Five Foundations of Real Localism

Article

On the eve of the publication of the Localism Bill, this short paper provides five key principles - five foundations - against which the anticipated raft of localist policy measures can be assessed.

As a political slogan, 'localism' would appear to carry weight, but as a policy construct it becomes much harder to articulate and implement. Unless measures within the Bill address each of these foundations in a meaningful and effective manner, any serious attempt to decentralise England is likely to be seriously flawed.

Those five foundations are:

- localism must be effective and efficient

- localism must be properly funded

- localism must sit at the heart of a drive for social justice

- greater devolution of power and responsibility to the local level must be accompanied by a step-change in the transparency and accountability of local decision-making

- the new drive for localism should be framed within a constitutional settlement between central and local government.

Related items

  1. Graphic depicting a stack of pound coins in the background and one sideways pound coin displayed on its side in the foreground

    The full-speed economy: Does running a hotter economy benefit workers?

    How a slightly hotter economy might be able to boost future growth.
  2. The outside of Rochdale town hall on a sunny day, with flowers in the foreground

    Making the most of it: Unitarisation, hyperlocal democratic renewal and community empowerment

    Local government reorganisation need not result in a weakening of democracy at the local level.
  3. West Midlands Metro Tram at Victoria Square in Birmingham city centre during 2022 Commonwealth Games

    Transport and growth: Reforming transport investment for place-based growth

    The ability to deliver transformative public transport is not constrained by a lack of ideas, public support or local ambition. It is constrained by the way decisions are taken at the national level.