Counties publish manifesto

County council chiefs have called on the government to cut inspection and increase their powers in a manifesto for the future.

The County Councils Network’s latest policy document, which will be officially launched on Friday, will also call for councils to be given more powers to raise cash locally, and the return of the business rate to local control.

CCN chairman Tim Palmer said: ‘The coming five years will be a time of immense change. This manifesto sets out the contribution our councils – members staff and citizens – are ready to make to meet those challenges and it makes clear the flexibility and support we need form central government to enable that contribution to be made in full.’

The CCN has called on the government to:

• Give local authorities a power of general competence
• recognise that variation of local services is political choice, not a ‘postcode lottery’
• cut the number of quangos
• extend the democratic influence of councils over other public services · devolve powers, functions and funding from regional and sub-regional bodies to local authorities
• scale back indicators, inspection and audit
• allow local authorities to raise cash locally
• return business rates to local control
  

Click here to view the CCN manifesto