Sustainable Communities Act (SCA)

What is it?

It assists in a ‘bottom up’ approach so that decisions are not made by government but local government. This is the first time that councils are in the driving seat on what the Government does locally.

If a Local Authority opts into the act, it can introduce powers that will encourage sustainable communities. Darlington has opted in.

There are four categories:

1. Local economies (promoting local shops, businesses and jobs)
2. Environment (promoting renewable energy, protecting green spaces)
3. Social Inclusion (protecting local public services, alleviating food and fuel poverty)
4. Democratic involvement (promoting local people to join in local decision making)

What are the benefits?

Any local person, local group or organisation can come up with ideas that may change government policy. Government can decide to bring in new flexibilities, freedoms and powers. This will enable councils to respond better to local wants and needs.

In Local Authorities were asked to consult their communities about how to improve their local areas. Then they could take the actions to make these ideas a reality. If a bureaucratic barrier stops them from taking action, councils can submit a proposal asking Government to remove it.

There is now an easy route to do this through the new online portal [external link].

The ‘Barrier Busting’ portal is also open to anyone who wishes to ask the government to remove a barrier which is stopping local action.

Councils will no longer be required to take specific steps before submitting a proposal. Nor will proposals be to a set deadline. The intention is to provide a more direct service to remove as many barriers to localism as possible.

There may be times when a proposal is refused by government. The Local Government Association will be able to re-submit and the Secretary of State must consult and try to reach agreement.

What is Darlington doing?

Darlington Borough Council submitted four proposals:

• Changing the council’s powers in setting allotment size. Having various sizes and smaller plots reduces the amount of wasted space.
• Looking at ways of continued access to benefits for those in low-paid work. Or those who are volunteering
• Making Darlington eligible for ‘Working Neighbourhoods’ funding. Asking for a sliding scale for eligibility rather than a single cut-off point (which Darlington just misses). This may include changes to eligibility criteria
• Persuading food outlets to be more responsible for the litter and waste they produce

What happens now?

The government held consultations about the SCA process during 2011 and again in 2012. The results of this consultation process can be viewed at the GOV.UK website [external link, pdf document].