The Liberal Democrats have agreed to fight for proportional representation in local government, and for 75% of councils’ spending to be raised locally.

At the Lib Dem conference in Liverpool today, the party carried a motion on localism that said it “deplored” the shift of power from local communities towards central government over the past 40 years.

It agreed on five  new ways to empower councils and local communities:

1. Local authorities and small third sector organisations should be given more support and more powers
2. Councillors should be elected via proportional representation
3. Health services, the police, and the justice system should cover the same areas as local authorities in order to allow public bodies to work more closely together
4. Local economies should be freed from the grasp of central government, regional development agencies, and City of London finance. Instead, new local lending networks should be created
5. Revenue streams should be transferred to local government control, with 75% of councils’ spending being raised locally

These targets build on plans announced yesterday by deputy prime minister to give local authorities more flexibility over taxes and borrowing.

Property organisations are awaiting more detail on how much power and money will be devolved to councils at the spending review on 20 October.

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