The Legal Implications of the Coalition Government's Localism Agenda Essay

The Legal Implications of the Coalition Government's Localism Agenda - Essay Example â€Å"Big Society† is the tagline used by the Coalition Government to signify that it trust people â€Å"to take control of the decisions that affect them by devolving power closer to neighbourhoods, increasing citizen participation, promoting community ownership, lifting inspection burden on councils and removing regional government.† (Structural Reform Plan, 2010; Pickles, 2012). The rationale of localism and the Big Society is incorporated in several acts of legislation, one of which is the Decentralisation and Localism bill of 2010 (NCVO, 2011). Additional laws were passed in January of 2012, but majority of the proposed legislation is expected to be passed in April 2012 (Localism-agenda.com, 2012). The Localism Act The Localism Act, which became law on November 2011, signalled a â€Å"radical shift of power from Westminster to local people,† according to the announcement of the Coalition Government (Silver, 2010). ... Increased involvement will be drawn from voluntary and private sector organisations in the running of public services, and a â€Å"fundamental redefinition of the role of the state as a provider of public services† (Silver, 2010). Easily, there is seen a great appeal in allowing local decision-makers to tailor local services, particularly local planning, The Planning System under the Localism Act 2011 There are several key issues that are seen to be relevant to the adoption of localism in development planning. Since the bulk of additional legislation will be introduced by April 2012, it is not clear at this point how many of these concerns will be eventually addressed by the appropriate statutes. They include, among others: How equal representation may be guaranteed for everyone in formulating neighbourhood plans Provision of financial and intellectual support for neighbourhood forums The prescribed process of adapting valid local plans in light of the Localism Bill Ensuring c ollaboration between local authorities in arriving at strategic plans Coordinating at a national level through the National Planning Policy Framework How effectively the New Homes Bonus and a reformed CIL will be in incentivising development The practical application of ‘presumption in favour of sustainable development’ Ensuring transparent & effective consultation with neighbourhoods by businesses Maintaining a balance between participation & representation by holding local members to account (Chelgate, 2011) Other than these issues, the new legislation imposes an expanded set of responsibilities for both local authorities and developers. Cook (2011) conducted a poll among

America and The World Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

America and The World - Research Paper Example In the system, the minister must be a member of the House of Representatives. Upon recommendation by the president of the House of Representatives the minister is submitted to the king who appoints the prime minister. The head of the government is the Prime Minister and the council of ministers comprises of the ministers and deputy minister from the various department. The current king of Thailand is King Bhumibol Adulyadej also known as Rama IX and is the longest reigning monarch beginning in 1946. Despite the changes in constitution, the monarch is still regarded as the most important part of the government and is supposed to work with other branches of the government for the success of the country (Asfouri 145). The prime minister comes from the party with the majority with the current prime minister originating from the Pheu Thai Party and is called Yingluck Shinawatra. The Gross Domestic Product of the country is 345.7 billion USD that is slightly lower compared to the neighbori ng countries. The country has been affected by changes in governance as a result of the increased coups until in 2007 when the new constitution was implemented which change the governance structure (Fineman 117). ... US and Thai companies to access both markets and address issues of atomic energy, investment guarantees, military assistance, and agricultural sales and economic support (Grossman 65). In 2004, the relationship improved further through the development of the Free Trade Agreement which shaped the economic market by encourages trade between the two countries. In fact, the FTA agreement was going strong until the coup which September 2006 which brought an end to the FTA negotiations. The new military government was engaged in offering compulsory license to several anti-HIV drugs. The move led to the end of the FTA negotiations. There are several issues that have affected the bilateral relationship between the two countries. The first issue that has affected bilateral relations is the unstable nature of the Thai government. The coups have made bilateral negotiations impossible especially when addressing long-term issues. Secondly, the drug menace is the major issue affecting the country. Thailand is a major trafficking route for narcotics from the golden triangle. Thus, it links the domestic and international narcotic markets, which create a challenge when developing the bilateral trade agreements (Baker and Phongpaichit 137). The rice subsidies are a challenge along with issues of patenting and copyright. The rice problem was the major obstacle to the Free Trade Agreement because almost two third of the Thai population are rice farmers and a loss of 35 million rice farmers was an issue that affected Bangkok negatively. The major issue that affected the relationships between the two countries has not been solved making the current situation complex for both countries. The U.S-Thailand relationship is a complex one due to the challenges existing in the agreements. Ireland