The future of local government

Strong and Prosperous Communities is a government white paper on the future role and structure of local government. We published it on 26 October 2006 to set out many changes, including plans to give people more say on public services and action in their area.

The main changes are:

reducing central government control
setting up the framework for strong and high-profile local leaders
giving more power to local people and communities
making sure local services go on getting better and become more joined up

You can download Strong and Prosperous Communities - The Local Government White Paper below.

Some changes need legislation. The Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Bill is going through Parliament at the moment.

Other changes can go ahead now and are based on what the best councils are already doing.

The Implementation Plan on our practitioners' pages sets out the timetable for the changes up to and around April 2009. But it doesn't stop there. Local Government will go on evolving and improving to make life better for people living and working in the place it serves.