Residents' objections to how councils use their cash should not be investigated unless they are raised by at least 1% of local voters, the Audit Commission's chairman has warned. Writing in The MJ this week, Michael O'Higgins reveals his concerns over the Government's ‘community empowerment' agenda, arguing that while it has the potential to invigorate localities, it must be carefully managed. Mr O'Higgins is concerned that going beyond the Government's current empowerment proposals could engender a spate of costly appeals by residents over council activities and spending. Auditors are currently obliged to launch an inquiry in response to public objections – regardless of how frivolous the objection might be. Mr O'Higgins cites a recent case at Barnet LBC, where a handful of residents raised concerns about the sale of local land to Barnet Football Club, leading to a seven-year legal battle which cost the council £1m – despite the High Court rejecting residents' objections. He warns that a poorly-co-ordinated extension of community empowerment could, therefore, strain budgets and put pressure on council tax levels. ‘The right to object provides a cautionary tale. It shows how empowerment mechanisms, if not introduced sensibly, can lead to axe-grinding at the expense of fellow citizens,' he argues. ‘We could reform the process… by limiting objections to where a minimum number of local electors – say 50 or 1% of those on the electoral register, whichever is the higher – come together as objectors.' The CLG's Local Democracy Bill, containing community secretary Hazel Blears' plan to extend community empowerment, reached the committee stage of Parliament this week. The Bill will impose on councils a new duty to respond to residents' petitions and requirements to make information about council decision-making more easily available. It will also hand residents new powers to hold politicians to account. Launching the Bill late last year, Ms Blears said: ‘[The Bill] will give local authorities more power and freedom to respond to local needs.'
