CITY COUNCIL PASSES CONSERVATIVE RESOLUTION

TO SUPPORT COMMUNITIES

Lancaster City Council voted at its 28 February meeting to approve a Conservative motion to support the Sustainable Communities Bill which will devolve more power from Whitehall to councils and communities by giving councils more power over money spent by national agencies on local matters in their areas. It will also give councils and their communities the power to drive government policy to assist them in promoting sustainable communities.

Implementation of the proposals in the Bill will help councils to protect the wellbeing of their communities and citizens, and the Council has resolved to write to the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, urging her to support the Bill and to inform the leading MPs of this decision. Conservatives have said it is their intention to implement this Bill when they are in government.

Councillor Roger Mace, Leader of the Conservative Group on the City Council confirmed after the meeting that the Bill addresses problems that are important issues for Conservatives, namely the community decline that arises from the loss of key local services – such as post offices, bank branches and community retailers – and the resulting social cost in terms of quality of life, particularly for elderly people, the impact on small local businesses and their suppliers, and the damage to the environment as a result of people having to drive more.