Jeremy Corbyn pledges to give councils “freedom to innovate”

Labour will send out a message during this May’s local election campaign that the party will stand up to “the onslaught of Tory cuts”, Jeremy Corbyn said today.

In a speech to the Labour Local Government Conference this afternoon, Corbyn also pledged to allow councils “greater freedoms to innovate on a larger scale” in order to find solutions to problems caused by government spending cuts.

The Labour leader outlined what kind of campaign the party would be running over the coming months, making it clear that an anti-austerity economic message would be a central theme.

“Labour is standing up for our people locally, nationally and internationally,” he said. “Our message in the local government campaign is clear: Labour is standing up for you and a Labour council is the best protection for your community and local services against the onslaught of Tory cuts. People are better off with Labour.

“The Tories’ austerity is political choice not an economic necessity. These cuts are brutal and unnecessary and it is a Labour council that is the best protection for communities.”

He also laid down a marker for Labour as the party of devolution, and said that the party would devolve power in government. He said:

“In Britain, Labour will be the real party of devolution and a Labour Government in 2020 will give local councils real powers to innovate, to borrow and to invest.

“We want local councils to have the freedom to develop their local economies and communities and to become the public entrepreneurs of the 21st Century and  to directly provide cutting edge public services and utilities in the economy of the future.

“We will give councils greater freedoms to innovate on a larger scale, to do more to support their community and their local economy.”