Local Government

  • Four layers of Local Government – Regional Assemblies, County Councils, District Councils, Town or Parish Councils:       
    • Taxation (including fees/charges) will be 100% controlled by local government and thus the removal of any caps from Westminster. 
    • Scrap the Local Government Finance settlement and replace it with a formula that is independent of government in order to compensate local government in terms of equalisation. Furthermore, a similar formula used to compensate Local Government from Westminster in terms of equalisation, will also be used to compensate County Councils, District Councils and Town or Parish Councils from each respective Regional Assembly. 
    • Allow Local Governments to issue Bonds as part of a TIF process.
    • An independent national audit will benchmark council performance against basic metrics – rubbish collection, streetscape, road maintenance, overheads vs direct service personnel etc – one month before local government elections. This will be sent to all households. 
    • Elections for Local Government will take place every 5 years with a two and half year gap between a General Election.  
    • Scrap all Metro-Mayors/Lord Mayors/Lord Lieutenants.
    • Scrap borough councils (with the exception of London), metropolitan district councils, combined authorities and unitary authorities. 
    • In order to mitigate corruption at local government, The Liberal Party will give the auditor at the public accounts committee more teeth, including the right to go into private sector contracts in detail that are taken on implicitly on behalf of the public sector.

  • No public sector employee (including Local Government) will be paid more than the Prime Minister: 
    • Chief Executive Pay will be capped at £150,250, plus expenses.
    • Finance Director Pay will be capped at £125,250, plus expenses. 
    • A Compliance Monitoring Officer pay will be capped at £105,250, plus expenses. 
    • All other executive officials’ pay will be capped at £100,250, plus expenses. 
  • Wards: Regional Assemblies to have 25 (approx) wards / County Councils to have 20 (approx) wards District Councils to have 15 (approx) wards / Town or Parish Councils to have 10 (approx) wards.  
  • Regional Assemblies (10): North West / North East / Yorkshire and the Humber / West Midlands / East Midlands / East-Anglia / South East / Southwest / Cornwall / London:
    • Responsibilities over LVT, Proportional Property Tax, Strategic Highways, etc.
    • MRP’s would be the representative figure in the regional assemblies and would be salaried at £50,250 (full time), plus expenses. 
    • Each regional assembly would have 100 MRP’s (approx) and one Non-Ceremonial Mayor (i.e. Mayor of London).

  • Empty properties lying vacant for more than one year will pay double in PPT/LVT and triple after three years etc., to try and stimulate empty properties being put back into productive use. 

  • County Council’s will have more direct responsibilities in terms of Housing, Local Transport, Policing, Fire, Health and Social Care, Education etc.: 
    • County Council’s would be divided up along the same lines as the Ceremonial Counties of England from 1998 onwards. 
    • There would be 50 (approx) County Councils across England. 
    • Increase County Councils Councillors pay to at least £25,250 a year (full-time), plus expenses. 
    • Each County Council to have 75 councillors (approx). 

  • A programme of installing full fibre-optic broadband across the UK (30Mbps download and 6Mbps upload) – with a particular focus on connecting rural areas – delivered through county councils who understand local connection needs. 

  • District Councils will have more direct responsibilities in terms of Planning Applications, Non-strategic Highways, Environmental Health etc.: 
    • There would be 250 (approx) District Councils across in England. 
    • District Councils would be paid at least £20,250 a year (part time), plus expenses. 
    • Each District Council to have 50 Councillors (approx). 

  • Aim to get Local Government public expenditure as a proportion of overall public expenditure to 50% by 2050.

  • Town or Parish Council’s would have responsibility over Leisure and Recreation, Waste Management, Libraries, etc.: 
    • There would be 500 (approx) Town or Parish Councils across England. 
    • Town or Parish Councillors will be paid in the region of approximately £12,500 (part-time), plus expenses. 
    • Each Town or Parish Council to have 25 councillors (approx).  

  • More power, say and capital should be devolved further from Town or Parish Councils to communities and neighbourhoods, using mechanisms like voluntary Community Councils: 
    • There would be 10,000 (approx) Community Councils across England.
    • An annual expense of £1200 will be given to every volunteer.
    • The number of volunteers will be capped at 10.