Support Sustainable Communities

Ron Bailey (London, Local Works): The Sustainable Communities Bill, which is coming up for a commons vote on Friday, will, if it becomes law, mean local people and councils will have a major say on their own public services, planning and how they want to preserve their local environment. Community decline is hitting hard everywhere - communities continue to lose Post Offices, bus services, shops, pubs, doctors surgeries, bank branches and police stations. In the last decade Britain has lost a fifth of all its post offices, a quarter of all its independent grocery stores, a quarter of its bank branches and 13,000 local newsagents. As Zac Goldsmith argued about Barnes, local people know best how to solve their own problems. People are fed up with 'consultations' and want to participate with power in how their communities are developed and conserved. Our aim in supporting the bill is, well, to turn society upside down, or as I see it, the right-side up, with central government policy being driven by communities and their councils. The Tories and the Lib-Dems are committed to suport the bill. The government, according to Communities Minister Phil Woolas, says it will not block the bill and are, in principle, in favour of it. This does not mean Labour MPs won't talk it out. This is a test for the government about whether it means what it says over decentralisation. The bill is desperately needed to re-engage people in our democracy. That is why I urge everyone to use the website write to them to get their MP to support the bill.