What is localism?
Put simply, localism suggests decision making and the running of services is best done at a local level.
Localism in practice can mean many different things from parish and town councils taking on new roles or extra responsibilities, local groups running services to individuals volunteering to help others in their community.
We believe Cambridgeshire residents are best placed to decide what services are needed in each unique community in this county.
The current economic climate also means that it is more important than ever for residents to have their say about what happens in their town or village, to make sure the right decisions are made.
Is this a new idea?
No. Cambridgeshire communities are already active in their local area, shown by the hundreds of voluntary and community groups and organisations working in the county and in partnership with the County Council. Localism is in the news due to the recent publication of the Localism Bill.
It sets out a series of proposals with the potential to achieve a substantial shift in power away from central government and towards local people.
They include: new freedoms and flexibilities for local government; new rights and powers for communities and individuals and reform to make the planning system more democratic and more effective.
So what’s happening now?
There is much already taking place in the county, and it is important to strengthen existing ways for local people to be involved, as well as developing new methods. Therefore the County Council has adopted the following approach
- Testing the effectiveness of new ideas in a number of pilot areas
- Developing our work with Parish and Town Councils
- Developing our work with civil society organisations
- Improving communications
- Extending opportunities for local decision-making
- Strengthening what we already do to deliver localism