The Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI) has welcomed publication of Sir Michael Lyons’s Independent Review into Local Government which sets out a compelling case for ‘place-shaping’ to improve the well-being of a place and the people who live there.

The RTPI now wants to see a far wider debate on how Sir Michael’s view of this key role for local government should be put into practice – but it is certain that proper planning lies at the heart of this.

Will French of the RTPI said: “The true importance of the Lyons recommendations lies not in short term concerns about Council Tax bands but about how we create the sorts of places and provide the sorts of services that people deserve. We need a wide debate on how local authorities and planning in particular can rise to this challenge.”

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Lyons’ recommendations on the balance between central and local control closely echo those of the RTPI’s soon to be published Effective Practice in Spatial Planning Report which calls on government to resource innovative and joined-up approaches to planning and which are now beginning to provide high quality places throughout the country. Both Lyons and the RTPI identify a high degree of central control over spending as a major constraint to effective local place-shaping, as it leaves little flexibility to fund activities required locally or to innovate. If Local and Multi Area Agreements are to fund developments that local people identify as high priority, the RTPA recommend that the answer is closer local partnership and better delivery mechanisms, not central control.

(CL)