The other day a group of 20 local government officers and councillors gathered at the LGiU offices to discuss the implications of the General Power of Competence.  In its current form, the new powers in Part 1 Chapter 1 of the Localism Bill will give local authorities the same power to act as an individual has, offering councils the opportunity to develop new and innovative business models in ways that were previously disallowed.

The seminar explored the implications of the new Power and aimed to address a number of questions including: