Commenting on the Governments plans to allow the public to veto council tax increases in England above a limit agreed annually by Parliament, Peter Facey Director of Unlock Democracy commented
"These measures are a welcome first step however upon detailed inspection represent a half way house.
"Whilst we welcome the coalition’s rhetoric about empowering communities, if they truly believed in local people making local decisions, they should not be proposing to set the cap themselves.
"The key test of localism for any Government is not about simply empowering local communities to do what they want them to do, but recognising what they have the right to do, even when they may disagree.
"It should be left to local people to trigger a referendum at any level if they can raise a petition with the signatories of 5% of registered voters. At present these proposals not fully empower citizens and communities but just substitute one form of central control with another."
