Sajid Javid's speech to the LGA conference 2017
The Secretary of State's speech to the Local 바카라 사이트 Association conference 2017.
Good afternoon everyone.
This week we바카라 사이트檙e marking the LGA바카라 사이트檚 20th birthday, a great achievement.
[Political content removed]
The LGA바카라 사이트檚 20th anniversary should be a time for celebration.
For focussing on the very best of local government, highlighting successes and raising a glass to future achievements.
But this year, I don바카라 사이트檛 think any of us are in the mood for revelry.
In the past 4 months we have seen terrorist attacks in Westminster, in Manchester, at London Bridge, and in Finsbury Park.
And of course, last month saw the tragic catastrophe at Grenfell Tower.
So much of the response has been exemplary.
Selfless men and women from our emergency services, in local government and across the public sector working all hours to keep their communities safe.
These local heroes have shown what public service really means.
They have my thanks, and those of a grateful nation.
I would also like to pay tribute to the role that you in this room have played.
The past months have not been easy.
But, again and again, I바카라 사이트檝e seen you coming together to support each other through these testing times.
Nine London councils have been involved in the recovery at Grenfell 바카라 사이트� and I am grateful to the LGA for the work they have been doing with my department to ensure that other towers around the country are safe for the families that live in them.
But none of this changes the fact that, in Britain in 2017, the fire at Grenfell simply should not have been possible.
Nor does it change the fact that there were serious failings in the immediate aftermath; failings that created unnecessary suffering for residents who had already suffered too much.
So while I don바카라 사이트檛 want to ignore or disregard the amazing work the LGA has done over the past 20 years, you바카라 사이트檒l forgive me if, today, I reflect on what has gone wrong in local government 바카라 사이트� and what we need to do to, together, to fix it.
Grenfell and the crisis of trust
I바카라 사이트檝e been in politics and government for 7 years now.
And nothing I바카라 사이트檝e seen in that time hit me harder than what happened to the people of Grenfell Tower.
It was a disaster on a scale we hadn바카라 사이트檛 seen for many years.
The television pictures were harrowing.
But what the survivors saw and experienced바카라 사이트�
Well, I cannot even begin to imagine how hard it must be for them.
When I visited the community support centre I spoke to one family that lived about halfway up the tower.
Mum, dad and children.
When the fire broke out they followed official advice: they stayed put and waited for help.
But as the flames and smoke closed in, the father decided it was time to get his family out.
And as they headed for the exits he stayed at the back, making sure nobody was left behind.
The mother led her children to safety.
But in the smoke and confusion, she lost touch with her husband.
When I met her she was hopeful they were about to be reunited, that she would see her husband again soon.
When I met her son, he was trying to find the words to tell his mother that his father바카라 사이트檚 body had been found in the stairwell.
It바카라 사이트檚 not a conversation I바카라 사이트檒l ever forget.
I바카라 사이트檓 not afraid to say that it shook me to my core.
Like my parents, that family had come to this country in search of opportunity, in search of a better life.
And we, as a country, failed them.
Just as we failed all the victims of that terrible tragedy.
There are many questions that need answering about the Grenfell Fire.
There may have been failures by individuals, failures by organisations and failures of public policy at all levels stretching back several decades.
The public inquiry will get to the bottom of what happened.
We must allow that inquiry, and the criminal investigation, to run their course, and be careful not to prejudge or prejudice either of them.
But, speaking to survivors, people in the local community, and people in tower blocks around the country, one thing is abundantly clear.
Local government is facing a looming crisis of trust.
A decade ago, up in Blackpool, David Cameron said that you can바카라 사이트檛 drop a fully-formed democracy out of an aeroplane at 40,000 feet.
He was talking about foreign wars and military interventions, but it바카라 사이트檚 a lesson that all of us here today would do well to remember.
Because all politics is local.
Whether you바카라 사이트檙e councillor or an MP, we are elected by our local communities to serve the people of our local communities 바카라 사이트� to ensure their interests are put first.
We see and feel the effect of our decisions on our streets, and in the services we use every day.
And when something isn바카라 사이트檛 working, when something isn바카라 사이트檛 right, it is our duty to speak up and do something about it.
I know how hard many of us work to do just that.
But if the events of the past few weeks have taught us anything, it바카라 사이트檚 that we have to raise our game.
The ties that bind local government to local communities have not snapped.
But if we don바카라 사이트檛 act now, such a time may one day be upon us.
Rebuilding trust
We must rebuild, refresh and reinforce the trust that local people have in local democracy.
But that won바카라 사이트檛 happen by hiding away.
Just as we can바카라 사이트檛 drop a democracy out of an aeroplane, so we can바카라 사이트檛 rebuild one from behind castle walls.
If people are going to trust their elected representatives, they have to see them working in the harsh light of the public eye, not in comforting shadows behind closed doors.
Not only must democracy exist; it must be seen to exist.
It can바카라 사이트檛 be about decisions made in private meeting rooms.
Nor can it be about experts telling people what바카라 사이트檚 best for them without ever taking the time to listen to their worries and concerns.
After all, government is about serving people 바카라 사이트� not simply telling them what to do.
And local government must show that it is FOR the people 바카라 사이트� not just OF the people.
Supporting communities
So our mission has to be local government that is truly engaged with and supportive of communities.
These aren바카라 사이트檛 communities as government-designated groups.
People carefully categorised into boxes that can be ticked on official forms.
I바카라 사이트檓 talking about the genuine communities made up of people connected by common bonds and shared values 바카라 사이트� whether built around neighbourhood, background, or beliefs.
It바카라 사이트檚 what I바카라 사이트檝e seen at Grenfell Tower.
The council may have built the tower, but the people built the community.
A network of mutual support that government can never replicate and should never attempt to replicate.
A community where support is given not because of any entitlement, but simply out of love and compassion and basic human decency.
And while it바카라 사이트檚 been inspiring to see the community around Grenfell Tower swinging into action, it can바카라 사이트檛 help but make the loss all the more heartbreaking.
It is these kind of communities we need to be much, much better at supporting.
Above all else they must be listened to. They must be heard.
It must be an honest and open discussion across all communities.
Where consultation isn바카라 사이트檛 just treated as a legal necessity, but a genuine engagement in which all views 바카라 사이트� even ones we don바카라 사이트檛 like 바카라 사이트� are treated as if they could actually be right.
Where we value voices, dissenting or otherwise.
It will require us to tackle some deep-rooted issues which for too long we have collectively failed to deal with.
Honesty about the housing we need
Just look at housing.
It바카라 사이트檚 hard to believe now, but just a few years ago it was fashionable for people to question the need for more house building.
They바카라 사이트檇 point to obvious flaws in the housing market, or too many empty homes, or immigration.
Today, most people recognise that even if those issues were solved overnight, it would still not be enough.
There바카라 사이트檚 a serious shortage of decent, affordable housing in this country.
It바카라 사이트檚 not the fault of any one government or party 바카라 사이트� we all carry some of the blame.
Since the 1970s 바카라 사이트� under Wilson, Callaghan, Thatcher, Major, Blair, Brown, Cameron and now May 바카라 사이트� we바카라 사이트檝e supplied an average of 160,000 new homes each year.
That바카라 사이트檚 far below what바카라 사이트檚 needed
And that failure of supply to keep up with demand has led to predictable results.
Across the country the average house now costs almost 8 times average earnings 바카라 사이트� an all-time record.
Unless they can get a leg up from their parents, for many young people the dream of home ownership is just that 바카라 사이트� a dream.
And it바카라 사이트檚 in housing that that we see most starkly the problems of inequality in this country.
Between those with wealth, and those without.
Between old and young.
And between those with security, and those who live with uncertainty day-in day-out.
The simple fact is that to put this right we need to build more homes that people want to live in, in places people want to live.
Between 225,000 and 275,000 of them every year, according to independent estimates.
That may sound simple enough, but as I said it바카라 사이트檚 a goal that has proved elusive for every government since the 1970s.
So we need to rethink the entire process of development and, as ever, that starts with planning.
Years after local plans were introduced, some councils still haven바카라 사이트檛 produced one.
Others produced a plan when the policy was first introduced, but haven바카라 사이트檛 touched it since and are left with a dusty document that바카라 사이트檚 hopelessly out-of-date and irrelevant to the real needs of their communities.
And then there are those councils that have an up-to-date plan, but have failed to be honest about the level of housing they need in their area.
It바카라 사이트檚 not good enough.
The era of tolerating such poor, patchy performance is over.
Today I can confirm that this month we will launch a consultation on a new way for councils to assess their local housing requirements, as we promised in the housing white paper.
Our aim is simple: to ensure these plans begin life as they should, with an honest, objective assessment of how much housing is required.
That means a much more frank, open discussion with local residents and communities.
It also requires a new approach.
One that is straightforward, so everyone can understand the process.
One that is transparent, so decisions are not hidden behind complexity or bureaucracy.
And one that is consistent, so every community, from the biggest city to the smallest hamlet, can be confident their council is assessing housing need properly and fairly.
After all, nothing is more corrosive to trust than the idea that some areas are being treated better than others.
Where housing is particularly unaffordable, local leaders need to take a long, hard, honest look to see if they are planning for the right number of homes.
And it바카라 사이트檚 not enough that plans start honest; they need to stay that way.
So we바카라 사이트檒l also insist they are reviewed at least every 5 years.
I바카라 사이트檓 under no illusion that these plans will require courage to both conceive and execute.
There will be tough decisions, difficult conversations.
But that is what political leadership is about.
Showing real ambition for the communities you serve and doing the right thing, not the easy thing.
Now I know you바카라 사이트檙e sitting there thinking 바카라 사이트淭hat바카라 사이트檚 great Saj, but I don바카라 사이트檛 need more bureaucracy.
바카라 사이트淚 want to build houses, not piles of paperwork.바카라 사이트�
Well, let me assure you that the last thing I want to do is to add unnecessary burdens to local government.
Yes I want these plans to be more honest, and yes I want the local debates and challenges to be taken head on.
But I also want these plans to simpler, faster, and cheaper to produce.
That바카라 사이트檚 exactly what the consultation will propose.
Providing the right infrastructure
The new system will make a big difference but I바카라 사이트檓 not na茂ve.
I know that plans and ambitions are not enough on their own.
If there was one thing that made our housing white paper different from its predecessors, it was the recognition that there is no single magic bullet that will solve all the problems of our housing market.
It바카라 사이트檚 simply too big and too complex for one policy to fix, and that바카라 사이트檚 why action is needed on many fronts.
Look at infrastructure.
Across the country there are housing sites that never get going because the final piece of funding for infrastructure is missing.
The larger the site the bigger the problems.
Many crucial strategic housing schemes struggle to get off the drawing board because it proves impossible to co-ordinate and pay for the upfront infrastructure that바카라 사이트檚 required.
And as far as local communities are concerned, it comes back to trust.
Most people are willing to accept new housing in their areas, they know that their children and grandchildren need places to live.
But they also don바카라 사이트檛 want to see massive development being imposed on an area where schools, GP surgeries, roads, buses and trains and already under pressure.
They바카라 사이트檒l accept the new homes, but they also want the right infrastructure put in at the right time in a joined up way.
It바카라 사이트檚 not exactly an unreasonable request.
So where there are ambitions to do that, we will help through our Housing Infrastructure Fund.
We announced plans for the fund earlier this year and I바카라 사이트檓 delighted that we바카라 사이트檙e publishing the prospectus today.
It바카라 사이트檚 an invitation to bid for a share of 拢2.3 billion that has been set aside to pay for the infrastructure we need alongside new homes.
Housing deals
I know infrastructure isn바카라 사이트檛 the only barrier to delivering new housing.
I know in some places you may need extra support to deliver ambitious proposals to meet your housing demand.
Well if you바카라 사이트檙e prepared to do what it takes to meet that demand and deliver genuinely additional housing, then I will consider all tools at my disposal to support you in that.
But only if you바카라 사이트檙e ambitious enough.
By ambitious I mean greater collaboration with neighbouring areas.
A more strategic approach to decisions on housing and infrastructure.
More innovation and high quality design in new homes.
And an eye for creating the right conditions for new investment.
I want to strike some housing deals with a small number of places, so if you are one of those ambitious councils, you know where to find me.
Strong political leadership
If we can tackle the injustices caused by our broken housing market we will be making a significant step towards rebuilding the trust in local politics.
But it is far from the only injustice that we need to deal with.
And as with housing, fixing any of these problems is far easier said than done.
We are talking about deep-set issues and it would be dishonest to suggest it is anything other than the work of years to address it.
That work will need strong local leadership.
In May we saw 6 new mayors elected by millions of people right across the country, including here in the West Midlands.
All 6 have wide-ranging new powers they can use to improve the lives of the communities they serve.
The driving force behind this devolution was the desire to bring decision-making to a more local level.
So my challenge to all those newly-elected mayors, whatever Party they바카라 사이트檙e from, is to make good on that purpose 바카라 사이트� by using their powers to work with communities, tackling the problems that matter most to them and the wider community.
Whitehall is listening
I바카라 사이트檓 sure many of you will have been sitting there thinking that바카라 사이트檚 all well and good but Whitehall could do a bit more listening of its own.
And you바카라 사이트檙e right.
Last month바카라 사이트檚 general election result was not the one that I wanted.
I바카라 사이트檓 sure it바카라 사이트檚 not the result anyone in this room expected.
I바카라 사이트檒l let the pollsters and pundits argue and debate over 바카라 사이트渨hat it meant바카라 사이트�.
But I know one thing for sure.
The people of the UK may have delivered a hung Parliament, but they did not deliver a demand for inaction.
32 million people made their voices heard last month and they will not forgive us if we fail to heed their call.
Things have to change, things have to get better.
The work of local government will be central to that, and I바카라 사이트檓 determined you바카라 사이트檒l be listened to 바카라 사이트� just as we have listened in the past.
You asked for extra money for adult social care, and I made sure it was delivered in the settlement.
You asked for greater devolution of powers, and we paved the way for metro mayors across the country.
And you asked for more resources to help you plan for the homes you need, and through the Housing Infrastructure Fund and higher planning fees, we바카라 사이트檙e helping with that too.
I can바카라 사이트檛 promise you바카라 사이트檒l always get what you want.
But whether you ask for help, identify risks, or suggest opportunities, I can promise that we will listen.
Conclusion
In the midst of all the uncertainty, I know that your cool-headed commitment to deliver for your communities will carry on.
I don바카라 사이트檛 care whether you바카라 사이트檙e on the blue team, the red team, the yellow team or any other team for that matter.
I know that you are in local government for the right reasons.
Because you want to house the homeless.
You want to maintain the roads.
You want to keep the streets clean or make our parks beautiful.
You want to see that our young people are taught properly and our elderly are cared for with the dignity they deserve.
Doing all this requires practical action, yes, but not everything can be converted into pounds and pence.
Good leadership matters too.
And ultimately, for all of us, whether we바카라 사이트檙e in local or national government, our first role is to lead.
What happened in Kensington 3 weeks ago showed just how important leadership is.
So my challenge for local government this year is not only to provide the services your communities deserve, or plan for new homes and growth they need, but also to be the leaders they can trust.
To listen to your communities.
To treat them with care and respect.
And, above all, to keep them safe.
Grenfell will forever serve as a reminder of what went wrong.
Let us rise from those ashes and promise to be better.