New parish councils in urban areas

This was entirely the theme of the submission made by the Institute for Social Inventions to Sir John's Local Government Commission - see page 106 of Re-Inventing Society Institute for Social Inventions, 1994). The Institute's argument is that the creation of new parish councils in urban areas - with budgets for workfare schemes, neighbourhood care schemes, neighbourhood wardens, schools adopting vandalised areas and cultural activities - would do more than any other simple measure that the Government could introduce to improve the quality of life and to reduce the crime rate.

The following is an adapted extract from recommendations proposed in a speech by Sir John Banhamin April '94:

Within each unitary authority in England:

- Management responsibility for all local services would be devolved to local, parish-sized, communities under the overall direction of a local general manager. He or she would be accountable to the members (up to three) elected to represent the interests of each community on the new council. There would be a single service information centre in each community, perhaps based in the local public library.
- The council would in turn delegate to these local councillors responsibility for the oversight of those truly local services (which could be financed in full by the local council tax) such as refuse collection, street lighting and sweeping, parks' maintenance and libraries.
- Each councillor could be responsible for particular local services; the council's local officers would therefore be directly responsible to elected members, although they would also have a professional 'line' to the council's chief officer for each service.
- Local parish and community councils would have the right to meet with 'their' local councillors once a quarter (say); and they would provide the support ordinary citizens might need to obtain redress for any of the local authorities' shortcomings.

Sir John Banham, c/o Local Government Commission for England, Dolphyn Court, 10/11 Great Turnstile, Lincoln's Inn Fields, London WC17 7JU (tel 0171 430 8400; fax 0171 430 8409).