New Empowerment Action Plan

Communities secretary Hazel Blears MP has published an 'empowerment action plan' - setting out how the Government will deliver on its commitment to bring about greater devolution and empower communities.

The action plan, produced in partnership with the Local Government Association, makes clear how more people will be given more power over their communities in everything from tackling anti-social behaviour, managing social housing, tackling litter and fly tipping and improving playgrounds and parks. Funding of £35 million will back up the actions in the plan and support the successful delivery of the community empowerment agenda. Ms Blears will name 18 councils - two from every region of the country - as 'empowerment champions'.

Already pioneering a range of people power measures, these councils will work with other areas of the country to show empowerment in practice, share the lessons they have learned and help others to revive their local democracy through twinning programmes and regional empowerment road shows.

Data from the 2007 Citizenship survey published this month showed that only 37% of people feel they can influence decisions affecting their local area. Even fewer (20%) feel they could influence decisions affecting Great Britain. Too few people feel able to make a difference in their local area. But, where people are given greater say in how decisions affecting them are taken not only do people feel more empowered but satisfaction with public services rises too. Giving people greater access to local budgets, more power to trigger petitions, a bigger say for young people to decide the kind of services they want are all practical ways of getting people involved in local democracy. The action plan will dramatically expand and accelerate the programmes currently underway at both central and local government level to devolve more power to local people.

Ms Blears said: "This action plan is about turning rhetoric into reality. We have talked about devolution, now we need to step up a gear; to go further and faster and to be more ambitious about what we want achieve. A number of authorities are leading the charge for empowering people doing excellent work. Now I want local government to grasp the opportunities that devolution brings across the country. This action plan will bring about a transformation and reinvent the way we govern by bringing 'devolution to the doorstep'."

The action plan is an opportunity to make real changes to the way government does things - both nationally, and locally - and to deliver high quality services responsive to people's needs. The plan is published on People and Participation.net a new resource launched to help people across the country influence Government decision-making.

Visit www.peopleandparticipation.net to find out more.