debates about the devolution of power

• local decision makers underdtand the culture and needs of their community
• local decision makers live in the area and are able to check that money is spent well
• local decision makers know what their local area needs most
• residents can contact local decision makers easily and are able to hold them to account
• residents develop a stronger sense of identity and so increase their participation in the political process
• some people believe that local councils do not always spend public funds wisely
• the UK has an uneven distribution of wealth which means some areas have more resources than others
• some people argue that local councils may be too small to deal with major issues such as climate change or terrorism
• there may be conflicts between different groups within a council over how to allocate funding
• there may be conflicts between different groups within a community over how resources are allocated