Overview

The Local Democracy, Economic Development and Construction Act 2009 is a UK Act of Parliament that aims to improve local democracy, encourage economic development, and reform construction contracts. It covers a wide range of issues, from increasing public participation in local government to establishing new bodies for regional development and regulating the auditing of local authority-connected entities.

Description

This Act significantly impacts local government and related bodies in several ways:

Increased Public Involvement

The Act introduces duties for principal local authorities to promote understanding of their functions and democratic arrangements, and to facilitate public participation through electronic petitions and improved petition handling schemes. It also mandates public authorities to ensure public involvement in their functions.

Local Government Governance

The Act creates scrutiny officers to support overview and scrutiny committees, allows for joint overview and scrutiny committees across multiple local authorities, and provides for the audit of entities connected with local authorities. It also introduces provisions for local freedoms and honorary titles.

Local Government Boundary and Electoral Change

The Act establishes the Local Government Boundary Commission for England, transferring boundary and electoral change functions from the Electoral Commission. This includes reviewing electoral arrangements and implementing recommendations for changes to council and parish boundaries and electoral systems.

Economic Development

The Act encourages economic prosperity by enabling the creation of economic prosperity boards and combined authorities to work on regional strategies for sustainable economic growth and land use. It also requires local authorities to conduct economic assessments of their areas.

Construction Contracts

The Act amends the Housing Grants, Construction and Regeneration Act 1996, requiring construction contracts to be in writing, clarifying rules around adjudicator’s powers, and introducing new rules concerning payment notices and the suspension of performance for non-payment.

Government Spending

The Act's financial impact is not explicitly stated in the text provided. However, it introduces potential expenditure by the government, including financial assistance for bodies representing tenants and grants to Leaders’ Boards. The Act also mandates various reporting and review processes, which will require some level of government resource allocation.

Groups Affected

• Principal Local Authorities: New duties regarding public involvement, petition handling, and economic assessments.
• Public Authorities: Duty to secure public involvement in their functions.
• Tenants of Social Housing: Potential benefits through establishment and support of representative bodies.
• Local People: Increased opportunities for participation in local government and influence on decisions.
• Entities Connected with Local Authorities: New audit requirements.
• Parish and Community Councils: New petition handling responsibilities.
• Construction Industry: Changes to contract law, including written contracts and payment procedures.
• Regional Development Agencies and Leaders' Boards: Key roles in developing and implementing regional strategies.

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