A round table debate organised at think-tank Localis with Berwin Leighton Paisner discussed the question: is the Localism Act a lawyers' charter?

Some of the key points at the debate, which took place on December 13, included whether the Act meets the six steps to decentralisation, whether it is a step forward, and does it give genuine powers to local residents. The discussion looked at the general power of competence and the impact of planning changes. The general conclusion was the Act is merely version 1.0 not the definitive answer and much depends on legal interpretation.