Introduction

The U.K. Independence Party is committed to the principle of democracy at all levels. We believe that the current disenchantment with politics and the political process is the inevitable result of years of centralization of powers, leaving the electorate almost completely detached from the political process.

UKIP is committed to reversing these changes, and re-engaging the public in a meaningful sense. In so doing, we propose to return to the electorate the power to make a difference by using their vote, whether through the introduction of popular referendums, or through the increase in the powers of parish or community councils.

We believe that local authorities have forgotten that they are there for our benefit, not us for theirs. The constant expansion of local authorities into areas outside of their core purpose has stripped those very core services of resources. UKIP believes that local authorities should re-focus on the priorities of local people, and, where appropriate, divest itself of these non-core activities.

This document sets out our view of local governance and its operation. Many of the policies contained herein can be implemented at local authority level without changes to national legislation, although some would require primary legislation in order to affect change.

The current government is ostensibly concerned with 'bringing government closer to the people'. In our manifesto for local government, we show them how it can be done, without reservation or manipulation, and we challenge them to act upon it. We suspect they will not rise to the challenge, because it requires a surrender of control and a trust in the electorate which they are not prepared to allow.

Local Governance

The U.K. Independence Party believes that the current, cabinet style of government undermines democracy, and relegates elected non-cabinet councillors to the role of rubber-stamping their decisions.

The cabinet style of local government is a statutory obligation under the Local Government Act, and as such UKIP administrations can not dispense with it. However, in order to return democratic accountability to elected councillor level, UKIP would circumvent the cabinet style of local governance as follows.

Cabinet Members would be selected by the sub-committees which they represent, and will at all times remain accountable to those sub-committees. A UKIP administration would consider itself bound by the decisions of the sub-committee with regard to the cabinet members selected by the appropriate committee.

This move reverses the trend whereby the real decisions are made at cabinet level, returning democratic power to the non-cabinet councillors.

UKIP accepts that this may lead to a situation where cabinet members within a UKIP administration are not UKIP councillors. However, UKIP's view is that local residents deserve the best available local governance, regardless of political affiliation. Therefore, a UKIP administration would be happy to see the best elected councillors represented within the cabinet, regardless of party politics; such an arrangement will eliminate much of the party political posturing that serves to undermine the efficient running of council business.

Councillor payments

UKIP believes that local councillors should work for the benefit of the local community without remuneration excepting reimbursement of genuine expenses incurred whilst carrying out official duties. We find the current system of flat rate payments to councillors to be against the best interests of local residents. Consequently, UKIP will urge their councillors to claim only for expenses incurred, with as much as they can afford of the surplus of the £6000 annual payment being donated to local charities for the benefit of local residents, or returned to central council funds. UKIP accepts that the current cabinet system of government places a heavy onus upon cabinet members which at times leads to loss of salary from the councillors normal paid employment. UKIP cabinet members would also be urged to return any excessive monies over and above those offsetting their losses to central council funds.

Regional Governance

UKIP administrations believe that the proposed regional governments are anti-democratic, and too remote from the electorate to be meaningful. UKIP administrations would withdraw from the existing regional assemblies, whilst pressing for immediate referendums in all regions on whether regional governance should continue. UKIP administrations would divert the not-inconsiderable payments which local authorities already make to regional governance into local causes of benefit to local residents.

UKIP opposes the government's less than honest proposals for referendums on regional government, and notes that the question is not whether to have regional government, but whether to elect it or not. We believe the governments intention to continue with the present, un-elected regional assemblies in the event of a 'No' vote is against the spirit of democratic politics, and is designed to mislead the electorate. UKIP and any UKIP local administrations would campaign for immediate referendums on regional assemblies across the UK, whilst urging the government to scrap the existing assemblies.

UKIP administrations will urge a return to the County system of governance, based upon the traditional county structure of the United Kingdom. UKIP will re-constitute those county councils which have been abolished in successive reviews to return democracy to the most appropriate level.

Public Consultation

UKIP believes that current public consultation exercises are not in the public interests, and often fail to take account of local feeling and opinion. UKIP believes that this is wrong, and that the most important aspect of public consultation is that the public is listened to.

Consequently, UKIP administrations would scrap all existing public consultation exercises. Instead, UKIP administrations would institute a new, genuinely democratic process based on the principles of direct democracy.

The Local Government Act 2000 gives local authorities the power to do anything which is in the best interests of local residents and businesses. Therefore, UKIP administrations would introduce local referendums on a regular basis on all major local issues, with the administration being bound by the result. Issues which would be put to referendum would include;

Building and development which exceeds, for residential purposes, over 100 units of housing or, for business purposes, over 26000 sq ft of space.

Changes to transport infrastructure, transport planning or any other transport issue which falls within the remit of the administration concerned

Any project which may cause significant alteration to the local environment

Any other measure which secures the support of 5% of the local electorate for unitary and county councils and 10% for Borough and District councils in the form of a petition, and which does not;

Negate the principles of referendums or democracy

Propose an illegal action

Resubmit to referendum a motion previously defeated within the past 24 months

Propose a course of action for the authority which the authority may not legally follow

Propose a course of action which is nonsensical, impossible to implement or beyond financial or technical feasibility

Be directed towards or against an individual or groups of individuals

The scope of the referendums would depend upon the scale of change. Local development with limited impact outside of the ward concerned would prompt a referendum only in that ward and, where appropriate, surrounding wards. Larger scale changes would prompt a poll across the entire authority.

UKIP recognizes that low turnouts on referendums could be cause for a judicial review where a development is refused planning permission. Consequently, for the result to be binding upon the administration, it would require a turnout of at least 25%.

UKIP believes that the falling turnouts at elections are a result Councils being answerable to central government for the vast proportion of their funding and not therefore answerable to electors. We firmly believe that, by re-engaging the electorate, the voter apathy which is so apparent will cease when voters realise that their vote can make a difference.

Local Democracy

UKIP believes that voters should be encouraged to participate meaningfully in the electoral process. Therefore, UKIP administrations would encourage the formation of Parish Councils (Community Councils in Wales) where they do not already exist, and would strengthen their consultative role on non-referendum issues.

UKIP believes these councils to be both the lowest and the truest form of democracy, with direct contact between elected and elector. We would reverse the trend of the current government to sideline parish councils. UKIP administrations would encourage these councils to devolve power from the authority, be that District, Borough, Unitary or County, and take the maximum powers allowed by law.

UKIP believes that local organisations should have a greater, more formal role in public governance, including the setting of priorities for local council funding. Consequently, UKIP administrations would encourage the formation of resident's associations, and would grant a greater role to them in the formation of public priorities.

UKIP understands that many existing resident's associations are tied by their constitution to the local authority, and some may not comment on political issues. UKIP would remove these restrictions immediately, and, where the local authority retains a veto over the action of resident's associations, UKIP would surrender this veto.

UKIP also recognizes the importance of the local business community. UKIP administrations would encourage the formation of local trader's associations and chambers of commerce, and grant them a greater say in local affairs. UKIP recognizes that, whilst local business owners may not reside within an authorities electoral area, they are as affected as local residents by the actions of the local authority, and as such should have a formal voice in the decision making process. UKIP administrations would, as with resident's associations, surrender any right of veto over the affairs of these organisations.

Local Government Financing

UKIP believes the current system of funding local government to be pointlessly complicated and designed to increase local government reliance on central government. Under the present system, local government receives roughly 75% of its funding from central government, with the remainder coming from local taxation.

UKIP believes this arrangement to be profoundly unsatisfactory. Electoral accountability for councillors decisions over financial management is sadly lacking, and the high proportion of non-local taxation ensures a lack of scrutiny in local financing initiatives.

UKIP believes that local governance should be primarily financed from local taxation, with appropriate adjustments made by central government to ensure equality of service across the nation.

Consequently, UKIP believes that local business rates (Uniform Business Rates), which are currently collected centrally, should be returned to the control of local authorities. This will achieve two aims.

Firstly, local authorities will be able to set business rates at a level sustainable within the local community, with regard to local economic conditions. This will ensure a more appropriate response to crises such as last year's foot and mouth epidemic, where the relief arrangements trumpeted by central government proved less than adequate in practice. It will also ensure that localised recessionary conditions can be combated far more effectively than at present.

Secondly, this will reduce the reliance of local authorities upon central government largesse or otherwise. Currently, local government receives (as mentioned previously) some 75% of its funding from central government. By passing collection and assessment of local business rates to local control, this will reduce the input from central government to less than 60%.

UKIP believes that this percentage of central government funding is still too high. Consequently, UKIP proposes to grant local authorities the power to collect stamp duty on local property sales and, within certain guidelines, to also grant the right to waive stamp duty where appropriate.

Appropriate circumstances may be as follows; in wards officially classed as 'deprived', in certain hardship cases, and to foster new business.

UKIP believes that this move will take the proportion of locally collected funding above 50% of total funding.

UKIP believes that, as responsibility passes back to local councillors, the electorate will begin to re-engage with local government. When elected councillors bear the responsibility not merely for spending public funds, but also for setting the local rate and collecting it, local electors will demand far closer scrutiny of their representatives.

UKIP also believes that the already relatively transparent 'electoral bribery' displayed by central government in fostering regional governance by shifting funds to its target areas will become increasingly clear to the electorate.

Housing

UKIP recognizes the need to provide affordable, high quality housing both for the private sector and within the public sector. UKIP also recognizes the dire state of many council housing estates in terms of problems with high crime, poor maintenance and lack of aspiration.

UKIP authorities will permit reasonable, sympathetic developments of affordable housing, subject to specific plans meeting with public approval in a local referendum. UKIP recognizes the need for more housing in heavily populated areas, whilst deploring the imposition of housing targets by central government. UKIP believes that such developments should be market led, rather than driven by a thinly disguised command economy model.

UKIP also recognizes the need to regenerate rural communities, especially those which have become 'ghost towns' as holiday home ownership increases and high property prices combined with low local pay rates effectively price local voters out of their homes.

UKIP administrations in rural areas would be given the power to waive stamp duty on homes purchased by those living within the local community for properties up to £150,000 in value, effectively giving local purchasers a 1.5% price advantage over those seeking to move into the area. UKIP administrations would extend this measure to those moving into rural communities to take up paid employment locally.

UKIP recognizes that rural communities are already in serious decline, and a lack of affordable housing is in large part to blame, although the effects of poor public transport can not be overlooked and will be addressed later. UKIP will therefore encourage the building of affordable housing within rural communities, both as public housing and for private sale. However, UKIP administrations will ensure that caveats will be contained within title deeds to ensure that affordable housing is not used for the creation of short term profit.

UKIP recognizes the value of the 'right to buy', and would continue this policy. We believe that private ownership of former council housing fosters stronger community links as people gain a proprietorial stake in their community.

UKIP believes that local authorities should regain the necessary power to develop social housing from their own resources, including the spending of capital receipts from housing sales. UKIP sees the transfer of ownership to public and private bodies as against the public interest, and UKIP authorities would seek to keep local authority ownership.

UKIP also believes that the poor state of maintenance of a large proportion of the council housing stock plays a part in the general deprivation suffered by many run down estates. UKIP administration would halt all non-essential public works, and divert resources to ensure that this situation is reversed. We believe that those who live in public housing have a right to expect decent, high quality housing, especially as public sector rents have increased significantly over recent years to a point where they are in some cases approaching private rental rates.

Consequently, UKIP administrations would focus on the installation of double glazing, central heating, damp-proofing (where this is a problem) and the installation of security features which many older homes lack, including locks on windows and the replacement of low quality, hardboard front doors.

UKIP administration would also tackle the 'run down' feel of many estates. The removal of abandoned vehicles, the repair of street lighting and footways, and a planting of more trees combined with greater care of grassed areas to create a more pleasant environment for those living there.

These initiatives would be in conjunction with improvements to public transport and the provision of adequate policing to reduce the incidence of anti-social behaviour which plagues the lives of many residents.

UKIP administrations, as a part of this process, would allocate (where appropriate premises exist) or build specific 'police houses', to create genuine community policing.

Policing and Crime

UKIP believes that its shifting of local government financing towards local revenue raising will in turn make local policing more responsive to local needs. Currently, only some 40% of police budgets are raised through 'local' taxation, with almost half of that coming from the centrally collected Uniform Business Rate. Further, a significant proportion of police funding is clawed back by central government to pay for national strategies and policies.

UKIP believes that such policies overlook local needs, and that there should be greater democratic input into local policing issues.

UKIP believes that a return to community policing, through the re-introduction of both police houses and 'bobbies on the beat' have a significant deterrent value. However, there are certain funding implications contained within this return to 'traditional' policing.

UKIP is (as mentioned previously) committed to the return of parish councils, and is aware of a number of instances where parish councils have reached agreement with local constabularies to pay directly for a permanent police presence. UKIP is committed to encouraging such schemes where police forces fail to provide an adequate police presence.

UKIP is also opposed to the ongoing closure of police stations. We believe that this sends the wrong message to criminals, whilst simultaneously increasing fear within the local community that their needs are being ignored. UKIP administrations would as a matter of policy oppose any further closures of police stations, whilst pressing for the re-opening of closed stations.

UKIP also believes that greater community involvement has a valuable role to play. In many areas, residents find themselves powerless to reverse local decline in the face of council ambivalence. UKIP believes that the increased role it envisages for local residents, through resident's associations and parish councils, will return to many a sense of 'civic pride' which is perhaps lacking now. UKIP believes that where electors see a role for themselves in change for the better, they will play a more proactive part in creating that change.

Youth Crime

UKIP believes that much of the youth crime which affects various areas is caused through the lack of youth facilities. For several years, there has been inertia within local government over a solution to the problems caused by gangs of adolescents hanging around in public areas, creating public order problems, vandalism and graffiti, and attracting other anti-social elements such as drug dealers.

UKIP believes that it should work with residents associations and community groups to provide facilities for these youths. A common complaint, and one borne out by investigation of local facilities, is that they have 'nothing else to do'.

UKIP recognises that parents who fail to exercise adequate control over their children are responsible for creating many of these problems. However, whilst this is true, bemoaning this will not cure the problem, and neither can a single local authority reverse a national social trend. A UKIP administration would instead devote considerable efforts to ensuring that these children are removed from street corners to a safe, supervised place through the creation of youth clubs, improved sports facilities and other youth projects.

UKIP acknowledges that many residents feel that parents should deal with these problem children, and, indeed, that is a view with which we are not unsympathetic. However, where parents are proving poor role models, UKIP believes that it is our job as a society to show them how things should be, not blame them for the failings of their parents. By creating effective role models within local communities, and providing alternative activities, UKIP believes it can prevent these children from repeating their parent's mistakes in coming years.

UKIP believes that activities dictated by adults are perhaps not best placed to attract these children. Therefore, UKIP would support the participation of local youth in residents associations, perhaps as a youth branch. While residents associations would not necessarily be bound by requests from youth sections, we would encourage their views to be acknowledged and recognised, encouraging a sense of community involvement and participation which many of these youths are lacking.

UKIP would also press for extra policing of areas which are particularly badly affected by youth crime. UKIP believes that the presence of police officers on foot patrol will tend to deter youths from their current actions. A UKIP administration would, if necessary, enter into financial agreement with the local Constabulary to make available officers for these tasks.

Anti-social behaviour

UKIP recognises that there is a problem within the community at large which is not restricted to youth. This takes the form of inconsiderate behaviour, public disorder and the causing of nuisance. In some respects, a Borough council is powerless to act; however, where appropriate, UKIP will act speedily to remove disorderly council tenants from their houses where they have a pattern of causing nuisance to their neighbour. A UKIP administration would also enforce existing environmental legislation regarding noise nuisance for private tenants and homeowners, taking speedy enforcement action.

UKIP recognizes that anti-social behaviour blights the lives of many. Despite increasingly draconian legislation being enacted by central government, the number of anti-social behaviour orders granted remains derisory whilst the scale of the problem continues to grow. UKIP administrations are committed to acting far more pro-actively in identifying those responsible, and, where appropriate, taking the necessary enforcement action to prevent the lives of others being blighted.

UKIP sees community based policing as being a part of the answer. However, UKIP administrations would act far more speedily to remove problem tenants. In order to achieve this, the recently established 'community wardens' would be utilized to gather evidence for court action where local residents are fearful of the consequences to themselves of appearing as witnesses.

Transport

UKIP is committed to the promotion of public transport use, both in view of the long term environmental consequences of unrestrained private car use, and because of the short term effects of local congestion. However, UKIP believes that current policy designed to force car owners off the road and onto an increasingly poor public transport system is unrealistic, unfair and destined to failure. UKIP believes that the decision to favour public transport should be voluntary and not enforced through legislative and administrative changes which punish the less well off disproportionately. We are opposed to punitive measures directed at motorists.

As a result, we would press existing bus companies to review existing routes across the authorities area, to ensure that affordable, rapid transit is available to all sectors of the community, especially those most disadvantaged by current arrangements, such as those on low incomes, the elderly and those in rural areas.

UKIP also believes that multi-modal interchanges between differing types of public transport are lacking. UKIP administrations would seek to ensure that time tabling of public transport allowed continuity of travel, with minimum distances between, say, railway stations and bus stands.

UKIP recognises that traders in town centres have been significantly disadvantaged by the imposition of increased parking charges combined with the reduction in the number of parking spaces. A UKIP administration would reverse these changes as follows;

UKIP administrations would initiate an immediate review of parking charge policy with a view to their abolishment where practicable. UKIP does not accept the need to penalize motorists in the interests of general revenue raising nor to use parking policy as a tool to drive motorists onto public transport. We are concerned that the high levels of town centre parking charges work to the detriment of the local economy and local businesses by driving trade elsewhere. UKIP administrations would undertake to freeze parking charges at their current levels whilst the review was ongoing.

UKIP believes that parking enforcement is better directed towards ensuring the free flow of traffic, which benefits motorists and public transport alike.

UKIP believes that the creation of traffic bottlenecks within towns has been deliberate, with the intention of forcing passenger car transport off the road through a combination of increased charges and slower journey times. Both of these policies are in line with the European Union's Common Transport Policy. UKIP would remodel junctions and roads to return priority to vehicles, speeding vehicle flow and reducing traffic congestion.

UKIP also believes that the introduction of bus lanes has tended to slow traffic flow, and will aim to remove bus lanes where this is the case.

As a matter of priority, the hours of availability for public transport should be extended. UKIP believes that many of the problems experienced within town centres in the late evenings are caused by a lack of a proper means of dispersal for crowds vacating the town's entertainment facilities. UKIP would urge local transport providers to continue services into the early hours of the morning, and UKIP administrations would strive to ensure adequate security was provided for vehicles offering this service. UKIP believes that the benefits to the night-time economy would be considerable, and that there would be a significant reduction in late night violence, vandalism and unruly behaviour and a commensurate reduction in the number of offenses of drink-driving.

Environment

The U.K. Independence Party is committed to protecting our environment, as demonstrated by our referendum proposals for measures which will cause significant alterations. Further, UKIP administrations will strive to protect the local environment and the diversity of wildlife by refusing inappropriate development which is likely to impact disproportionately.

UKIP administrations will also introduce information campaigns directed at local residents and businesses encouraging a more responsible attitude to waste products and environmental protection based upon sound science as opposed to politically correct nonsense.

UKIP will continue to support, or, where such schemes do not exist, to introduce energy saving awareness campaigns highlighting the waste of energy in the home. Such campaigns would, for example, highlight the costs of leaving televisions on stand-by as opposed to switching them off. This move, if applied across the country, would save the equivalent of a complete power station's output.

UKIP supports the use of renewable energy sources where these are lead by science rather than political idealism. Where appropriate, UKIP administrations will support plans for sustainable energy sources. However, UKIP opposes the use of incineration as a means of disposing of waste, believing that the long term health effects upon local residents outweigh the short term energy benefits.

Business and Economic Growth

UKIP believes in the fostering of small, local businesses within the community. As noted above, our policy with regard to the Uniform Business Rate is designed to connect local businesses with the local authority.

Also mentioned above are the creation of larger, truly independent voices for local businesses within the policy making and consultative framework through the creation of independent chambers of commerce.

However, UKIP also believes that local government can create the conditions for more local electors to enter into business.

Many local authorities across the UK own business premises. These take the form of part-ownership of large developments, local community retail premises within large social housing developments, and surplus to requirements premises owned outright by the local authority in addition to business units built by the council to encourage local businesses.

UKIP believes that local authorities should make greater use of these assets, with priority being given to truly local enterprises.

Consequently, UKIP proposes that new local businesses should be given priority in the allocation of these premises, on extremely favourable terms. Most small businesses which fail do so because of cash flow problems within 2 years of their formation. Within the UK, in some areas we are now seeing the Uniform Business Rate exceeding the rental cost of retail and industrial units, with both rates and rental being a significant cost factor within a small business' budget.

UKIP regrets that many owners of failed small businesses are so distressed by the failure that they may not attempt such a venture again. Consequently, UKIP would propose that for new businesses, where the owner or principle lives within the authorities area, the authority should grant from formation a 2 year local taxation holiday encompassing both Uniform Business Rate and Council Tax, and also waiving the stamp duty on property purchase.

UKIP believes that the successful creation of local enterprise will play a major part in regenerating many 'run down' town centres which have suffered from the recent shift to the development of 'out of town' shopping complexes.

UKIP recognizes the special needs of rural communities. UKIP authorities would work to encourage the enterprise culture necessary to reverse the decline of these communities.

Rural UKIP authorities would seek to work with urban authorities to encourage the creation of farmers markets, allowing local farmers access to large metropolitan markets directly without the need for a series of middlemen. It would also grant those metropolitan communities access to low cost, high quality agricultural produce.

There would be a major side-benefit of such a course of action. UKIP believes that the interaction between rural and Metropolitan communities created would lead to a greater understanding on both sides of what is becoming a more marked divide in attitudes between town and country.

UKIP also believes that the greater role enjoyed by many local electors within the local economy and decision making process will significantly improve, for want of a better expression, the sense of 'civic pride' so lacking within many areas.

UKIP believes that these measures will restore to local authorities the power to materially influence the fostering of a business and enterprise culture which will act in the best interests of local residents.