Nicholas Dobson puts the Localism Bill under the spotlight
Local Government Secretary Eric Pickles, on introducing the Localism Bill to Parliament last month, hailed it as a measure that would transform “the relationships between central government, local government, communities and individuals”.
The Bill also contains the new general power of competence which Mr Pickles said would give English local authorities the “confidence to innovate and drive down costs to deliver more efficient services”... “rather than needing to rely on specific powers”. The Bill is a weighty 406-page measure absorbing two volumes. The first contains the substantive provisions (207 clauses) and the second the 24 schedules. In addition to the proposed English competence power, the Bill dismantles the current standards regime in England, seeks to clarify the law on predetermination in local authority decisions, and makes some radical governance changes.
Competence
The former Labour administration had thought it was introducing a broad general power when it had enacted the well-being provisions in Pt 1 of the Local Government Act 2000. That’s certainly how it seemed. For instance in March 2002 Elias J in
