Local Government
Local Government
Communities are the lifeblood of modern Britain. Your local area should be a safe and pleasant place to grow up, work, raise a family and get on in life. That is why we want to see more parks, libraries, schools and modern infrastructure to give you the best start you can have. We aim to strengthen the economy of your local area by providing small businesses with the guidance and monetary assistance they need so they can succeed. To provide transparency in the system making the government more accountable to the people. This is a Britain for the people.
Infrastructure
We, in many ways, are seeking to overhaul some of the key infrastructure in communities across Great Britain by supplying councils with the necessary funding to establish a large scale coverage of wi-fi giving everybody access to the internet. We would also like to see funding going towards maintaining churches and other places of religious and communal significance, allowing for a more welcoming society that can bestow truly british values.
Transparency
We, as many do,wish to see a more transparent government, held accountable to the people. As such, we are proposing a key piece of legislation, an extension of the Freedom of Information Act, that will allow for requests, pertaining to any information held by the local authority, to be made.
Fairer Wages
In order to save money the Conservative Party would look to reduce senior local civil servant wages. The average senior council member gets paid around £77,000 per year. We would want to reduce this by at least 15%, also tackling the problem of overly bureaucratic council members that are in it for the money, and promote more honest and hardworking civil servants.
Elected Mayors
We would also look to increase the amount of cities that have elected mayors in order to increase participation in local government. Cities that choose to have an elected mayor would gain additional powers over economic development, transport and social welfare.
Increasing Efficiency
In order to increase efficiency and save money, councils with a low population, shall have to merge some services with neighbour authorities. These services can include Transport, Education and Welfare.
Community Investment Scheme
We would also look to implement a Community Investment Scheme, getting local people to pool their resources to invest in small local projects. Such as small Hydro-electric generators on rivers. The scheme could have tax exemption or other forms of incentive.
Greater Housing Powers
The Conservative Party would devolve Social Housing decisions to councils, they are in the best place to make decisions regarding the allocation of such an important scheme, and money.
