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'Bringing Devolution to Life'

Date of speech	18 September 2007
Location	Local Government House, London
Event summary	Local Government Association (LGA) Conference on Local Area Agreements

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Draft text of the speech - may differ from the delivered version.

It's a pleasure to speak to the people who have led local government from strength to strength in the past ten years.

You know the facts - three quarters of councils rated good or excellent.

Local leaders rediscovering the confidence to discuss, in the words of Robert Dale , not "small questions of administration and economy…but what a great [place]… might do for its people."

And localism moving from the fringes of the political agenda to the very heart.

Last Year's Local Government White Paper called for a transfer of power from Whitehall to the Town Hall, alongside devolution right to the doorstep.

And one of the Prime Minister's very first acts in office was to publish The Governance of Britain that goes further still - with proposals for a "reinvention of the way we govern", an end to "Whitehall Knows Best".

So where are we now, you ask? Well I believe we face a big opportunity - and a big challenge. It's time to turn the rhetoric of devolution into a reality. To make the most of the localist moment, and show what local democracy can achieve.

I'm really pleased to be here because Local Area Agreements - that you're discussing today - are key to the whole thing. Because they are how we bring devolution off the page, and into life. They mean;

• A big cut in red tape
• Greater freedom for local authorities to direct funding towards local priorities
• And a genuine debate between Whitehall, local authorities and communities about the future of their area.

They are already making a difference to people's everyday lives.

• In Kirklees, the "Lighten Your Load" campaign has helped nearly 900 pensioner households increase their income.
• Newcastle, Middlesbrough, and Thurrock have made it a priority to cut their area's carbon footprint.
• Sefton, Ealing and Sandwell have reached out to those sometimes excluded from decision-making - the very young, the elderly, faith and BME groups.
• And Bath and North East Somerset have enlisted the public in everything from protecting the area's biodiversity to designing playgrounds.

These are inspiring examples of what confident local government is there to do. To lead, to listen, to involve. And to create places people are proud to call home.

Of course the new Local Area Agreements coming in next year represent another significant step forwards. So much so that I know they've been called "second generation". Make no mistake about the scale of the ambition behind them:

• They give local government greater space to deliver for your communities.
• They ensure that local communities have a bigger say in influencing the future of where they live.
• They put a premium on all local partners, from schools to police to hospitals, working together to deliver better services.

And because they bring different people together, I believe they have the potential to be the best solution to some of the complex, cross-cutting  problems we face today -  whether that's worklessness, guns and gangs, or ensuring dignity and respect for older people.

But if we are to realise that potential then all of us in Whitehall, townhalls and communities alike need to gear up for the new system. 

I'm encouraged amount of practical preparation already underway.

I know how hard most of you have been working - collecting the evidence about what matters to your area, talking to each other and to the Government Offices. Some of you have even started thinking about how you work together across boundaries to drive up prosperity, tackle worklessness and deliver what your communities need. My message to you couldn't be clearer. You're doing a great job: keep it up.

And if there is anybody in this room who hasn't started that process, then my question is - why not?

Sir Michael Frater's interim report on Lifting The Burdens was explicit that making the most of the localist moment meant local leaders shedding what he called "the supplicant, 'tell us what to do' culture."

Our report of the dry run of negotiations that took place this summer is enriched by the experiences of everyone who participated - and I'd like to take the opportunity to thank all the local authorities and their partners who played a part.

And I believe the guidance that we're publishing today in response is all the more powerful because it has been co-designed and written by local Partnerships.

There are some vital lessons from those dry runs - both for you and for me:

• The best Agreements are those firmly rooted in the unique geography and culture of their place, telling a story about where a place is coming from and going to. This of course is precisely why the leadership of elected members is so important
• You can't start talking to your local partners in schools, hospitals, the police and communities too early. 
• And if the new system is really to work then changing processes must go hand in hand with changing the way people think, too.  So I'm going to continue to work closely with colleagues across Whitehall as we prepare a really tight set of measures for assessing performance that focuses in on just the essentials.

But with just months to go before the new system comes into practice, it's vital to build the momentum, and I want today to mark a change of pace. 

I want to continue to support and learn from Partnerships throughout the coming months - and it's important for Partnerships to share their knowledge and experience with their peers.

Because this localist moment is a once-in-a-generation opportunity. 

Fluff it, and the chance might not come again.

Seize it, and you can show just what local government can do. 

Bring prosperity to your neighbourhood. 

Celebrate what makes your community unique.

And make every town, city and village a place to be proud of.

After all, isn't that what we are all here for?

Thanks for listening - keen to hear your thoughts today and as we continue to work together in the future.