Three in four people would rather trust their local councillor to make a decision about their community than their MP, a new poll has revealed.
The poll, commissioned by the Local Government Association (LGA) and carried out by Populous, shows 76% of people trust their local councillor most to make decisions about how services are delivered in their area.
But just 9% trust their MP the most and even less (6%) trust government ministers to make these decisions.
The poll also found the number of people who trust their local council to make decisions has increased from 71%, when the poll was last conducted in October 2013, to 77%.
In contrast, the number of those who trust central government the most remained the same over the time period, at 13%.
‘This polling highlights the high level of trust people have in their local councils and councillors when it comes to making decisions about their communities,' said chair of the LGA's improvement and innovation board, Cllr Peter Fleming.
‘Despite 40% cuts to council budgets since 2010 councils are trusted to take care of vulnerable children, provide social services and housing and run essential frontline services in their areas.
‘Decisions about local areas should be made at a local level and with such high levels of trust in councils and councillors by the public, we hope the Government will invest more power in councils and local decision makers,' added Cllr Fleming.
