Councils unlocking General Power of Competence potential...

• Guest 710

  • Registered: 28 Feb 2011
  • Posts: 6,950
  26 July 2013     12:21238724
  #1       report
  Communities Secretary Eric Pickles will today (Tuesday 23 July) hear how councils are successfully using the General Power of Competence (GPC) to meet community needs, boost local growth and drive innovation.
  
  "The Secretary of State will join Local Government Association (LGA) Chairman Sir Merrick Cockell and the National Association of Local Councils (NALC) Chairman Ken Browse at a joint LGA and NALC event in Westminster to discover the progress of a number of schemes being developed using the GPC across the country.
  
  The event launches the LGA publication 'Empowering councils to make a difference' which looks how a number of councils are using the GPC over a year from its introduction.
  
  Examples of successful schemes include a programme to improve primary school performance, establishing funds to provide loan finance to local businesses and setting up mortgage schemes to help boost local housing markets..."
  
  N.B.
  "The GPC was introduced by the Localism Act 2011 and came into force in February 2012. It gives councils the power to do anything an individual can do provided it is not prohibited by other legislation."
  
  http://www.local.gov.uk/web/guest/media-releases/-/journal_content/56/10171/4071785/NEWS-TEMPLATE
  Ignorance is bliss, bliss is happiness, I am happy...to draw your attention to the possible connectivity in the foregoing.
• howard mcsweeney1

  • Location: Dover
  • Registered: 12 Mar 2008
  • Posts: 62,352
  26 July 2013     13:24238727
  #2       report
  cutting funding to local authorities then asking them to do more was never going to work.
  
  the last paragraph is a bit of a red kipper, they can give me or anyone else the authority to buy a top of the range mercedes which is pretty useless if don't have the money to pay for it.
• Keith Sansum1

  • Location: london
  • Registered: 25 Aug 2010
  • Posts: 23,942
  26 July 2013     23:49238771
  #3       report
  All talk howard no action
  
  
  says it all about the cobbled together lot
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• Guest 710

  • Registered: 28 Feb 2011
  • Posts: 6,950
  29 July 2013     10:47238967
  #4       report
  Double Yellow Parking Ban Set To Be Lifted
  
  "Drivers will be able to park on double yellow lines for 15 minutes under proposals to boost trade in high street shops.
  Communities Secretary Eric Pickles wants to introduce a "grace period" that would allow motorists to pop into local shops without being hit by hefty penalties, according to The Daily Telegraph.
  Higher fines could be introduced outside London for motorists who park dangerously in order to secure support for the move.
  A source close to Mr Pickles told The Daily Telegraph: "The high street is in danger of shrinking or dying off, and over-aggressive parking enforcement is part of the reason why.
  "If people are worried about paying a fortune in parking fines, it will make them more likely to do their shop online or go to out of town shopping centres.
  "For too long parking has been a revenue raiser. It's time to end that..."
  
  http://uk.news.yahoo.com/double-yellow-lines-ban-may-lifted-cars-235138466.html#OzIh7EK
  Ignorance is bliss, bliss is happiness, I am happy...to draw your attention to the possible connectivity in the foregoing.
• howard mcsweeney1

  • Location: Dover
  • Registered: 12 Mar 2008
  • Posts: 62,352
  29 July 2013     12:24238971
  #5       report
  looks like one of those ideas that are well meaning but unlikely to work in practice. some double yellows are more for safety than others, so a blanket 15 minute period of grace would be unworkable. it would need more wardens to monitor high streets checking that 15 minute rule is adhered to.
• Jan Higgins

  • Location: Dover
  • Registered: 5 Jul 2010
  • Posts: 13,895
  29 July 2013     13:14238977
  #6       report
  Agreed Howard, a good idea in theory but not practical, if it is safe to park for 15 minutes it must be safe to park there for a couple of hours. What is needed are more free 30 minute parking spaces in the town centres.
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• Guest 710

  • Registered: 28 Feb 2011
  • Posts: 6,950
  30 July 2013     12:49239050
  #7       report
  Bedroom tax legal challenge dismissed by high court
  
  "Two judges ruled that courts should not "micromanage" policy decisions and that the provision of discretionary housing payments granted local authorities enough flexibility to deal with shortfalls in rent....
  ...However in their ruling, Lord Justice Law and Justice Cranston came down strongly against the secretary of state for failing to set down other regulations following from a previous housing benefit challenge to payments made to families with disabled children in the private sector.
  In that case in March last year, judges found that size criteria for housing benefit in the private sector could discriminate against disabled children who needed a bedroom each because of their health needs.
  In their ruling on Tuesday, judges said that the secretary of state was relying on a "departmental circular" to implement policy ordered by the courts in March last year, which was not sufficient.
  "The secretary of state has no business considering whether to introduce regulations to conform housing benefit provision with the judgment in Gorry. He is obliged to do so."..."
  
  http://www.theguardian.com/society/2013/jul/30/bedroom-tax-legal-high-court
  
  I wonder if the new presence of UKIP councillors locally has led to improvements?
  Ignorance is bliss, bliss is happiness, I am happy...to draw your attention to the possible connectivity in the foregoing.
• howard mcsweeney1

  • Location: Dover
  • Registered: 12 Mar 2008
  • Posts: 62,352
  30 July 2013     15:55239070
  #8       report
  they are on kent county council tom, the district councils deal with the "bedroom tax".