The Government is in danger of missing a ‘once in a generation' opportunity to give councils a key role in promoting economic growth, according to the influential City Finance Commission.

The commission has called for Communities Secretary Eric Pickles to re-think his proposals for the local retention of business rates and claimed they will fail to meet the Government's twin objective of promoting localism and economic growth.
 
An independent coalition of business groups and academics - brought together by Westminster, Birmingham and Manchester City Councils - the commission has delivered a damning verdict on coalition plans to overhaul the business rates system and it promise to give local authorities greater control of their finances as part of the consultation on Local Government Resource Review (LGRR) which closes today. (Monday, October 24)