Ministers accused of interfering in local matters

Despite repeatedly stating their belief in “localism”, Ministers are accused of displaying a “tendency to interfere in local matters” which contradicts their rhetoric that local people should make local decisions, according to the Communities and Local Government Select Committee.

The criticism comes after Ministers have repeatedly attacked the salaries of senior council officers – with Communities Secretary Eric Pickles having called on chief executives to take a five per cent pay cut – and condemned the performance of rubbish collections during last year’s wintry weather.

“Ministers must rein in their interventionist instincts if the Government’s localism agenda is to be credible,” the committee, chaired by Sheffield South East MP Clive Betts, said in a report today.

“Central government cannot have it both ways – on the one hand giving local authorities the freedom to make their own choices, and on the other maintaining that only one of those choices is the ‘sensible’ one.

“The Government must make its own choice: does it wish local authorities to exercise local discretion, or does it want to continue to prescribe and recommend courses of action centrally?

“The litmus test of localism will be the Government’s reaction to local decisions with which it disagrees.”

The report raises a series of concerns over the Government’s progress in pursuing its localism agenda, in which it has pledged to hand down powers to local councils and communities.

MPs warn that there is confusion in Government over the definition of localism, with most departments “adopting whatever definition of ‘localism” suits their aims.

They also raise concern that several flagship policies such as elected police commissioners, free schools, academies and health reforms bypass local government, raising the danger of an accountability gap.