Sustainable Communities Act
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Sustainable Communities Bill becomes law
The Sustainable Communities Bill has now completed all its parliamentary stages and has become law. This demonstrates that popular grassroots movements such as this can make a fundamental change to UK law.
Well done to Nick Hurd MP and the thousands of parish and town councils, national and community organisations and individuals who worked so hard on this campaign. It is also significant that many MPs spoke of the importance of the cross party working in the third reading debate.
But that isn't the end of the story by a long chalk. The wording of the legislation was hard fought for and means that this is more than just a consultation exercise but a real opportunity for local communities to help set the sustainability agenda. But if the Act is to be successful, local government, civic society and individuals will have to work constructively together in drawing up their local sustainability action plans. For this to become more than just a box ticking formaility, it needs to capture the public's imagination.
Unlock Democracy will now be working with local authorities and community groups across the country to implement the Act.
What the Bill does
 Our View Unlock Democracy Campaigns Director Ron Bailey said At a time when the new Local Government minister Ruth Kelly is talking about finding new whys to engage and empower local authorities we feel that this is a ready made solution to many of the problems being faced. With this much support from MPs and the public it's imperative that the Government timetable sufficient time for this Bill to be properly debated and brought onto the stature book. This Bill will return power to people over their communities and neighbourhoods. As local political power has declined, so has people's trust in politicians- they have stopped believing that politics can change their daily lives. People have stopped believing in democracy so they have stopped participating in democracy. This Bill seeks to reverse all of this. By allowing local councils to drive what Whitehall does in local areas, this Bill quite simply turns the world upside down. We're delighted that this Bill has so much support from MPs. House of Commons signed the EDM. More than half of the Conservative Parliamentary Party have signed the motion, along with three-quarters of Labour's backbenchers (Government ministers are not allowed to sign EDMs), half of the nationalist parties MPs, and all Liberal Democrat MPs. The response from the public to this campaign has been amazing, village and town halls across the country have been packed out as hundreds of people attend local meetings on the Bill. It's quite clear from this response that people are crying out for the kind of democratic power that this Bill offers. |
The sustainable Communities Bill is a Private Members Billaimed at
- Reversing what has been called Ghost Town Britain the decline of local economic activity, jobs, shops facilities and services and environments with the knock-on effects that these matters cause; and
- Promoting the reverse of this - what we have called sustainable communities or local sustainability.
If passed into law, the Bill would give more power to local communities and councils over their neighbourhoods by a process called Double Devolution.
The Secretary of State would be required to consult local authorities on issues affecting them. Those authorities would in turn consult people and organisations in their neighbourhoods, and the results of these consultations would be fed upwards in order to drive government policy.
How councils can drive government actions?
- The extent of the problem and the fact that previous attempts to address this have failed means that government action is required. However the Bill proposes that this action should be decided locally not in Whitehall.
- The Bill requires the government to ask councils how it can promote local sustainability as defined in the Bill and to list certain indicators of local sustainability. These are
1. the provision of local services and local public services
2. the extent to which the volume and value of goods and services that are
i. offered for sale and
ii. procured by public bodies and that are grown or produced within 30 miles (or any such lesser distance as may be specified by a principal council as regards its area) of their place of sale or of the boundary of the public body
3. the rate of increase in the growth and marketing of organic forms of food production and the local food economy,
4. the number of local jobs
5. measures to conserve energy and to increase energy efficiency and the quantity of energy supplies which are produced from sustainable sources within a 50 mile radius of the region in which they are consumed
6. measures taken to reduce the level of road traffic including but not restricted to local public transport provision; measures to promote walking and cycling; and measures to decrease the amount of product miles
7. the increase in social inclusion, including an increase in involvement in local democracy
8. measures to increase mutual aid and other community projects
9. measures designed to decrease emissions of greenhouse gases
10. measures designed to increase community health and well being
These indicators are only a starting point. It is for each council to say how and to what extent they are helpful in their area and to set any objectives needed to reverse Ghost Town Britain and promote local sustainability. Councils may also add any additional indicators that they think will apply either generally or to their area. For instance
Council A might respond by saying that as regards indicators 1-4 the following policies and resources and objectives are needed but the others are not relevant here (effectively therefore dis-applying those indicators in that area).
Council B might say that indicators 5-8 are most relevant, but of the first 4 one needs a little action but the other 3 are not relevant here (thus dis-applying those ones).
Council C might say that only indicators 2 and 8 are relevant here, but there are some extra issues, namely XXX and YYY that need to be dealt with thus adding their own indicators or issues.
- In this way the government will obtain a picture from all over the country as to the policies, objectives and resources needed to promote local sustainability. And that picture will be based on evidence from councils experiencing the problems locally all over the country.
- On the basis of this the government will then be required to draw up a plan as to how it will help councils reverse Ghost Town Britain.
How can communities drive councils' actions?
Just as government must obtain the views of councils the Bill requires councils to obtain the views of their communities.
- Before submitting its demands to government each council is required to take reasonable steps to obtain the view any 'persons' (this is the wording in the Bill). Persons includes any local community groups, trade associations etc.
- This means that any individual or group of individuals within a council's boundaries can suggests objectives or targets in respect of the Bill's sustainability indicators, or suggests other indicators. The council must include these points in its report if in its opinion they would assist with promoting local sustainability and they are reasonably practicable. In this way communities can directly influence councils demands to government.
- Reasons that a council can legitimately reject the suggestions of communities are
i.suggestions from citizens need not be included where they clash with other suggestions
ii.suggestions where the cost would be out of all proportion to the benefit
- It will cost money for councils to engage in the participation process. The Bill requires that this shall be paid out of central funds.
November 2006
On 27th November David Heath MP asked Rt Hon Jack Straw MP, Leader of the House about making parliamentary time available for the Sustainable Communities Bill.
The Bill's progress
3rd Reading of the Sustainable Communities Bill in the Commons
Broad cross party consensus was expressed that the Bill was an important one, which would give significant and tangible new powers to the people at a local level. Approval was also expressed for the way that the Bill has been introduced - building support among grass roots organisations over a number of years until it eventually became government policy.
To read the full text of the debate please click here
- Julia Goldsworthy (Falmouth & Camborne) (Lib Dem) It is radical and talks about turning the way in which government works upside down. Policy will be driven by local communities in a way that it never has been before and we will see accountability where there is currently none. The Bill will give power to the people to reverse the problems of ghost-town Britain.
- Mr. Drew (Stroud) (Lab) In the years to come, I am sure that the Bill will be cited in politics textbooks as an example of how a new Member can change the law. (...) We sometimes like to think of ourselves as the fount of all knowledge and those who create all the ideas, but the Bill has genuinely come from the grass roots. Local Works and the New Economics Foundation have pointed out why we need to get hold of ghost-town Britain. It is to their credit that they have worked towards the Bill for such a long time and I am immensely humbled to have been part of the process.
- Gregory Barker (Bexhill and Battle) (Con) The Bill is the answer to all those people who say, Is it really worth my while? Should we bother? because it will provide a reason and a vehicle for them to get involved and help shape their community.
- Jeremy Corbyn (Islington North) (Lab) Local communities are what it is about. A good local community, good local shopping, good local facilities, good transport and good housing bind communities together, cut crime, cut racism and increase understanding. That is what I see the Bill as having achieved. The work of Ron Bailey and others who have campaigned for that over many years ought to be recorded with thanks by all of us in the House today.
- Philip Davies (Shipley) (Con) I pay tribute also to the Minister for the constructive way in which he has engaged in the debate on the Bill and offered reassurance to those of us who raised our concerns.
- Mr. Woolas (Oldham Easy & Saddleworth) (Minister of State, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs) In the past 40 years, three Members have passed private Members' Bills of significant substance through this House. The first was Sidney Silverman, whose Bill led to the abolition of capital punishment in this country, and the second was the Rt. hon. David Steel, whose Bill led to this country's abortion laws. I genuinely believe that the Bill will change the relationships in British politics. Although it will not grab the headlines as much as Sidney Silverman's Bill or David Steel's, it will contribute enormously to British politics, and I am proud to be the Minister who helped it through Parliament.
2006-2007 session of Parliament
The Sustainable Communities Bill is being sponsored by Nick Hurd MP
As Nick Hurd MP won the Private Members Ballot, his choice of Bill is given priority for Parliamentary time, will definitely be debated and has the best chance of becoming law.
2005-2006 session of Parliament
The Sustainable Communities Bill was a Presentation Bill sponsored by Julia Goldsworthy MP in the last session of Parliament. Presentation Bills are not debated in Parliament but allow MPs to raise an issue.
However an Early Day Motion or EDM in support of the Bill has been signed by 363 MPs - over half the House of Commons. To see if your MP has signed EDM 641 in support of the Bill please click here
Organisations supporting the Bill
The Sustainable Communities Bill is supported by a wide ranging coalition of organisations which together form the Local Works campaign.
Local Works was created to fight the emergence of ghost town Britain and covers issues ranging from housing to food, work, farming, small businesses, transport and local democracy.
The steering group is:
- New Economics Foundation,
- National Federation of Retail Newsagents,
- UNISON,
- Shelter,
- Unlock Democracy,
- Friends of the Earth,
- Soil Association,
- Sustain - the alliance for better food and farming,
- Community Matters (the National Federation of Community Organisations),
- Small and Family Farms Association,
- Transport 2000,
- CAMRA.
There are now 62 organisation supporting the Local Works campaign. A full list can be found here
Links
Local Works Campaign the campaign for the Sustainable Communities Bill
