Localism Act

RP4C website

The Localism Act received the Royal Assent on 15 November 2011, after eleven months' parliamentary scrutiny. The government also published a Plain English Guide to the Act. The Act aims to free local authorities and local communities by devolving more decision making power to them from central government. It reserves to central government, however, wide-ranging powers to ensure that local decisions do not conflict with national policy priorities.

The government has set out the five key measures in the Localism Act:

Community Rights
Neighbourhood planning
Housing
Empowering cities and other local areas
General power of competence

Many of the provisions in the Localism Act were brought into effect by a Commencement Order in January 2012. The General Power of Competence for local authorities came into force in February 2012, and other provisions will be in force by the end of May 2012.

The Act includes new community rights around challenging local public service delivery and assets of community value. Policy statements from the Department for Communities and Local Government have helped to clarify government thinking on these initiatives.

NAVCA welcomed the new community rights enshrined in the Act, while sounding a note of caution about whether the new provisions will successfully deliver the government's stated aims. Together with Urban Forum and local host organisations, NAVCA ran a series of Community Rights Made Real events across England to explore the community rights. Presentations from these events are available online.

NAVCA also established the Real Power for Communities campaign to keep colleagues up to date with developments and to try to ensure that the Localism Act delivers the powers that were promised to voluntary and community groups, rather than only to local government.

This following resources are intended to help you understand the effects of the Act on the voluntary and community sector: