Labour leader Ed Miliband has set out his party's plan to swiftly devolve powers and cash to local government should it win the forthcoming general election.

Addressing the Labour Local Government Conference in Nottingham on Saturday, Mr Miliband said the national and local votes in May would present ‘competing visions' of how the country would be governed in the future with, he claimed, Labour more committed to the concept of local democracy and devolution.