The Local Works campaign, whose coalition members include national environmental groups, unions and social justice organisations, today congratulated local MP, Peter Ainsworth, for stating his support for the Sustainable Communities Bill at a public meeting held last week in Caterham.

The Bill seeks to reverse Ghost Town Britain - the continuous closure of thousands of post offices, bank branches, independent shops, local pubs and newsagents. Often local citizens feel powerless to protect their communities due to forces that seem distant and overpowering.

An audience of local citizens, volunteer workers and councillors asked key questions relating to how the Bill would actually work in helping them make their communities more sustainable. The Bill will empower individuals and councils over Whitehall to implement their own strategies and policies rather than be subject to centralised one-size-fits-all plans and policy.

Peter Ainsworth MP said:

“The Sustainable Communities Bill is a strike back on behalf of citizens. It will help put local people and their councils back in charge. It begins to turn the wheel in the other direction by imposing burdens on government, rather than the other way around. The primary purpose of this Bill is to require government to promote local sustainability. So it will empower local communities based on the idea that they are the experts on their own problems and the solutions to them.”

Campaign Co-ordinator Steve Shaw said:

“The decline of local communities – Ghost Town Britain – is going on everywhere. People are having to watch vital local services and facilities like Post Offices and bank branches as well as local businesses disappear whilst having no power to stop it. The Sustainable Communities Bill will change that by giving communities real power over policies affecting their own areas. What’s needed is a bottom-up approach - with local communities having more say in what happens at a local level - not a Whitehall top-down approach.

“We therefore congratulate Peter Ainsworth MP for attending and speaking at our public meeting held on 20 th October at Caterham’s Soper Hall to highlight the importance of this Bill and for giving it his support.”