| In the real world, if you say you’re going to do something, you do it. And if you fail, you can lose your job. That is accountability. Accountability is at the heart of good government and a healthy democracy. We all know that when people think they can get away with it, they won’t do things as well as they should. | |
| That’s why we’ve published a Timetable for Action that sets out clearly what we will do, and when we will do it. And has made clear that ministers who fail to deliver will lose their jobs. | |
| Under Mr Blair, the way we are governed has become less accountable, more complex and, ultimately, less democratic. Ministers don’t take responsibility for their failures. Unprecedented powers have been given to new, unelected and remote bodies, including regional assemblies for which there is no popular support. The House of Commons has been steadily undermined, and proper reform of the House of Lords has been repeatedly promised but never delivered. |
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| Conservatives understand that people identify with their town, city or county, not with arbitrary “regions”. We will abolish Labour’s regional assemblies. Powers currently exercised at a regional level covering planning, housing, transport and the fire service will all be returned to local authorities. | |
| The House of Commons needs to be made more capable of standing up to the executive. We will strengthen select committees and make time for proper scrutiny of all legislation. As part of our drive for efficiency across Whitehall and Westminster, we will cut the number of MPs by 20 per cent. We will seek cross-party consensus for a substantially elected House of Lords. | |
| Conservatives believe that the Union of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland brings benefits to all parts of our United Kingdom. | |
| We remain strongly committed to making a success of devolution in Scotland, so that it delivers for the Scottish people. In Wales we will work with the Assembly and give the Welsh people a referendum on whether to keep the Assembly in its current form, increase its powers or abolish it. | |
We believe in giving more power to individuals, families and communities |
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But devolution has brought problems of accountability at Westminster. Now that exclusively Scottish matters are decided by the in Edinburgh, exclusively English matters should be decided in Westminster without the votes of MPs sitting for Scottish constituencies who are not accountable to English voters. We will act to ensure that English laws are decided by English votes. |
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| We are committed to supporting Northern Ireland’s position within the United Kingdom in accordance with the consent principle. We will continue to work for a comprehensive political settlement, based on the principles of the . We will not accept any party into the government of Northern Ireland linked to a paramilitary organisation that holds on to illegal weapons and is engaged in any criminal activity. In the absence of devolved government, we will make direct rule more accountable. | |
Communities, Transport and the EnvironmentBritain draws great strength from its diversity. We are a country of vibrant urban centres, historic towns and an evolving countryside. It is both inefficient and insensitive to local communities to impose uniform control from Whitehall. |
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| We believe in devolving power down to the lowest level so that local people are given greater control over their own lives. | |
| Local councils should be accountable to voters. But under Labour, people’s priorities have taken second place to centrally imposed targets and Whitehall inspection regimes. The cost to local taxpayers has increased rapidly, with council tax levels up 76 per cent since 1997. It has been a vicious circle – less representation and more taxation. | |
| Local communities will have a greater say over planning decisions. We will also give new powers to help local councils to deal with those incidents, such as illegal traveller encampments, which breach planning laws. Together with clear guidance for police and our review of the , this will ensure fairness for all, rather than special rules for different groups. | |
| With greater power for local people will come less interference from central government. We will radically cut the burdens on local councils. | |
| A Conservative Government will support creativity and excellence in the arts. Instead of Labour’s centralised bureaucracy and political interference, including in the National Lottery, we will devolve funding and decision-making while ensuring that the lottery supports the arts, heritage, sport and charities. | |
| The most powerful form of devolution is to individuals and families. The Right to Buy for council tenants extended home ownership, transformed many of Britain’s housing estates and expanded our property-owning democracy. | |
| A Conservative Government will extend this right to tenants of housing associations. Our plans to boost shared ownership schemes, and give social housing tenants the right to own a share of their home, will also benefit first-time buyers. | |
| Empowering individuals also means giving them the opportunity to get around Britain more quickly and safely. A modern economy depends on it. | |
| A Conservative Government will end Labour’s war on the motorist. We will modernise Britain’s road network and review all speed cameras to ensure they are there to save lives, not make money. | |
| We will bring stability to the rail network, avoiding further costly and inefficient re-organisation. Successful train operating companies will have their franchises extended to allow companies to invest in improved stations, car parks, facilities and rolling stock. | |
| A commitment to safeguarding our environment lies deep in Conservative thinking. We instinctively understand the importance of conservation, natural beauty and our duty of stewardship of the earth. | |
| A Conservative Government will call a halt to Labour’s plans to concrete over our green fields. We will promote development on brownfield sites and establish more Green Belts with tighter development rules. | |
| To ensure Britain plays its part in combating climate change, we will phase out the use of harmful HFCs and deliver greater incentives to make homes more energy-efficient. Through cuts in Vehicle Excise Duty and increased grants, we will significantly reduce the cost of cars with low carbon emissions. We believe that households and businesses should recycle an increasing amount of their waste. | |
| A Conservative Government will guarantee the security and sustainability of Britain’s energy supplies. We will do this by supporting the development of a broad range of renewable energy sources. We also recognise that energy efficiency must play an increasingly important role in our energy policy. | |
| Conservatives understand the pressures on the livelihoods of those who work in rural areas. We value the diverse nature of our nation and believe in defending traditional liberties. A Conservative Government will therefore introduce a Bill, and offer Parliament a free vote, to overturn the Government’s ban on hunting with dogs. | |
| Britain’s farmers operate to some of the highest animal welfare standards in the world and help to preserve the countryside for all of us to enjoy. We will introduce a Bill to ensure honest labelling of food and stem the flow of expensive new regulation. We will support initiatives, such as farmers’ markets and local food projects, that enable British customers to support Britain’s farmers. The Little Red Tractor mark denotes high British animal welfare and production standards. We will insist that all publicly procured food carries this mark. | |
| We will press for further reform of the Common Agricultural Policy, to make it less burdensome for farmers and taxpayers alike. And we will promote legislation to strengthen and update animal welfare. | |
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Housing and Planning
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Transport
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Environment
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Accountability
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