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The Sustainable Communities Act
July 15 2009
The Sustainable Communities Act (Local works) became law in October 2007. Local communities and their local authorities (including county councils) can now reverse community decline and promote local sustainability.
Government has a duty to ‘reach agreement’ with councils and their representatives regarding these proposals so the Act has real teeth.
How the Act works and how you can use it
1. Central government must invite local authorities (including county councils) to submit proposals for new government action. This happened on 14th October 2008 and the deadline for proposals in the Act’s first round is 31st July 2009, so you need to insist that your council responds to this invitation and submit proposals to central government as invited. It is not compulsory for councils to do this and so it is vital that local people lobby their councillors to do so.
2. When your council has decided to use the Act they must set up a panel of local representatives. These panels take ideas from residents and put them to the council. Find out from your council exactly how you can put a proposal forward. You could even put yourself forward to be on the representative panels if you wish.
3. Build your case and seek support from other local organisations, groups and individuals.
4. Present your proposal to the panel of representatives and seek its formal support.
5. Remind the council that there is a duty on it to ‘reach agreement’ with the panel, not just consult it.
6. Insist that the panel push your idea strongly so that it becomes a proposal that the council will then make to government.
7. If you can, liaise with other groups – if many councils propose the same plan it may hold more weight
8. If you don’t get the required action first time round, you can still try to get it included in the next round.
How can we make it work for our community?
You could suggest a proposal (to your local councillor) for the Government to:
• Require councils to encourage and protect street markets, farmers’ markets and eco-shops
• Give councils the power to limit the number of fast food shops or prevent fast food being sold close to schools
• Develop a local products strategy to increase production of locally produced foods and products, encouraging markets for these
• Ensure Regional Development Agencies fund regional food hubs, where local farmers can send their produce for local stores
• Allow councils to promote initiatives in schools, like subsidising after school cookery clubs and using food grown on site
• Encourage the use of allotments:
• Allow councils to charge for out-of-town supermarket parking (and parking for other retail outlets here) and use the money to fund local shops or food producers
• Insist that the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) provide grants for rural enterprise, local organic food and community groups to promote local food initiatives
• Require the council to plan the location of healthy food shops and eco-shops and make sure that fresh food is available within walking distance, accessible for everyone
• Fund and encourage Primary Care Trusts to map healthy and eco-shops and provide them with funding for security measures, lighting and stock
• Introduce measures to reduce food miles
LOBBY YOUR COUNCILLOR TODAY !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Information courtesy of Local Works. For more information on local initiatives visit the Local Works website
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