Devolution should back the success of districts in delivery. It should not distract from the local recovery effort or reduce delivery capacity through forcing reorganisation into a less local, less agile, less responsive local government pushed by interests wanting county unitary councils everywhere.

Local governance is a local matter, places must be free to decide how to organise services and to progress any kind of reform only where there is significant local agreement.

In market towns and new towns, in cathedral cities, coastal communities and the countryside, our district councils hold the statutory, regulatory and licensing levers to rebuild the national economy one local economy at a time.

The recovery will take an enormous national effort, but much of our national mission needs local execution. In this short pamphlet, we set out our five-point plan for enabling our Power in Place.