On 26 October 2006, CLG published a white paper entitled Strong and Prosperous Communities - The Local Government White Paper.

CLG states:

'(o)ur vision is of revitalised local authorities, working with their partners, to reshape public services around the citizens and communities that use them.

This means changing the way we work to give citizens and communities a bigger say; to enable local partners to respond more flexibly to local needs; to reduce the amount of top-down control from central government - and to enable citizens and communities to play their part.'

It sets out a clear vision of local government having a 'place shaping' role, core business for spatial planning.  However, the paper does not translate much of its vision into detail relevant to planning.

The RTPI welcomes the Local Government White Paper’s statement of a clear role for local authorities as ‘place shapers’ and its references to the roles of spatial planning in achieving this.  The White Paper demonstrates the real potential for the spatial planning system. It is now up to local and central government, politicians at all levels and planners themselves to grasp the opportunities presented. To do this, we need a properly resourced planning system and we urge CLG to proceed with its promised review of the resourcing of planning as a matter of urgency.

However, the White paper leaves much unfinished business. RTPI is particularly disappointed that the welcome emphasis on reducing the number of targets and moving to measures of outcomes appears across local government more broadly does not to have been applied to planning.

Read more...

• The White Paper
• The RTPI response and briefing

• Return to What Planning Does

Author:

Rynd Smith

Publisher:

The Royal Town Planning Institute

Date:

08-Jan-07

Categories:

Policy, Practice 

Sections:

What Planning Does

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