Publications

Local government

Parmjit Dhanda MP

Parliamentary Under Secretary of State

National Association of Local Councils Annual Conference

Date of speech	5 October 2007
Location	Bournemouth International Centre
Event summary	National Association of Local Councils Annual Conference - building the future of local communities.

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

First let me thank all of you in NALC for the work you have been doing with my Department and others. You have played a key part in turning ideas and aspirations, into practical measures and reality.

As you know, there are still some final stages of the Bill to go through Parliament. And I can tell you that the measures on parishes in the Bill have been well received in both Houses of Parliament. Further, many people spoke on the valuable role of parishes in community life and local democracy.

So today I intend to say something about the issues in the Bill and the agenda for parishes. Then I will look at the wider agenda, and, in particular, where we are going on community empowerment. Of course, the two are closely linked as I know parishes want to play a central role in our empowerment plans too.

Perhaps one of the most important measures in the Bill for NALC members is the power of well-being. For many of you this is the key to being able to do what you feel needs doing in your area.

However I know some suspect that drawing up criteria for having this power has cast some doubt on our commitment to the Quality Parish Scheme. Let me say plainly that it shouldn't.

The Quality Parish Scheme has real and enduring value in setting out good practice for the sector. We are working with NALC on bringing the scheme up to date. One barrier to take up so far, for example, has been the insistence on a high proportion of elected members. It seems sensible to relax these. If the sector comes to me with thoughts along those lines, I will certainly listen.

But the Scheme does need updating. For example, perhaps quality parishes nowadays should have their own websites. I am glad to see that Quedgeley - the only parish in my constituency of Gloucester - has one. Although I am not sure what to make of the 'Lost and Found' section - it reports nothing lost and nothing found in the parish!

The serious point is there are aspects that need discussing and revising. The Scheme must reflect what it takes to serve today's communities well. As you are the level of democracy closest to communities, that is vital.

The criteria for having the well-being power, although based on conditions in the Scheme, do not need to cover all the ground it does. We never intended the power to be a prize for getting quality status. We intended to make sure that electors were confident their parish knew what it was doing with such a wide-ranging power.

When using the well-being power you will need to act in line with the Sustainable Community Strategy. In turn your Parish Plans feed into this Strategy - but could they do this better?

For example, there is no set format for them. This must make it difficult for local authorities to take them in. And no doubt some do it better than others as a result. Perhaps you might look at taking pointers from the best and most effective approaches.

Your input is important, especially with the increasingly strong focus on empowering communities which the Prime Minister has signalled loud and clear. It is in all our interests to make it easier for other tiers of governance to take that input on board.

I know NALC is hard at work on many other fronts too. As you know we are making progress with the draft Guidance on Community Governance Reviews, and NALC has taken a leading part in the group taking that forward. This sets the framework, among other things, for active community governance, for devolution of parish reviews, and for petitions on governance changes. Again let me say 'thank you' for your contribution on this.

The Bill, and the White Paper before it, are about changing relationships. Between central and local governance, between tiers of local government and local partners, between governance and communities.

That inevitably means that organisations like yours need to make sure they are geared up for the changes. I know the NALC-led Review Group is looking at what will be needed to support local councils so they can do their best for their communities in the future.

The new county unitaries, for example, will face particular challenges in getting close to the people they serve. Is there an opportunity for parishes there?

Everywhere we are looking for better relationships and new ways of working between councils, whether across boundaries or between tiers. Councils at every level, and particularly at parish level, need to dovetail with other community groups and organisations.

I recognise that NALC is on the front foot here and I hope you will seize the opportunities.

But with community empowerment we want to go further still. The Governance of Britain Green Paper sent out a clear message. And with nearly 9000 town and parish councils - the level of representative democracy closest to our communities - you are a powerful force for engaging with people. Not that I need to tell you that!

Hazel Blears is setting out an agenda for action that will enable citizens to play a real part in their community. It could be through participatory budgeting - the 'community kitties'. Or through taking steps to resolve problems. Or through taking over and running more things in the community.

There is an opportunity here for local councils to be part of it. You can support, encourage and enable people to act. Many parishes already do. The challenge for you is to convince the rest.

We are clear we want to see change so empowerment is wider and deeper.

To take up these challenges we need to attract a range of people to serve on the council. This is not always easy. Both the Councillors Commission, led by Dame Jane Roberts, and the Commission for Rural Communities are looking at the roles of councillors and how to get people to think about being a councillor.

The Roberts Commission will report by the end of the year and the CRC early next year. We will look closely at their ideas and recommendations. I am sure we will also discuss them with you in the months ahead. We must get this right.

These are exciting times in local areas. I see a key role for parishes - and I know you do too. For example, NALC was quick to offer support over the introduction of participatory budgets. We welcome that offer and I know Hazel is keen to explore it further.

It is vital you are all part of the solution in making life better for our communities.

So I wish you a very constructive three days here in Bournemouth, with lots of ideas and inspiration for the future emerging.

In central government we are creating for local areas a framework for freedom, a framework for action and, above all, a framework for communities with a better future.

I am confident you can take up the challenges and opportunities that creates.

Thank you.