The Localism Bill is currently being debated in the House of Commons. The bill aims to devolve greater powers to councils and neighbourhoods and give local communities more control over housing and planning decisions.
One of the provisions in the bill will give councils, councillors and local residents the power to instigate local referendums on any local issue if five per cent of eligible electors in that area sign a petition. Whilst the outcome of the referendum is not legally binding, local authorities will be required to take the outcome of the vote into account when decision making.
The Government’s belief is that this will ‘enliven local democratic debate and give people a way of making their voice heard on the issues that are close to their heart’. However a number of charitable organisations such as Age UK and the Community Development Foundation have suggested that issues could be passed by a very small majority in a situation where ‘the loudest voices dominate, without recognising the impact they may have on other people within their community’.
This seems to me to represent a difficulty at the heart of democracy. The root meanings of the word democracy are ‘people’ and ‘rule’, seemingly straightforward but actually quite the opposite. Who are the people; The loudest? The strongest? The people best able to articulate themselves or those with the greatest means to persuade others? It is often the case that these people dominate political debate at the expense of those not so able, popular or powerful.
The objective to enliven democratic debate is laudable but we need to ensure that the subsequent discussion is inclusive and that it considers the good of all those affected by a decision; not just the powerful and popular or indeed the most sympathetic, visible or nearest. Otherwise we run the risk of failing to address issues that impact across electoral boundaries such as how and where to dispose waste or generate power. We potentially also will end up leaving ‘undesirable’ people, whether homeless, asylum seekers or travellers with nowhere to go as their interests are ignored or relegated to lower down in the pecking order.
Let’s enliven local democratic debate by all means, but we need to ensure that it isn’t just the interests of a narrow range of local people that are the focus of that debate.
Annie Gosling
King George VI Fellow
How the Localism Bill might impact on charities, community and voluntary groups will form part of the discussion at The Future of the Third Sector conference taking place at Cumberland Lodge. Click here for details >>
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