Green Party call for a Sustainable Communities Act for Wales

Sustainable Communities Act for Wales

The Sustainable Communities Act process has started! We can now drive the
actions of government to protect Post Offices, increase bus services, restrict
supermarkets, promote local renewable energy and much more.

 Why is this Act different? What makes it not just another consultation exercise?

This Act is not just consultation. It is governance by dialogue and

reaching agreement. Government has a legal duty to co-operate and reach

agreement on the proposals made by communities and their councils.

Councils also have a duty to reach agreement with communities regarding

the ideas they have for help and action from central government. This

is radical - 

we have never before had a law like this that creates a bottom-up way of doing government.

We need to urge all our AMs to call upon the Welsh Assembly to act on this.

 Sustainable Communities Act - Action and Update - your help needed

The Sustainable Communities Act process has started! You and your communities

can now drive the actions of government to protect Post Offices, increase bus

services, restrict supermarkets, promote local renewable energy and much more.

 But…

We can only use the Act’s process if the Welsh Assembly wants us to. Only then

can our principal authorities (i.e. County Councils) choose to use it too. If

they do not then we can not use the Act at all. So it is crucial that AMs hear

loud and clear from us and other local residents that they should choose to use

the Act.

Action: get involved

1. Write to Welsh Assembly Members asking them to “please support the submission

of a Legislative Competence Order to apply the powers in the Sustainable

Communities Act to Wales”. You can find out who your Welsh Assembly Members are

by going to www.assemblywales.org or calling the Assembly Information Line on

0845 010 5500.

 If the Welsh Assembly chooses to request to Westminster that the Act

applies to them it will also apply to all Local Authorities in Wales.

The Local Works coalition are campaigning for the Welsh Assembly to

choose to do this. Please write to your AMs if you are a Welsh citizen

(you can use this sample letter).

 2. Please sign up to Local Works by sending your contact details to the address

or email below so that we can keep you informed of the progress we are making in

applying the Act to Wales.

 Ask other local people to write too - the more letters that AMs receive the

better! So please forward this email to friends, family, neighbours, colleagues

etc.

Currently over 20 councils in England have already resolved to use the Act. This

is very good news given that the process has only just started. You can see the

full list on the front page of the website here: www.localworks.org.

SAMPLE LETTER

Below is a sample letter for Welsh citizens to use when writing to their Welsh Assembly Members asking them to support the Assembly ‘opting in’ to the Sustainable Communities Act.

The text below is a guide, please feel free to compose your own letters as they will be more effective. Also please other people to write too – the more the better!

Note: You can find out who your Welsh Assembly Members are by going to www.assemblywales.org or calling the Assembly Information Line on 0845 010 5500.

Find your assembly member here

http://www.assemblywales.org/memhome/member-search.htm

Dear [your Assembly Member’s name],

Re: the Welsh Assembly ‘opting in’ to the Sustainable Communities Act

In October 2007 the Sustainable Communities Act became an Act of the Westminster Parliament. It provides fantastic new opportunities for local communities and their councils to drive government policies to reverse community decline and promote sustainable communities.

However the Act does not currently apply to Wales. In order to make it apply to Wales the Welsh Assembly needs to apply to Westminster to be granted the powers in the Act. To do this the Welsh Assembly must submit something called a Legislative Competence Order to Westminster.

I am therefore writing to you to ask you to please support the submission of a Legislative Competence Order to apply the powers in the Sustainable Communities Act to Wales.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Yours sincerely,

[your name]

[your address]

Please send copies of any replies you receive to Local Works Campaign Co-ordinator, Steve Shaw, at steve@localworks.org or Local Works

c/o Unlock Democracy

6 Cynthia St

London N1 9JF