The public will feel ‘stitched up’ if central government doesn’t deliver jobs, housing and prospects in the aftermath of Brexit, according to Labour local government spokesman Jim McMahon.
The former leader of Oldham MBC said mainstream politicians must take heed of the public’s demand to take back control from Europe, but he warned it demanded a ‘fundamental rethink’ of democracy, not just a case of handing down power from Brussels to Whitehall.
Speaking in the latest Public Intelligence/The MJ podcast, Mr McMahon said: ‘If mainstream politicians don’t wake up and recognise that people have had enough of being told what to do and not being able to affect real change over their own lives, we are going to get a backlash.
‘Brexit will take place and people will feel no more empowered than they did before.
'People will not believe it’s because it wasn’t really the European Union that was at fault.
'They will believe that we have stitched them up and we set them up to fail.
'We should use this as an opportunity to empower communities and give power back to the people.’
Mr McMahon warned there was an increasing disconnect between council tax and the services people receive from their councils which will lead to growing lack of public support for local authorities unless there is a stronger link between taxes raised at a local level and services.
He claimed local government should have ‘constitutional rights’.
‘It should have constitutional protection from the interference of central government.
'It should have fair funding based on need.
'It should have the ability to determine its own future for its own place.’