London Tories and the localism lobby

From Local Government Chronicle:

Local government Conservatives are making final attempts to influence their party's election manifesto with a localism blueprint as polling day approaches...Many Tory councillors hope that councils can present themselves as the most efficient part of the public sector and be rewarded with greater influence over areas such as health and welfare.

Some of the highest profile Conservative council leaders, including Hammersmith & Fulham LBC's Stephen Greenhalgh, Westminster City Council's Colin Barrow and Leicestershire CC's David Parsons have been involved in drawing up what they bill as a "Magna Carta for localism".

Barrow is quoted thus:

The leadership of the party understand localism and working with local people - it's a question of transplanting that into real action on the ground.

But most talk is of cuts: that's cuts, cuts, cuts, cuts, cuts, cuts, cuts, cuts, cuts. The new "magna carta" - you decide how apt the comparison is - should be published later this month.