B59: Thoughts on the Empowerment White Paper: The CLES perspective

The Empowerment White paper published on 9th July ‘Communities in Control: Real People Real Power’1 sets out the Government’s plans on ‘passing more and more power to more and more people using every practical means possible’.

CLES eagerly anticipated the white paper and welcomed the high profile focus upon community empowerment and the recognition at the central government level of the need to devolve power. Whilst the paper provides some good ideas there are a number of inherent tensions. The purpose of this bulletin is therefore to discuss the white paper and these tensions in more detail, framed within the core legislative proposals of the Empowerment White Paper.