Labour plans to strip Whitehall of its powers and let town halls take over services

Time for change: At UK town halls such as Manchester

Labour is drafting a ­revolutionary plan to strip Whitehall of its powers and create its own Big Society.

That would mean town halls getting massive five-year budgets to run ­expanded local services, reports the Sunday People.

And the Treasury would no longer hold the nation’s purse-strings and become a backstop in case councils got it wrong.

In a key speech on Wednesday, policy ­review chief Jon Cruddas will say Labour want to take power to give it away.

David Cameron hoped to create a Big Society of volunteers in the run-up to the 2010 General Election – but had to ditch it in the face of Tory complacency.

Now Labour leader Ed Miliband is working on his own Big Society idea for next year’s election to be called the Good Society.

The blueprint will be unveiled by the left-leaning Institute for Public Policy Research think-tank on the same day as Mr Cruddas’s speech.



Good Society: Labour leader Ed Miliband

It will say the only way to make planned Whitehall savings of £18.5billion is to devolve more power to councils.

They would take over home and ­maternity care, welfare-to-work programmes and offender handling.

And neighbourhoods would get community workers who everyone knows and trusts.

So, for example, the disabled and elderly are seen by the same social worker each time.

IPPR director Nick Pearce said: “Public services are struggling to cope with an increasingly complex world and will have less funding to do so.”

He said a new approach is needed to tackle antisocial behaviour, chronic ­ill-health and young people without jobs, education or training.

He added: “Simply contracting out to private providers on a ‘payment by results’ basis will not deal with these kind of problems.”

The plan is understood to be backed by shadow welfare secretary Rachel Reeves and shadow communities ­secretary Hilary Benn.

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/big-society-labour-plans-strip-3127219#ixzz2soqilFkb
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What a fantastic idea!

Except that Gordon did exactly the opposite so Labour are suggesting they reverse the damage they did presumably. I take it you are disappointed in Labours wastes in the last Parliament my little bakewell scrounger.

Can't wait for that to happen. We in Northants will be having more Hamster training classes

I jest not - Sadly see link.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2554002/Council-plan-taxpayer-funded-adult-learning-course-look-HAMSTERS-assessing-social-needs-forced-cancel-NO-ONE-signs-up.html

The two-hour course was called 'Meeting The Welfare Needs of Hamsters'
It covered feeding pets 'a balanced diet' and assessing their 'social needs'
Campaigners and politicians brand the course a waste of time and money
Northamptonshire Council hurriedly pulled adverts today after the media phoned up to ask why they were spending money on it