District councils welcome the dialogue around financial freedoms, but we believe this shouldn't stop at cities.

District councils have much to offer our communities and central government. We are financially efficient and highly effective at delivering services for our communities.
District councils do innovation.

It is imperative, given the financial times we are in, but we believe we can achieve much more if central government is prepared to think more widely about financial freedoms.

Like everyone else, district councils want to see economic growth and development. We are already working with our local businesses, Business Improvement Districts, enterprise zones, local enterprise partnerships and our county council colleagues to support business growth and thriving town centres.

District councils want to see an overhaul of the way business rates are calculated and distributed, so that they act as a much better incentive for economic development. We would like to see the retention of the entirety of business rates within local government, for use on regeneration, business support and the promotion of an area for tourism or inward investment.

This would provide a clear line of accountability from businesses paying rates to the
spending authority.