BINDING LOCAL REFERENDUMS

That this House welcomes the Coalition Agreement commitment to give residents the power to instigate local referendums; believes that this proposal should be strengthened as an extension of direct democracy and to shorten the distance between people and power; welcomes the provisions of the Local Referendums Bill that would enable residents to trigger referendums on any local issue and ensure that the results are binding; and urges the Government to incorporate these provisions into the Localism Bill as part of its commitment to put power in the hands of communities and individuals.