light of the spending review and the coalition agreement and, in accordance with the Act, discussed them with the selector.

I am pleased that the Government will take action to implement, or implement in part, 37% of requests. We will also work with councils on 25% of requests to explore the issues more closely, or explain how existing powers can achieve the desired outcome.

The Secretary of State has today invited all local authorities to once again submit proposals under the Sustainable Communities Act. The invitation will be placed on the Department’s website. The Government intend to revise the role of the selector in the light of this invitation, and will update the House in the new year.

I have placed copies of the Secretary of State’s decisions under the Sustainable Communities Act and his invitation to submit further proposals in the Library of the House.

Barrier busters to remove barriers to local action

I have today launched an online portal to make it easier for councils, community groups, local institutions and individuals to highlight bureaucratic barriers stopping them from taking action they believe would improve their area.

The online portal, available at: http://barrierbusting. communities.gov.uk will also make it easier for councils to submit proposals under the Sustainable Communities Act. Councils will be able to submit directly to the Secretary of State rather than an external selector, and at a time of their choosing—not a centrally imposed deadline.

I have established a specialised team within the Department for Communities and Local Government who will work with those who submit requests for assistance through the portal, and will try to remove the barrier identified.

This online portal will ensure that our commitment to decentralising power is made as transparent as possible. Members of the public will be able to see how we are dealing with requests, and hold us to account accordingly.