The National Association of Local Councils (NALC) has called on national political party leaders to use their General Election manifestos to help build strong communities. An open letter from NALC chairman, Cllr Sue Baxter, calls on the next government to ensure that communities have say over local services, are able to take back control, and can bring people together. In particular, it urges the major political parties to give local people more of a say over planning, housing and development by giving neighbourhood plans more weight. The letter also calls on whoever forms the next government to scrap council tax referendums and reintroduce laws to make public toilets exempt from business rates. ‘As the most local level of democracy and community action, councils can, and already are, using their unique place-based role to tackle challenges from health and well-being to housing, loneliness to local services, community assets to cohesion parks … (To read the full article, subscribe below)
Senior reporter – NewStart
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