LGA urges European Commission to legislate "only when absolutely necessary"

The Local Government Association has launched a guide on the impact of EU laws on councils, and demanded that the European Commission only legislate “when absolutely necessary” and with a minimum of bureaucratic rules.

The guide ­– Knowing me, Knowing EU – has two aims, the first of which is to inform councils what the EU actually does and how it impacts on local services.

The second is to recommend to EU law makers – the European Commission, the European Parliament, central government and the UK Parliament – ways in which to make the EU decision-making process both more effective and more involving of local government.

Writing in the foreword, Cllr Richard Kemp, chair of the LGA’s European and international strategy group, said the EU means “much, much more” to councils than funds for regeneration projects.

He added: “Around half of all regulation affecting councils is developed from EU laws, which have radically changed how councils manage their services and staff.

“One thing is certain – implementing EU laws locally costs councils time and money. Add to this that councils have to deliver more with less money and resources, they must be at the forefront of EU decision-making through the LGA.”

The guide recommended:

• Political and officer engagement: “councils, both elected politicians and officers, need to be engaged and aware of new and upcoming EU laws as they can have administrative and financial costs for councils once they become UK law”.
• Responding to consultations: the LGA said it would ask councils to respond to its consultations “to gauge the expected impact of proposed EU laws and evidence-base our lobbying to those making EU decisions”.
• Getting in early to influence the European Commission: the LGA is, for example, gathering information from council’s waste and procurement teams to help inform future thinking and the co-ordination of existing legislation.
• Strengthening links with MEPs: and particularly with UK MEPs “who are crucial to determining EU laws which councils ultimately implement”.

The report added that the UK government needed to understand the challenges councils face when it comes to transposing directives into UK law. The government should also “implement new EU rules in the lightest possible way, making it clear where it is responding to EU legislation”.

The LGA demanded that the EU legislates “only when absolutely necessary and with a minimum of bureaucratic rules and a maximum of consultation, forewarning and financial assistance, leaving to local councils and the UK government to work out the detail”.

The EU should also introduce “light touch” legislation and consider alternatives to EU law. The latter could include time limits and review periods – so-called “sunset clauses” – to accelerate the repeal and simplification of existing rules.

A copy of the guide can be downloaded here.