Pickles responds

Here are Eric Pickles’s answers to the questions posed by Coffee Housers:

 Victoria Street

“Devolving power downwards from Westminster doesn’t mean that the blame can always be devolved downwards. Are you prepared for the inevitable slew of critical media that is an inevitable result of letting go the reins? Can you resist the temptation to intervene? Can you take the pressure of Labour and Liberal Democrat authorities demanding central government action to pay for their local mistakes?”

If we are truly to be the Party of real localism, we must trust local councillors to determine what is right for local communities and be confident that those communities will hold them to account. David Cameron has already given strong indications of some the ways we would hand powers back to councils and through them to the wider communities. For example instead of Ministers imposing “crude universal capping” of Council Tax residents would determine council tax increases through referendums.  We will shortly be setting out ambitious proposals for real localism in a Conservative Green paper in the autumn. The command and control structure created by Labour has stifled innovation and diversity in local authorities. For local democracy to flourish the centre has to let go. 

 Tiberius

“Do you have a formula which you feel will lead to successful integration of minorities into mainstream, host communities, simultaneously leading them away from destructive influences?”

I was bought up in a Pennine Mill Town with a large BME population, and went on to become a councillor on Bradford Metropolitan District Council at a time when a great deal of effort was made to bring ethnic minorities into the political process, so this is a personal issue to me. Constant and consistent dialog is crucial; there is no proscribed formula or quick fix. It is a mistake to dismiss community leaders as “self appointed” or “unrepresented” but it is equally a mistake to rely on them as the sole conduit for communication to a significant proportion of British residents. If we see minority communities as being prone to “destructive influences” and little else, then the battle for integration and moderation is already lost. Successful integration is achieved through sensitive policies on housing, health, education and policing all should open the door to the wider community. I have personally witnessed inspirational projects in the North of England and the Midlands that have quietly (out of the public gaze) confronted and eased the anger of disaffected young people. This is an issue that demands cooperation and trust between people of all political parties and those that belong to none.

Ray

“Will a future Conservative Government have a go at one-and-for-all sorting out the powers, responsibilities and funding of local authorities in such a way that councils once again raise the bulk of the money they spend themselves (and hence councillors can be held more fully accountable for the way it is spent)?” 

The key issue is not from where money is raised, but rather how it is spent. There is a strong case for the billions of pounds of funds poorly administered by central and regional quangos to be devolved down to local communities. There is no appetite amongst the public for higher local taxes; residents have suffered a doubling of council tax in less than 10 years of Labour. The most significant cause of the increase was centrally imposed burdens. Our Autumn Green Paper will look at ways of giving local authorities a greater interest in their tax base. I have had a close involvement in local government finance for nearly 30 years, in that time I have learnt (sometimes the hard way) that local government needs stability and predictability on finance. Our reforms will be incremental and gradual, giving priority to the most vulnerable groups.

Silent Hunter

“How are you going to deal with all the New Labour ’embedded’ senior civil servants in all departments of government? 

Won’t they be a drag anchor in your efforts to get this country back on its feet after 11 years of Labour misrule?” We have long called for a Civil Service Act to restore and protect the impartiality of the Civil Service which has been compromised by Labour. However, I am not interested in how civil servants vote, that is a private matter.  What I am concerned about is ensuring that public servants at all levels understand that a Conservative government will be elected on a mandate to deliver the urgent change that this country needs, and that it is their job to help deliver this, not to hinder it.  I am confident that civil servants will professionally respond to the leadership offered by David’s incoming government.

David Parker

“Are Regional Assemblies cost effective, worthwhile or compatible with Tory local government policy?”

In answer to your three questions: no, no, and no; we will abolish the unelected regional assemblies This is just part of our plans to hand power back to people which we will be outlining in the Autumn Green Paper.

BorisforPM

“Eric, the Crewe and Nantwich result was an astounding one which attracted masses of support from activists and officers of the Conservative party. All their hard work, no doubt, contributed to the result. But that was a by-election. In the coming general election, each constituency won’t have that sort of manpower. What is the single most important strategic change that can be made to the campaigns for the general election?”

It was a real privilege to be involved with the Crewe by-election, and I was impressed not only by the ability and dedication of the party’s professional staff, but also by the commitment and enthusiasm of our activists. If I learnt one thing from Crewe, it is that the old rules don’t apply any more.  People who had voted Labour all of their lives were coming up to us, shaking us warmly by the hand, and pledging their support.  The lesson every constituency must learn is that every vote is up for grabs, there are no safe Labour areas anymore, and that votes, particularly in the North of England can be gained if we go out and work for them. There is no single silver bullet; success is achieved by talking to people on the doorstep and listening to what they say.