We've all been speculating on the new legislation so this week's Q&A addresses what the reforms will mean for you. Join our experts live online, December 15, 12pm - 3pm

What is the localism bill and what does it mean for you?

Last week Eric Pickles announced on Twitter that Monday would finally see the publication of the localism bill and, as he so eloquently put it, "lots of power to councils".

Stretching across all public services the implications of the reforms are huge; from revamping the current planning regime to giving communities the right to control local state run services such as schools and libraries.

Central to the bill, and to the decentralisation, is the general power of competence (GPC) being given to councils. Through this, authorities are given the freedom to make social, economic and environmental decisions for their local areas, rather than being subject to top-down targets.

But how empowered councils will be in reality is up for debate. Experts warn there is a distinct lack of financial freedom partnering the GPC which could hamper any true reform.

David Walker, the former managing director of public reporting at the Audit Commission, argues that the localism bill is in fact a con and that underneath its glossy exterior of power to the people, councils will have no more financial control than at present.

With this in mind, our panel of experts will be discussing the implications of the new legislation, and what it will mean in practice. If you've got any questions on how the bill will affect you or your area of practice, or any thoughts to add to the debate, join our live Q&A, December 15, 12pm - 3pm

Our panel (with more to be added):

Jonathan Carr-West is a director at LGiU where he leads the Unit's policy team. The LGiU develop new thinking and practice on how local communities can have more influence over the areas they live in and the services they use, exploring how local government can help them to do so.

James Hulme is head of communications for the New Local Government Network (NLGN), a leading policy think tank. At NLGN he works on policy development and has published a range of policy reports on local finance, service delivery and constitutional and civic reform. He has also edited a number of collections including A Conservative Future: New Ideas on Local Governance.

Kelvin MacDonald is the chief policy adviser to the Royal Town Planning Institute. He is a senior visiting fellow at the Department of Land Economy Cambridge and has advised a number of House of Commons Select Committees on planning policy.

Toby Blume is chief executive of Urban Forum. Toby has served on a number of governmental advisory groups and was recently appointed to the Communities and Local Government's (CLG) Third Sector Partnership Board. He is currently working on helping the voluntary and community sector to understand what 'big society', localism and open government mean for them.

Gareth Elliott is a senior policy advisor at the British Chambers of Commerce and leads the organisation's infrastructure campaign. He is also responsible for policy on transport, environment, energy, and business crime.

Dan Silver currently works for One North West, a regional charity that works with voluntary and community organisations across the North West to influence Government policy in order to achieve improved social justice and race equality.

Anthony Zacharzewski runs the Democratic Society, a non-profit membership organisation, working towards wider and deeper participation in politics. Previous to this, Anthony was a Whitehall civil servant for ten years and then worked as head of policy at Brighton & Hove City Council.

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