English Devolution White Paper - Florence Eshalomi, HCLG Chair, comments

Florence Eshalomi, Chair of the Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee, has commented on the Government's announcement today on the English Devolution White Paper.

Florence Eshalomi, Chair of the Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee, said: “It's important that the Government's English devolution reforms build trust in communities across the country so that people can have confidence in local accountability. This trust is crucial when residents rely on vital services like housing, temporary accommodation, and social care and when key national ambitions around building new homes are dependent on getting local planning right.

“The proposed devolution reforms pose important questions around local representation and raise concerns that there will be a loss of voice for residents. Residents who choose not to adopt a mayoral model should not be disadvantaged. The Government should also set out what they will do to deliver proper accountability during the local government reorganisation and ensure that local communities receive the continuity of service they need.

“As a Committee, we will look forward to examining the Government's proposals in more detail.”

Last week, the HCLG Committee launched an inquiry on the funding and sustainability of local government finance, looking at whether the local government finance system in England is fit for purpose (see website news item).