Centralisation is ruining our local democracy

There is another element that is also very important, that of centralising power to Whitehall at the expense of local councils. There has been a steady decline in the amount of income collected locally.

Successive governments have removed the ability to raise business taxes locally, have capped council tax and have tied government grants to central policies.

Local councils need power. I have worked for short periods in France and its system is patently better than ours. Mayors can levy local taxes, sell assets with no capital ceilings, can determine economic policies locally and generally have much more power to act.

The link between local power and accountability is essential for a healthy local democracy. As a French colleague told me "We vote because we know it matters."

Kevin Marsh

Ipswich