Leaders of Cooperative Councils: Labour must trust local leaders

• 11th Jul 2014
• Strategy

This letter was originally published in the Guardian. A link can be found here.

On Monday, Ed Miliband launched the report of Labour’s innovation taskforce, proposing a new deal between central and local government. A radical shift of power and resources to local communities is essential. Nationally and locally we have to share power rather than hoard it. As cooperative councils we are at the forefront of designing new ways of working with our communities based on cooperative traditions of self-help, responsibility, democracy, equity and solidarity. We need a long-term approach to building resilient, sustainable, productive and engaged communities. Representing communities across the UK, we each face different challenges but we share a commitment to work differently and learn. We urge the Labour party to trust local leaders, share power and work with us to deliver the future our communities want.

Cllr Jim McMahon
Leader of Oldham council and leader of the LGA Labour Group
Cllr Andrew Burns
Leader of the City of Edinburgh council
Cllr Sharon Taylor
Leader of Stevenage borough council and deputy leader of the LGA Labour Group
Cllr Lib Peck
Leader of London borough of Lambeth council
Cllr Tudor Evans
Leader of Plymouth city council
Cllr Simon Greaves
Leader of Bassetlaw district council
Cllr Phil Bale
Leader of the City of Cardiff council
Cllr Tony Newman
Leader of the London borough of Croydon council
Cllr Ron Round
Leader of Knowsley metropolitan borough council
Cllr Mike Stubbs
Leader of Newcastle-under-Lyme borough council
Cllr Nick Forbes
Leader of Newcastle city council
Cllr Brenda Arthur
Leader of Norwich city council
Cllr Darren Cooper
Leader of Sandwell metropolitan borough council
Cllr Simon Letts
Leader of Southampton city council
Cllr Paul Watson
Leader of Sunderland city council
Cllr Kuldip Sahota
Leader of Telford & Wrekin council
Cllr James Alexander
Leader of City of York council
Cllr Richard Watts
Leader of London borough of Islington council