Shropshire Star

Star comment: The devil will be in the detail

The man who might be Britain's next Prime Minister wants elected officials to have more say in the running of their local economies.

Published

Chancellor George Osborne's devolution revolution could prove to be good news for Shropshire and Telford.

Giving local decision-makers more power and encouraging pro-active local enterprise is an idea that few would argue against.

In particular, allowing councils to keep business rates will be viewed by many as a critical step in giving a greater degree of control over helping small businesses and supporting high streets.

Councils will be able to address the concerns of constituents instead of being governed by anonymous bureaucrats from Westminster offices.

If Mr Osborne's proposals go ahead, municipalities that have been held back could begin to grow. Authorities whose wings have been clipped will be able to fly, the thinking goes.

Local decision makers could look to tackle housing shortages, create jobs that are sustainable and get people out of the benefits trap. Community services can be targeted to the areas that need them most while local health services can be more efficiently managed.

Devolution should mean local councils working more closely with other agencies and organisations. And, crucially, local decision makers will be more accountable to voters.

If residents don't like what their council or councillor does, they will find it much easier to make their views known at the ballot box.

So much for the theory.

While the reinvigoration of local authorities is likely to be broadly supported by representatives of all political hues, the devil will be in the detail. Will a revised form of governance lead to more red tape or less? Will there be exorbitant costs in creating a regional government? And what will happen to the workers and assets of existing councils?

The remit, functions and powers of any West Midlands partnership or expanded Mercian partnership must be carefully considered. Lest we forget, we have been down this road before with the unlamented Metropolitan County Councils. And, more recently, huge sums have been spent doing away with local district councils.

The public wants simple, effective and transparent local government that delivers value-for-money services and that responds to public demand.

That ought not to be too hard to achieve.