Local government and communities secretary, Hazel Blears, has revealed she is fighting a tough battle with Cabinet colleagues to protect plans to devolve power to local authorities. She told The MJ this week she had been involved in a round of frantic meetings with other senior ministers ahead of next month's Comprehensive Spending Review to ensure other agencies, such as police and health, do not impose competing priorities. She told an LGA conference on Local Area Agreements (LAAs) that the next year would be critical in getting the ‘evidence and the ammunition' to convince the Treasury to give even more freedom to councils. She said: ‘There are still a lot of people who are sceptical about whether local government can have a big impact on the locality. If we fluff it, then we will give credence to the people who are still sceptical.' Ms Blears said there were concerns other departments would use guidance as a way of circumventing agreements. ‘What I don't want is that we get all kinds of measures coming in through the back door,' she said. Ms Blears said the devolution agenda was a challenge for ‘Cabinet colleagues and the Whitehall machine'. But she also warned councils that although the number of performance demands had been reduced from 1,200 to 200, there would not be a ‘free for all'. She added support from councils was solid: ‘I have a sense now that more people are engaged with this agenda than ever before.' Her comments coincided with publication of the first guidance from the DCLG on LAAs, based on the 17 pilot areas. LGA chair, Sir Simon Milton, responded: ‘The cutting of central targets will genuinely allow councils to respond to unique needs of specific areas and will let them give people what they want.'
