12 Government and Politics

Issues and Priorities

  • The 2006 Local Government White Paper sought to devolve powers from central Government, strengthen local government leadership, and expand the opportunities for local people to influence decision making.  The resulting legislation and guidance were introduced during 2007.
  • The White Paper included measures to improve the accountability of Local Strategic Partnerships (LSPs) to local people. It also placed a duty on county and unitary authorities to prepare Local Area Agreements (LAAs) in consultation with named local partners. Both LSPs and LAAs have a key role to play in helping to identify and address local priorities.
  • The introduction of new four-year term leadership models and other measures in the Local Government White Paper will change the ways that councils operate, and how they support their local communities. As at February 2008, 19 of the 51 councils in the region had no party with an overall majority, and only one of the 51, Torbay, had a directly elected mayor.
  • The White Paper also invited councils in shire areas to bid for unitary status. Cornwall and Wiltshire were successful and the new unitary authority in each area is scheduled to be up and running on 1 April 2009.
  • Balancing the need for economic prosperity with population growth and the protection of the region's environmental assets is a significant challenge. This is reflected in the Integrated Regional Strategy, Just Connect!, which has been co-ordinated by the South West Regional Assembly, and which provides a framework for the Regional Spatial Strategy (RSS) and Regional Economic Strategy (RES).
  • The 2007 Review of Sub-National Economic Development and Regeneration outlined the Government's plans to encourage economic growth and tackle deprivation in each region by refocussing the powers and responsibilities of regional bodies and local authorities.  It included proposals for a transfer of executive powers for regional strategies from regional assemblies to regional development agencies.
  • Because the resources of the region’s population are judged to be higher than in most other regions, South West residents are required to bear a higher proportion of the cost of services through Council Tax than the national average.