Morphet, JR; (2018) Top down or bottom up? How subsidiarity is helping local authorities change the Government’s supply side housing policies. In: Wilson, A, (ed.) (Proceedings) PSA Annual International Conference 2018 - Politics of Our Times: Asking the Difficult Questions, 26 - 28 March 2018, Cardiff, Wales. Political Studies Association (PSA): London, UK. (In press).

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Abstract

The application of the EU principle of subsidiarity, that has grown in its strength since 1992, has largely been regarded a major shaping and legal underpinning force for devolution in the UK. However, the application of this principle has been considered to have been largely absent in England until the introduction of the executive mayoral government arrangements in London in 2000 and directly elected mayors for 6 combined authorities in 2017. In this, the application of subsidiarity has been partial and, although suggested as a bespoke approach, has a largely offered a menu driven approach. While local authorities were given a general power of competence in England through the 2011 Localism Act there was initially little confidence in its use. Yet it can be argued that the austerity and financial reform programmes implemented by the then Secretary of State for DC LG, Eric Pickles and the Chancellor of the Exchequer, George Osborne has nudged if not driven local authorities into using these subsidiarity powers in ways that may not have been anticipated. This paper will consider how the general power of competence given in the 2011 Localism Act has been used by local authorities to establish housing and energy companies that are shaped to meet local needs and priorities, have different forms and create the opportunity to return to foundational principles of municipalism that rely on the independence created by subsidiarity. While the general powers of competence do not offer the scale of fiscal federalism 1 This paper is based on research undertaken by Janice Morphet and Ben Clifford of UCL funded by National Planning Forum and the RTPI Dec 2017. 2 envisaged by the OECD, leaving the UK as a primarily centralised state, these local government innovations may support more local financial independence than has been the case in the post-war period. This paper will consider these changes, what is encouraging them and conclude with some discussion about their potential future direction.

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