The problem is a much bigger issue than the CAA itself. Like any regulatory body the CAA needs to consult (yes it does) with those it regulates. However in the UK there is no one body that covers the majority of PPLs. The schemes run with the PFA and BMAA for aircraft certification and engineering work extremely well and I beleive the CAA would be happy to devolve more of its GA responsibilities to such organisations if there was someone to delegate it too. In the USA AOPA is a very powerful political body reprasenting the majority of PPLs. In the UK I think it reprasents less than 10%.
I beleive the NPPL will be a success but it has only got this far because the major GA bodies worked together with the CAA.