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| Version 1 | Version 2 |
|---|---|
| Local people given budget power | Local people given budget power |
| (about 4 hours later) | |
| People in England will have a direct say in the priorities for council budgets under new government plans. | People in England will have a direct say in the priorities for council budgets under new government plans. |
| Communities and Local Government Secretary Hazel Blears will announce pilot projects in 10 areas later. | Communities and Local Government Secretary Hazel Blears will announce pilot projects in 10 areas later. |
| Residents will decide on how budgets of up to £23m are spent, from recruiting more police to providing play areas. | Residents will decide on how budgets of up to £23m are spent, from recruiting more police to providing play areas. |
| She will make the announcement at the annual conference of the Local Government Association (LGA), which has questioned public desire for the plans. | She will make the announcement at the annual conference of the Local Government Association (LGA), which has questioned public desire for the plans. |
| Local debates | |
| It will be Hazel Blears' first major speech since taking over from Ruth Kelly following Prime Minister Gordon Brown's reshuffle. | |
| Under the plans, large amounts of council spending would be decided by residents, through local debates, votes and public meetings. | |
| Although similar projects have already been run on a smaller scale with community grants, Ms Blears will say the idea will be extended to cover major parts of local council funding. | |
| Democracy should be about much more than casting a vote every few years Hazel Blears | |
| People will be able to choose whether they want to spend more money on services like extra community safety wardens to tackle anti-social behaviour, new play areas, cleaning up parks, or extra CCTV. | |
| Ms Blears will say the aim is for every neighbourhood to have control of a "community kitty" within five years. | |
| The LGA, itself under new leadership, believes it would be better to devolve the money to frontline councillors who could consult on how the money was spent in their wards. | The LGA, itself under new leadership, believes it would be better to devolve the money to frontline councillors who could consult on how the money was spent in their wards. |
| Power shift | |
| Ms Blears, herself a former councillor, said it was not about "bypassing councils", but aimed at getting local people and the councils together. | |
| She will tell the Birmingham conference that, as well as delivering a real shift of power to town halls, the government of Mr Brown will ensure it is also passed on to local communities. | |
| "Democracy should be about much more than casting a vote every few years," she will tell the conference. | "Democracy should be about much more than casting a vote every few years," she will tell the conference. |
| "It should be a daily activity, not an abstract theory. Local people know the needs of their area better than anyone." | "It should be a daily activity, not an abstract theory. Local people know the needs of their area better than anyone." |
| The 10 pilot areas are Merseyside, Nottinghamshire, Birmingham, Lewisham, Bradford, Salford, Sunderland, Newcastle, Southampton and St Helens. | The 10 pilot areas are Merseyside, Nottinghamshire, Birmingham, Lewisham, Bradford, Salford, Sunderland, Newcastle, Southampton and St Helens. |
| Ms Blears told the BBC that it had already been tried in Bradford: "It was really interesting... they had a lot of young people coming together and they thought 'are they going to vote to spend everything on young people?' and in fact after a big discussion they actually voted to spend some of the money on services for old people as well." | Ms Blears told the BBC that it had already been tried in Bradford: "It was really interesting... they had a lot of young people coming together and they thought 'are they going to vote to spend everything on young people?' and in fact after a big discussion they actually voted to spend some of the money on services for old people as well." |