Liberal Democrat Conference

12.24.35pm BST (GMT +0100) Mon 17th Sep 2007

The Liberal Democrat Autumn Conference opened in Brighton at the weekend, and on Sunday the party debated the Local and Regional Governance Policy Paper - The Power to be Different.

Conference adopted the Policy Paper and in particular welcomed the following policies:

1. A new relationship between central and local government based on an agreement, or covenant, incorporating the provisions of the European Charter of Local Self-Government, and which scraps nationally-set targets for local government.

2. The greater involvement of residents in local decision-making and in the running of local services by:

a) The devolution of greater powers to parish, town and community councils, so that they are making decisions about local services, rather than bureaucrats in Whitehall.

b) The creation of a single principal tier of local government across the country, subject to community approval.

c) The establishment of local governing boards to run local services, made up of people who use local services, working with their councils to make decisions over the management of those services.

d) The introduction of a fair voting system for local elections, using the single transferable vote.

3. Setting councils free by giving them greater financial independence and autonomy, to be achieved by increasing the amount of money councils spend which is raised locally; in the longer term 75% (rather than the current 25%) of total revenue should be raised locally.

4. Allowing the future shape and scope of unelected quangos to be determined by elected local authorities, who should have the power to scrap quangos, change quangos' remits, and reduce or transfer their powers and functions.

5. The promotion of stronger and better local leadership by removing the requirement on councils to have an executive-scrutiny split in decision-making, and by restoring the requirement to hold a referendum before creating the post of directly-elected mayor.

6. Reducing the barriers that dissuade people from standing as councillors to encourage more good-quality local representatives.

7. The establishment of directly-elected regional government in those regions that want it, taking powers and functions from central government; outside those areas the existing regional chambers should be reformed, making them more democratic and accountable to the people they serve.