Oral Answers to Questions

Neil Carmichael Excerpts

Monday 9th November 2015 Commons Chamber

[Mr Jones]

Local authorities should certainly take into account community rights and the listing of pubs as assets of community value when they make planning decisions in their local area.

[Neil Carmichael (Stroud) (Con)]

9. What assessment he has made of the likely effect of devolving powers to, and encouraging co-operation between, local authorities on local economies.

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (James Wharton)]

Co-operation can power economic growth, and devolution is acting as a catalyst for co-operation right across the country. We are seeing local authorities and local authority leadership coming forward with proposals for new combined authorities, working together to identify the powers that they want for their area. A long-lasting sensible devolution settlement can enable economic growth on the scale that we want to see, and deliver for the communities we are all here to represent.

[Neil Carmichael]

Does the Minister agree that we need strong, visible and courageous leadership at that level so that those authorities can provide the strategic plan necessary and harness all the aspects of economic plans and economic activity? That is the only way we will make the policy work. I hope we will have such leadership in Gloucestershire.

[James Wharton]

My hon. Friend is a passionate advocate for Gloucestershire and on this issue he is absolutely right. We need that sharp accountability. We need to ensure that local people can hold to account those who make the decisions that they are empowered to take under devolution. We need to ensure that somebody is in place who can drive forward the growth of the economy in areas that secure devolution deals, because that is how we will make this policy a success and ensure that it lasts for the long term.