David Cameron is a Member of Parliament for Witney and is the leader of the Conservative Party in England.

We're often told that people feel powerless to change society, but occasionally something happens that gives us hope. Tonight, London will play host to a mass political meeting which shows that passionate protest really can make a difference.

The cause is as old as democracy itself: people's desire to take back power from the ruling elites. What's new is the coalition lined up behind it. I'll be there representing the Conservatives, Menzies Campbell will speak for the Liberal Democrats and Jean Lambert MEP will do the same for the Green Party.

Many other groups are also taking part, including Friends of the Earth, the Disability Rights Commission, the Women's Institute, the Campaign for Real Ale, Age Concern, the Countryside Alliance, Charter 88, Shelter and the Coop.

We've come together to show our support for the Sustainable Communities Bill, a backbench measure currently making its way through the House of Commons. It is a bold attempt to reverse decades of centralisation by the British state - and it's not surprising, from this most centralising of administrations, that the Bill does not have official backing from the Government (although some Labour backbenchers have decided to join the opposition parties).

The Sustainable Communities Bill is a truly radical piece of legislation, designed to bring about a decisive shift of power from central government to local communities. It is necessary because Britain today is one of the most centralised states in the developed world. Far too many decisions that affect our daily lives - and the quality of life where we live - are made by remote, unaccountable officials.

Centralisation is one of the biggest barriers to creating the kind of society I want to see - a society built on the idea of social responsibility.

I want to see individuals, families and neighbours take more responsibility for their lives and for their communities. That won't happen unless we create a framework within which people can exercise greater social responsibility.

That means real control over what happens in their area - whether it's over the way public services are delivered, the way planning decisions are made, or how public money is spent.

At the moment, a majority of the taxpayers' money that is spent locally is not controlled locally. In Kent, for example, the taxpayer spends around Pounds 10 billion a year - but Kent County Council controls only a 10th of that.

The Sustainable Communities Bill would give local authorities the power to demand an annual account of all the money national government spends in their community. It would then allow local authorities, after detailed consultation with local residents, to decide their own priorities and to spend money accordingly.

Instead of responding to the demands, targets and directives of ministers in Whitehall, local government would be free to listen and respond to the demands of local people.

A good example is the crisis affecting local shops and post offices. Small independent shops are often the lifeblood of a local community. Their survival is vital, and that's why I support the Evening Standard's Save Our Small Shops campaign. I know how much my family and my neighbours in North Kensington value places like the St Helen's Food Store, and others feel the same about shops in their local areas.

Councils should be doing everything possible to safeguard local shops, but sadly, this is not always their priority.

For example, Labour-controlled Hackney council inexplicably sold off the freeholds on many of the much-loved local shops and cafes in Broadway Market to property developers who promptly forced out the shopkeepers, some of whom had been there for decades.

Wandsworth council has taken a more enlightened approach. It recently took a landmark decision to support shops in Northcote Road near Clapham Junction after several long-established businesses, including the local post office and a florist, were forced out .

Safeguarding popular independent shops is an important part of keeping local communities vibrant and distinct, but let's be honest about it: this is not just a question of government action, whether national or local. There's often a simple rule when it comes to local shops: use them or lose them. If we care about our communities, and the local, independent retailers that give them their character, then it's our responsibility to support them - not just by signing petitions and joining campaigns, but with our cash.

And there's another aspect of social responsibility that is vital to this debate.

The localising revolution Britain needs is not just about devolving power to local government. The civic institutions that matter in our communities go well beyond local government.

A true community includes the sports club and the church, the charity and the local business. It includes all the private associations that people form for public purposes - to clean up the streets, or look after the elderly, or give teenagers something to do. It is these associations which, alongside local government, will bring about the social revival that our country needs.

Politicians, meanwhile (especially national ones), should be less arrogant about their role in people's lives. Instead, they should be more ambitious about what we can all do for our communities together as parents, professionals, neighbours and citizens.

This is the big idea for Britain 's future: a future where social responsibility is not just a slogan, but a description of how our communities work. But it will only happen if central government lets go - if it stops trying to control everything in a vain attempt to guarantee outcomes from the centre. We have to accept that different communities will choose to do things differently, with different results.

The Sustainable Communities Bill is just the start of the localising revolution that I want the modern Conservative Party to lead. Just as we have set the agenda on the environment, helping to make our politics greener, so I want us to set the agenda on devolution, helping to make our politics more local. I believe that is the best way to improve the quality of all our lives.

©  2007 David Cameron

Go to Home Page