Kennet District Council has just passed an important motion of support for the Sustainable Communities Bill.

The Sustainable Communities Bill will ensure democratic participation in recreating communities with thriving local economies, while protecting the environment in the process. It will enable communities and councils to draw up their own ideas to promote local sustainability but will achieve this in a bottom-up community based way rather than a Whitehall top-down way. Central government will have a duty to help but not dictate. That is why this Bill is so important.

Councillor Chris Humphries, Leader of the Council said: “Kennet has suffered community decline and depravation and local government and communities across the district should be empowered to reverse this. The Sustainable Communities Bill will enable this and so is important for the citizens of Kennet.”

Cllr Chris Humphries

'Local Works' is the campaign behind the bill and as well as councils and MPs has over 11,000 national supporters and 64 supporting national organisations including the Women's Institute, Postwatch, the National Federation of Retail Newsagents, CAMRA, UNISON and Friends of the Earth.

Ron Bailey, Campaign Organiser for Local Works said: “We congratulate all councillors at Kennet District Council for agreeing to support this important Bill. Community decline is hitting hard everywhere - in the last decade Britain lost a fifth of its post offices, a quarter of its independent grocery stores, a quarter of its bank branches and 13,000 local newsagents.”

"Local people know best how to solve their own problems. This Bill will mean local people and local government in Kennet setting their own sustainable targets and indicators. It will turn society upside down, with central government being driven by councils and their communities."