In a Pickle? Here's an idea.

Eric Pickles has long made a name for himself as a bluff, no nonsense Northern politician who tells it like it is - sort of a Conservative equivalent of John Prescott.  Since Cameron made him Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, he has also made a name for himself among environmentalists - and it's not one I'd type here.  His outbursts telling councils how often they should collect their bins trampled on another department's territory (recycling is handled by DEFRA) and ran completely contrary to his own pronouncements that central Government should not tell local councils what to do.

So when I heard him speak today I wasn't surprised to hear him attacking the planning system.  He described it as a block on progress, blaming central Government for snuffing out the innovation of the great Victorian civic innovators with their proud cities, grand town halls and sweeping reforms to sewers, schools and health systems.  He referred to Joseph Chamberlain - the legendary Mayor of Birmingham in the late 1800s.  In his drive to improve public health he forcibly bought the local waterworks, cleared slums and created new parks and museums for the City.  Could any of us imagine Chamberlain in Local Government now?  Apparently he'd be filling in long forms so civil servants in Whitehall could monitor his performance.

He outlined the scrapping of this rule, the reform of that.  He even confided that all this is really to achieve something sentimental - what Mr Pickles really wants is not rule changes, or new structures, but for people to feel proud of where the place they come from.

But will it work?  It seems to me there are obvious problems.  First is that we all know money is unbelievably tight.  It is one thing getting new powers to do things, but if you have no resources to do them isn't it all a bit academic?

The other problem is how we tackle critical national problems and priorities like climate change.  Local people often know better than Whitehall the best way to save energy in their area, but current plans would devolve so much power they would have the choice simply not to bother.  How will Mr Pickles' fellow Ministers make the cuts they are legally requiredto deliver if a sizeable number of local councils are not using the planning levers they have, or their influence over housing improvements, or their control of local transport policy to reduce emissions?

I was able to put this question to Mr Pickles but nothing in his answer addressed it. 

So here's an idea.  Tell councils they have to cut emissions in their area in line with the national effort (tailored to take account of local situations) but that it is up to them to decide best way to do it in their area.  Promise Government will get out of the way, provide extra powers, or do whatever is necessary to help.  This could even mean councils can ban wind turbines if they are unpopular in an area - but they will have to make the carbon savings in another way rather than simply absolve themselves of any responsibility.

Getting all local communities and councils to tackle the problem of climate change in the way Joseph Chamberlain talked the problem of polluted water...well that really would be something to be proud of.