Shapps: End of Whitehall ‘rubber stamping’

Local government minister Grant Shapps praises the government’s move to devolve responsibility for abolishing unwanted local by-laws to councils in England:

“It should not take a rubber stamp from central government to scrap outdated local laws. For far too long, councils have had to jump through hoops just to get things done for residents. That’s why I want councils to use this new power I am offering them, and keep a watchful eye out for outdated rules that will soon be so much easier to scrap.

“But people should also be free to contact their council with their concerns and have them addressed easily, so councils should also look to set local byelaws that improve their area – with no ministerial involvement whatsoever.

“This is part of wider government plans to devolve power straight from Whitehall to town halls and to communities, so they can improve the quality of their area for themselves.”