PRESS RELEASE
22 January 2007

Local MP Malcolm Moss supports the Conservative’s Sustainable Communities Bill

Last Friday the Sustainable Communities Bill was debated in Parliament, proposed as a Private Members Bill by Conservative MP Nick Hurd. The Bill, supported by local MP Malcolm Moss, received cross party support and will now go into Standing Committee. It seeks to provide a genuine bottom up response to the on-going problems of local communities. The measures proposed would significantly alter the balance of power in favour of local councils and give local communities a much greater say on how taxpayer’s money is to be spent. Essentially the Bill is designed to tackle “Ghost Town Britain”

Malcolm Moss was enthusiastic in his support of the Bill which seeks to address the degeneration of local communities; deteriorating high streets, lack of civic participation and on-going environmental degradation. Additionally it tackles the lack of coherent government strategy to deal with the decline and the lack of transparency in the allocation of resources to local communities.

Malcolm Moss MP said “In the past decade, nationally, we have lost a fifth of our post office network, a quarter of our local grocery stores, a quarter of our bank branch network and more then 30,000 independent community retailers. All three declining services are clearly evident in North East Cambridgeshire.”

Under the proposals of the Bill the Government would publish a yearly account of the amount of public money spent in each community, and explain what proportion of that spending is controlled by local people and by Whitehall. It would then give councils the power, after detailed consultation with local people, to work out their own alternative local spending plan – and the ability to allocate that public spending in their area in a different way. The Government would enforce national priorities only where key public services need a clear national lead and national accountability, such as primary and secondary education and acute healthcare.

Malcolm Moss MP said “I support this Bill as it promotes the sustainability of local communities by requiring central Government measures to promote local economic activity, such as local shops and services. The Bill also encourages protection of the local environment, tackling social exclusion and poverty and an increase in local participation in democracy. All of these proposals are vital for the sustainability of communities and rural areas such as those in North East Cambridgeshire.”

The Sustainable Communities Bill was drafted in conjunction with Local Works, a group created to campaign for the Bill. Local Works is a cross-party campaign, supported by over 20,000 people and 1,000 local councils.