Unlocking Democracy:
The Sustainable Communities Act
The first contribution to the recent York Council debate on the “Sustainable Communities Act” was from a member of our very own York and Ryedale FOE. Though this eloquent speech may not have played a pivotal role in the debate, the motion to “opt in” was soon after passed unanimously. The result is that we now have an exciting new opportunity to push for sustainable development in York in the coming years.
What is the Sustainable Communities Act?
The SCA was driven through Parliament with crossbench support from all parties. It provides specific mechanisms to enable local communities to promote their own sustainability.
Firstly, local authorities will have greater say on how money is spent. Central government will have to publish a breakdown of finance for each local area and councils will then have the power to argue for the transfer of funds from central to local control.
Secondly, councils will have to set up “panels of representatives of local people,”’ which must include people from “under-represented” groups. Proposals from these panels must then be taken forward by local authorities, and government will then be required to “reach agreement.”
How might this work in practice?
Here is one example provided by Unlock Democracy, a campaigning group for the SCA.
Somewhere near you there may be a large ‘out of town’ supermarket (or other superstore) with perhaps 1,000 car parking spaces. Did you know that the store does not have to pay non domestic business rates on those spaces? You could compare this with the position faced by local shops of having their trade affected by yellow lines and parking costs. Point out that this is not a level playing field for trade. So why not suggest the following idea to your local panel, urging them to make it one of the suggestions to be put to the Secretary of State?
‘That the Secretary of State takes the power (or gives local authorities the power) to levy non domestic rates on all those car parking spaces – with a power for the council to allow discounts (perhaps up to 100%) if the supermarket, or other store, sources a stated percentage of goods for sale locally.’
Where do we begin?
Now that York has ”opted in,” community groups can start to develop ideas that can be promoted using the Act. Local support can be drummed up, both within York and in similar communities. Local panels, once set up, can then be lobbied or, better still, groups like FOE can make sure they have representatives on these panels from the outset.
Find out more.
Go to: http://www.localworks.org/
