The response to David Miliband's ‘double devolution' proposals has been less than wholehearted, at least in respect of the second part of the equation. ‘Give us more power, but we are not keen to pass any on to unrepresentative local busybodies' has been the prevailing tone. How has this come about? It cannot be said that local government was caught unprepared. The principles underpinning neighbourhood empowerment were set out in a consultation paper issued by ODPM early in 2005.