Harriett Baldwin today welcomed the announcement of the Localism Bill which will become a blueprint for dramatically improving local authority services. Harriett commented: “I know that local councils have been preparing for this and have made provision for this budget settlement. “I have been impressed with the way district and county officers have looked to share services and I think that this points the way forward to achieve savings without impacting on front line services. “The Localism Bill is an important piece of legislation which brings more power to local communities, transforming the relationships between central and local government and individuals. “It is a Bill which brings fresh thinking, particularly to local planning procedures, and I hope it will help people to get involved in important local decisions.”