Department for Communities and Local Government
Encyclopedia
The Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) is the UK Government department
for communities and local government in England. It was established in May 2006 and is the successor to the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, established in 2001. Its headquarters is located at Eland House
, London
.
There are corresponding departments in the Scottish Government, the Welsh Assembly Government
and the Northern Ireland Executive
, responsible for communities and local government in their respective jurisdictions.
Greg Clark
works jointly between the department and the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills
.
The Permanent Secretary
is Sir Bob Kerslake who took up his post on 1 November 2010.
with the title Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (ODPM), headed by the then Deputy Prime Minister
, John Prescott
. In May 2002 the ODPM became a separate department after absorbing the local government and regions portfolios from the defunct Department for Transport, Local Government and the Regions. The ODPM was criticised in some quarters for adding little value and the Environmental Audit Committee
had reported negatively on the department in the past. During the 5 May 2006 reshuffle of Tony Blair's government
, it was renamed and Ruth Kelly
became the first Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government
.
On its creation it also assumed the community policy function of the Home Office
. Ministers have since established the Commission on Integration and Cohesion, and the now separate Government Equalities Office
.
The department was previously responsible for Ordnance Survey
, however on 18 July 2011 it was transferred to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills
.
, English Partnerships
and parts of the Department for Communities and Local Government to form a new unified housing and regeneration agency, the Homes and Communities Agency
. Initially announced as Communities England, it became operational in December 2008. This also includes the Academy for Sustainable Communities
. 2008 was also the year that the department along with the Local Government Association
produced the National Improvement and Efficiency Strategy which led to the creation of 9 Regional Improvement and Efficiency Partnerships (RIEPs)
with devolved funding of £185m to drive sector led improvement for councils.
are as follows.
Scotland
Northern Ireland
Wales
Departments of the United Kingdom Government
Her Majesty's Government of the United Kingdom contains a number of Cabinet ministers who are usually called secretaries of state when they are in charge of Government departments called ministerial departments...
for communities and local government in England. It was established in May 2006 and is the successor to the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, established in 2001. Its headquarters is located at Eland House
Eland House
Eland House is an office building in Westminster, London occupied by the Department for Communities and Local Government. It was designed by EPR Architects and built by Mowlem for Land Securities, and although finally completed in 1998, staff of the former Department of the Environment had moved in...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
.
There are corresponding departments in the Scottish Government, the Welsh Assembly Government
Welsh Assembly Government
The Welsh Government is the devolved government of Wales. It is accountable to the National Assembly for Wales, the legislature which represents the interests of the people of Wales and makes laws for Wales...
and the Northern Ireland Executive
Northern Ireland Executive
The Northern Ireland Executive is the executive arm of the Northern Ireland Assembly, the devolved legislature for Northern Ireland. It is answerable to the Assembly and was established according to the terms of the Northern Ireland Act 1998, which followed the Good Friday Agreement...
, responsible for communities and local government in their respective jurisdictions.
Ministers
The Communities and Local Government ministers are as follows:| Minister | Rank | Portfolio | |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Rt Hon Eric Pickles Eric Pickles Eric Jack Pickles is a British Conservative Party politician. Pickles was appointed Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government of the coalition government headed by Prime Minister David Cameron on 12 May 2010.... MP |
Secretary of State Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government The Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, is a Cabinet position heading the UK's Department for Communities and Local Government.... |
Overall responsibility | |
| The Rt Hon Greg Clark Greg Clark Rt. Hon. Gregory David Clark is a British Conservative Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament for Tunbridge Wells since 2005. Clark is currently a Minister of State in the Department for Communities and Local Government, with responsibility for overseeing decentralisation, a key... MP |
Minister of State | Decentralisation, planning policy, cities | |
| The Rt Hon Grant Shapps Grant Shapps Grant V Shapps MP is the Conservative Member of Parliament for Welwyn Hatfield in the United Kingdom and Minister of State for Housing and Planning... MP |
Minister of State | Housing, local government, regeneration | |
| Andrew Stunell Andrew Stunell Robert Andrew Stunell, known as Andrew Stunell, OBE is a Liberal Democrat politician in the United Kingdom. He is the Member of Parliament for Hazel Grove, and was first elected at the 1997 general election... OBE MP |
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State | Community cohesion | |
| Bob Neill Bob Neill Robert James MacGillivray "Bob" Neill is a British barrister and Conservative Party politician. He has served as the Member of Parliament for Bromley and Chislehurst since a by-election on 29 June 2006... MP |
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State | Fire and resilience | |
| Baroness Hanham CBE | Parliamentary Under Secretary of State | Productivity, transparency, Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre The Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre is a conference centre in the City of Westminster, London. It is located in the heart of the city, a minute's walk from the Palace of Westminster, seat of the United Kingdom's Parliament... |
| Key | Conservative Conservative Party (UK) The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House... |
|---|---|
| Liberal Democrat Liberal Democrats The Liberal Democrats are a social liberal political party in the United Kingdom which supports constitutional and electoral reform, progressive taxation, wealth taxation, human rights laws, cultural liberalism, banking reform and civil liberties .The party was formed in 1988 by a merger of the... |
Greg Clark
Greg Clark
Rt. Hon. Gregory David Clark is a British Conservative Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament for Tunbridge Wells since 2005. Clark is currently a Minister of State in the Department for Communities and Local Government, with responsibility for overseeing decentralisation, a key...
works jointly between the department and the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills
Department for Business, Innovation and Skills
The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills is a ministerial department of the United Kingdom Government created on 5 June 2009 by the merger of the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills and the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform .-Ministers:The BIS...
.
The Permanent Secretary
Permanent Secretary
The Permanent secretary, in most departments officially titled the permanent under-secretary of state , is the most senior civil servant of a British Government ministry, charged with running the department on a day-to-day basis...
is Sir Bob Kerslake who took up his post on 1 November 2010.
Background
DCLG was formed in July 2001 as part of the Cabinet OfficeCabinet Office
The Cabinet Office is a department of the Government of the United Kingdom responsible for supporting the Prime Minister and Cabinet of the United Kingdom....
with the title Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (ODPM), headed by the then Deputy Prime Minister
Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
The Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a senior member of the Cabinet of the United Kingdom. The office of the Deputy Prime Minister is not a permanent position, existing only at the discretion of the Prime Minister, who may appoint to other offices...
, John Prescott
John Prescott
John Leslie Prescott, Baron Prescott is a British politician who was Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1997 to 2007. Born in Prestatyn, Wales, he represented Hull East as the Labour Member of Parliament from 1970 to 2010...
. In May 2002 the ODPM became a separate department after absorbing the local government and regions portfolios from the defunct Department for Transport, Local Government and the Regions. The ODPM was criticised in some quarters for adding little value and the Environmental Audit Committee
Environmental Audit Select Committee
The Environmental Audit Select Committee is a select committee of the House of Commons in the Parliament of the United Kingdom. The remit of the committee is to examine how government department's policies and programmes will affect both the environment and sustainable development.-Membership:As of...
had reported negatively on the department in the past. During the 5 May 2006 reshuffle of Tony Blair's government
Blair Ministry
Tony Blair was the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom for three successive parliamentary terms from 1997-2007. His Cabinet was reshuffled for each new parliament as well as changed during the three periods.-Formation:...
, it was renamed and Ruth Kelly
Ruth Kelly
Ruth Maria Kelly is a British Labour Party politician of Irish descent who was the Member of Parliament for Bolton West from 1997 until she stood down in 2010...
became the first Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government
Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government
The Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, is a Cabinet position heading the UK's Department for Communities and Local Government....
.
Responsibilities
The department is responsible for UK Government policy in the following areas, mainly in England:- building regulations
- community cohesionCommunity cohesionCommunity cohesion refers to the aspect of togetherness and bonding exhibited by members of a community, the "glue" that holds a community together...
- decentralisationDécentralisationDécentralisation is a french word for both a policy concept in French politics from 1968-1990, and a term employed to describe the results of observations of the evolution of spatial economic and institutional organization of France....
- fire servicesFire ServicesFire Services is a Hong Kong football team. The majority of the players are working for the Fire Services Department in Hong Kong and playing for the club on an amateur basis.-Honours:* Hong Kong Viceroy Cup** Runners-up : 1969–70...
and resilience - housingHouseA house is a building or structure that has the ability to be occupied for dwelling by human beings or other creatures. The term house includes many kinds of different dwellings ranging from rudimentary huts of nomadic tribes to free standing individual structures...
- local governmentLocal governmentLocal government refers collectively to administrative authorities over areas that are smaller than a state.The term is used to contrast with offices at nation-state level, which are referred to as the central government, national government, or federal government...
- planning
- race equality
- the Thames GatewayThames GatewayThe Thames Gateway is an area of land stretching east from inner east London on both sides of the River Thames and the Thames Estuary. The area, which includes much brownfield land, has been designated a national priority for urban regeneration, taking advantage of the development opportunities...
- urban regeneration
On its creation it also assumed the community policy function of the Home Office
Home Office
The Home Office is the United Kingdom government department responsible for immigration control, security, and order. As such it is responsible for the police, UK Border Agency, and the Security Service . It is also in charge of government policy on security-related issues such as drugs,...
. Ministers have since established the Commission on Integration and Cohesion, and the now separate Government Equalities Office
Government Equalities Office
The Government Equalities Office is a United Kingdom government department. It was created in October 2007 when the Women and Equality Unit, based within the Department for Communities and Local Government was converted into an independent department.It has lead responsibility for gender equality...
.
Executive agencies
- Fire Service CollegeFire Service CollegeThe Fire Service College is responsible for providing leadership, management and advanced operational training courses for senior fire officers from the UK and foreign fire authorities. It is located at Moreton-in-Marsh in Gloucestershire, England...
- Planning InspectoratePlanning InspectorateThe Planning Inspectorate for England and Wales is an executive agency of the Department for Communities and Local Government of the United Kingdom Government. It is responsible for determining final outcomes of planning and enforcement appeals and public examination of local development plans...
- Queen Elizabeth II Conference CentreQueen Elizabeth II Conference CentreThe Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre is a conference centre in the City of Westminster, London. It is located in the heart of the city, a minute's walk from the Palace of Westminster, seat of the United Kingdom's Parliament...
The department was previously responsible for Ordnance Survey
Ordnance Survey
Ordnance Survey , an executive agency and non-ministerial government department of the Government of the United Kingdom, is the national mapping agency for Great Britain, producing maps of Great Britain , and one of the world's largest producers of maps.The name reflects its creation together with...
, however on 18 July 2011 it was transferred to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills
Department for Business, Innovation and Skills
The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills is a ministerial department of the United Kingdom Government created on 5 June 2009 by the merger of the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills and the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform .-Ministers:The BIS...
.
Non-departmental public bodies
In January 2007, Ruth Kelly announced proposals to bring together the delivery functions of the Housing CorporationHousing Corporation
The Housing Corporation was the non-departmental public body that funded new affordable housing and regulated housing associations in England. It was established by the Housing Act 1964...
, English Partnerships
English Partnerships
English Partnerships was the national regeneration agency for England, performing a similar role on a national level to that fulfilled by Regional Development Agencies on a regional level...
and parts of the Department for Communities and Local Government to form a new unified housing and regeneration agency, the Homes and Communities Agency
Homes and Communities Agency
The Homes and Communities Agency is the non-departmental public body that funds new affordable housing in England. It was established by the Housing and Regeneration Act 2008 as one of the successor bodies to the Housing Corporation, and became operational on 1 December 2008.-Background:On 17...
. Initially announced as Communities England, it became operational in December 2008. This also includes the Academy for Sustainable Communities
Academy for Sustainable Communities
The Academy for Sustainable Communities is a national skills initiative that has been set up by the Department of Communities and Local Government....
. 2008 was also the year that the department along with the Local Government Association
Local Government Association
The Local Government Association is a voluntary lobbying organisation acting as the voice of the local government sector in England and Wales, which seeks to be an authoritative and effective advocate on its behalf....
produced the National Improvement and Efficiency Strategy which led to the creation of 9 Regional Improvement and Efficiency Partnerships (RIEPs)
Regional Improvement and Efficiency Partnerships (RIEPs)
-What are RIEPs?:The nine regional improvement and efficiency partnerships are English public sector organisations that support councils and their partners to become more efficient, innovative and engaged with citizens...
with devolved funding of £185m to drive sector led improvement for councils.
Devolution
Its main counterparts in the devolved nations of the UKUnited Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
are as follows.
Scotland
Northern Ireland
- Office of the First Minister and deputy First MinisterOffice of the First Minister and deputy First MinisterThe Office of the First Minister and deputy First Minister is a devolved Northern Ireland government department in the Northern Ireland Executive with overall responsibility for the running of the Executive...
(civil resilience, community cohesion, race relations) - Department of the EnvironmentDepartment of the Environment (Northern Ireland)The Department of the Environment is a devolved Northern Ireland government department in the Northern Ireland Executive. The minister with overall responsibility for the department is the Minister for the Environment.-Aim:...
(local government, planning) - Department of Finance and PersonnelDepartment of Finance and PersonnelThe Department of Finance and Personnel is a devolved Northern Ireland government department in the Northern Ireland Executive...
(building regulations) - Department of Health, Social Services and Public SafetyDepartment of Health, Social Services and Public SafetyThe Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety is a devolved Northern Ireland government department in the Northern Ireland Executive...
(fire services) - Department for Social DevelopmentDepartment for Social DevelopmentThe Department for Social Development is a devolved Northern Ireland government department in the Northern Ireland Executive. The minister with overall responsibility for the department is the Minister for Social Development.-Aim:...
(housing, urban regeneration)
Wales
See also
- United Kingdom budgetUnited Kingdom budgetThe United Kingdom budget deals with HM Treasury budgeting the revenues gathered by Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs and expenditures of public sector departments, in compliance with government policy.Adjustment is achieved with the GDP deflator....
- Council houseCouncil houseA council house, otherwise known as a local authority house, is a form of public or social housing. The term is used primarily in the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland. Council houses were built and operated by local councils to supply uncrowded, well-built homes on secure tenancies at...
- Energy efficiency in British housingEnergy efficiency in British housingDomestic housing in the United Kingdom presents a possible opportunity for achieving the 20% overall cut in UK carbon dioxide emissions targeted by the Government for 2010...
- Homes and Communities AgencyHomes and Communities AgencyThe Homes and Communities Agency is the non-departmental public body that funds new affordable housing in England. It was established by the Housing and Regeneration Act 2008 as one of the successor bodies to the Housing Corporation, and became operational on 1 December 2008.-Background:On 17...
- English PartnershipsEnglish PartnershipsEnglish Partnerships was the national regeneration agency for England, performing a similar role on a national level to that fulfilled by Regional Development Agencies on a regional level...
- Housing CorporationHousing CorporationThe Housing Corporation was the non-departmental public body that funded new affordable housing and regulated housing associations in England. It was established by the Housing Act 1964...
- Housing estateHousing estateA housing estate is a group of buildings built together as a single development. The exact form may vary from country to country. Accordingly, a housing estate is usually built by a single contractor, with only a few styles of house or building design, so they tend to be uniform in appearance...
- Social Exclusion Task ForceSocial Exclusion Task ForceThe Social Exclusion Task Force was a part of the Cabinet Office that provides the UK Government with strategic advice and policy analysis in its drive against social exclusion. It was preceded by the Social Exclusion Unit, which was set up by the Labour government in 1997 and formed part of the...
- Local Government AssociationLocal Government AssociationThe Local Government Association is a voluntary lobbying organisation acting as the voice of the local government sector in England and Wales, which seeks to be an authoritative and effective advocate on its behalf....
- Regional Improvement and Efficiency Partnerships (RIEPs)Regional Improvement and Efficiency Partnerships (RIEPs)-What are RIEPs?:The nine regional improvement and efficiency partnerships are English public sector organisations that support councils and their partners to become more efficient, innovative and engaged with citizens...
External links
- Communities and Local Government
- Local Government Channel
- Communities UK YouTubeYouTubeYouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
channel