Localis ideas which have been adopted by the Government

Following on from the pieces about the government policies inspired by the Centre for Policy Studies, Policy Exchange, the TaxPayers' Alliance, Direct Democracy and the IEA, here is the response from Localis as to how its ideas have influenced Coalition policy.

Localis has been central to the push for greater local autonomy and the devolution of power to local government, and beyond, since our inception.  Core to Localis’ beliefs and philosophy are the principles that providing services as close to the individual as possible results in better services; that government agencies should be accountable directly to those they serve; and that decentralising decision-making leads to more effective governance.

We are therefore delighted with the commitment the coalition government has shown to a fundamental decentralisation of power and the introduction of genuine localism.  Examples of the coalition's policies which Localis have advocated include:

• Greater financial incentives and flexibilities for local authorities – See Can Localism Deliver: Lessons from Manchester, The priorities for local government finance reform, The Decline and Fall of Local Democracy, Big Bang Localism, Nothing to lose but your chains and Paying for Local Investment
• Break-up of the regional tier and the regional planning system, and a framework for its replacement - See The Future of Regional Government, Can Localism Deliver and Across the Border
• The abolition of the Comprehensive Area Assessment – See For Good Measure: Devolving Accountability for Performance and Assessment to Local Areas
• Transparency - local government publishing data on financial expenditure and performance – See Information, Information, Information and For Good Measure
• The introduction of a Social Investment Bank – See More for your Money
• Reform of social housing tenure – See Principles for Social Housing Reform