The Guardian view on local councils: they must meet the needs of communities, not just Whitehall | Editorial

With budgets set by central government, local authorities are being drained of resources to safeguard and improve their area’s social, economic and environmental wellbeing.

Councils are viewed in Whitehall as local service delivery agencies and expected to clean up any mess made in SW1.

By contrast, with London’s assembly and Scottish and Welsh parliaments devolution empowered distinctive political identities.

It proposes an English subsidiarity bill to provide a framework for councils’ power, responsibilities and funding to protect against institutional churn; a “fair funding bill” to “address the austerity-driven collapse” in frontline services; and for councils to get a statutory voice within Whitehall.

The average size of English local authorities is now 10 times that found in comparable western European countries.

The more populous North Yorkshire region, stretching 110 miles from Whitby to Skipton, is represented by one unitary council.