Local Democracy

<p>The Bill seeks to create greater opportunities for community and individual involvement in local decision-making. It also provides for greater involvement of local authorities in local and regional economic development.</p><p><strong>Key areas:</strong></p><ul><li>Provisions to secure greater involvement of people in the workings and decision-making processes of local public authorities</li><li>provisions to ensure that councils respond to petitions and can consider other matters raised by citizens in their area</li><li>a new duty for local authorities to assess economic conditions; a joint duty on regional development agencies and local authorities to produce a single regional strategy; and powers for councils to co-operate in promoting economic development.</li></ul>Additional provisions in the Bill include: <ul><li>establishing a new body to represent the interests of housing tenants in England at national level </li><li>new powers for audit authorities to appoint auditors to, and to produce public interest reports on, entities connected with local authorities</li><li>making the Boundary Committee for England a separate body from the Electoral Commission </li><li>improving the operation of construction contracts particularly as regards cash flow and adjudication. </li></ul><p> </p>