Lib Dems call for greater powers for local residents to fight back! (North Thanet Liberal Democrats)

North Thanet Liberal Democrats <info@north-thanetlibdems.org.uk>

Lib Dems call for greater powers for local residents to fight back!

October 2, 2008 6:12 AM

At Thursdays Council meeting Cllrs Margaret Flaherty and Nick Eden-Green will be calling for the City Council to opt into new legislation which gives people the power to fight for their communities.

"The Sustainable Communities Act is a new law that gives you, your neighbours and friends the power to force the government to help you stop your community declining" explains Cllr Margaret Flaherty. "We are asking the council to exercise its right to opt in to the act before the deadline expires in October. If we "opt-in" the Act gives the government a legal duty to assist our local authority in promoting the sustainability of local communities. We will be invited to make suggestions to the Secretary of State as to how it can help us locally. This means we would have more powers to save local shops and post offices, stop traffic from wrecking quiet streets, or help us to tackle pollution and climate change. So this puts local people, not the government in the driving seat over what the government must do to help us".

"If the conservatives refuse to take the debate tonight (Thursday) then we will miss the boat and our local area will miss out," Said Cllr Nick Eden-Green. "The Bill was all party so we hope the conservatives will back us in calling for our district to get these new powers".