CENTRAL Government has a lot to answer for when it comes to decisions made locally.
It’s no surprise that Oxfordshire’s residents and politicans are increasingly frustrated at the impact of Westminster’s powers on the county.
And often the lack of funding from central Government is a bone of contention for local politicans trying to get the best value for money for their constituents.
We welcome the discussion about devolution and support our council leaders’ calls for greater powers locally.
It makes sense for decisions to be made by those in the know locally and could mean an extra £300m a year for Oxfordshire, as well as major decisions such as transport, housing and education made by the people who understand the impact it will make.
But with it comes more responsibility. Those making the decisions will be directly held to account instead of politicians blaming central Government.
It’s an opportunity to get the best for the county but as with all of these things the devil is in the detail.
The idea is to get more autonomy and so the question about whether we need so many layers of authority will need to be looked at again. It’s a chance to simplify local Government and it has to be done in the right way.
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