CROSS-BOUNDARY LOCAL AUTHORITY CO-ORDINATION
Oral Question by Nicholas Soames MP to Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government on Cross-boundary Local Authority Co-ordination
1. Sir Nicholas Soames (Mid Sussex) (Con): What guidance he provides for local authorities on co-ordination across local authority boundaries. [908047]
The Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (Mr Eric Pickles): We have abolished Labour’s top-down regional strategies, which built nothing but resentment, and replaced them with the Localism Act 2011, which asks councils to work together and co-operate on cross-boundary matters.
Sir Nicholas Soames: May I ask my right hon. Friend to have a word with West Sussex and Surrey county councils about the importance of constant liaison on roadworks? Is he aware that in East Grinstead, which has suffered terrible inconvenience for several years as a result of roadworks, it is becoming impossible to ensure that there is a free passage for cars at all times?
Mr Pickles: My right hon. Friend has made a very reasonable point. I will of course liaise with both council leaders, and will send them a copy of Hansard. The duty not just to consult but to co-operate is immensely important, and most local authorities co-operate very harmoniously. They have a responsibility to work together: after all, the people for whom they are working together are the general population who elect them.