The Liberal Democrat manifesto has committed the party to delivering greater fiscal freedom for English local authorities and a promise of less ministerial interference among key measures to ‘rejuvenate’ local government.

In its chapter on devolution and democracy, the manifesto pledges a Lib Dem administration would ‘deliver greater devolution of financial responsibility to English local authorities, and any new devolved bodies in England, building on the work of the Independent Commission on Local Government Finance’.

The final report issued jointly by the Local  Government Association and the Chartered Institute for Public Finance and Accountancy, which was published in February, called for the set up of an independent body to review the form and functions of local government and advise on funding.