Use Brexit to cut stifling EU red tape, councillors urged

MINISTERS must use the opportunity of Brexit to free councils by slashing bureaucracy and red tape, the Local Government Association (LGA) has said.

EU rules on how goods and services are bought have a “huge bearing” on local economies and can “stifle” efforts to transform areas, according to the LGA.

It has called on the Government to introduce a simpler system after Britain quits the bloc, insisting reforms could speed up contracting and cut administration bills.

Councillor Kevin Bentley, chairman of the LGA’S Brexit task and finish group, said: “The UK’S exit from the EU will have a significant impact on local government, creating challenges that need to be addressed but also opportunities to do things differently. The way councils spend money has a huge bearing on local growth and job creation.

“But EU rules over how they buy goods and services can stifle those efforts and take up time and money.”

Councils have to follow Eu-wide advertising and contract rules when they buy goods and services, which can take between three and 18 months, according to the LGA.

It said the process “sometimes sits uneasily” with efforts to support local economies and that almost no public contracts end up being awarded to firms in other EU states. A “lighter touch” system should be introduced after Brexit that also gives councils the freedom to use local suppliers, the LGA said.