Local Works is a UK coalition of over 120 national organisations campaigning to promote the use of the Sustainable Communities Act. Originally set up by the new economics foundation, the Local Works coalition was formed in 2002 with the sole aim of campaigning to see the Sustainable Communities Bill made law.
Local Works ran an effective operation in support of the Bill, including a parliamentary Early Day Motion signed by 363 MPs, showing cross-party support. It was taken up as a Private Members Bill by Nick Hurd, Conservative MP for Ruislip-Northwood, when he won the Private Members Bill ballot in 2006. During its parliamentary passage, the Bill (in an amended form) gained support of the government, and Phil Woolas as the then Local Government Minister.
It was successful in this campaign when the Sustainable Communities Act was passed by the UK Parliament in October 2007 with the support of all political parties in Parliament at that time. Since then Local Works, as a part of Unlock Democracy, has been promoting the Act and urging people to get involved and government to implement it properly.
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The Sustainable Communities Act 2007 gives an opportunity for councils and communities to put forward new thinking on how to meet the challenges of sustainability and local wellbeing. It starts from the principle that local people know best what needs to be done to promote the sustainability of their area, but that sometimes they need central government to act to enable them to do so. It provides a channel for local people and the councils which represent them to ask central government to take such action.
The Sustainable Communities Act is a piece of legislation that aims to reverse the trend called 'Ghost Town Britain'. Ghost Town Britain refers to the ongoing community decline through loss of local facilities and services including amongst others: shops, markets, post offices, pubs, banks and health centres. The term 'Ghost Town Britain' was initially coined by the British think-tank New Economics Foundation in two reports: Ghost Town Britain (2002) and Clone Town Britain (2004).
In November 2009 Local Works successfully saw the Sustainable Communities Act Amendment Bill introduced into the UK Parliament as a Private Members' Bill. The Sustainable Communities Act 2007 was amended in 2010 when the Sustainable Communities Act 2007 (Amendment) Act passed through Parliament and became law on 6th April 2010. The Amendment was necessary to ensure: