NAVCA CONFERENCE 2009

WORKING WITH LOCAL GOVERNMENT TO EMPOWER LOCAL COMMUNITIES

Isobel Mills, Deputy Regional Director

Government Office for Yorkshire and The Humber

WORKING WITH LOCAL GOVERNMENT TO EMPOWER LOCAL COMMUNITIES

To cover:

• Community empowerment – what does it actually mean?

• Why is it so hard?• Why it matters: selling it to local government• Things to think about (aka what’s in it for you)

Community empowerment – what does it actually mean?

• Democratic renewal• Improving services• Opening up decision

making• Reducing community

unease• Increasing civic

participation• Logical journey from

consultation and engagement

Community empowerment – what does it actually mean?

• Measured through Places Survey

• About % of people who agree they can influence decisions in their local area

• Question sits alongside others around volunteering, satisfaction, “getting on well”

Why is it so hard

• Subjective empowerment (extent to which people feel they have influence over local conditions and decisions)

• Social capital – bonding, bridging, linking

• Collective efficacy – petitions

• Co-production – involvement of third sector in service delivery

• Passage from horizontal to vertical participation

Why it matters: selling it to local government (I)

• Duty to involve• New Equalities Bill• Comparison with peers• Important for CAA

Why it matters: selling it to local government (II)

• Duty to involve only stat duty CAA assesses

• Keen to understand how a place “reads” its communities

• Seems to be a focus on needs – and aspirations

• Also that areas understand neighbourhoods and groups

Why it matters: selling it to local government (III)

• In a time when resources will be tight you will want citizens to understand choices

• Service users are likely to be good co-designers of the services they receive

• About stronger, more confident communities

Things to think about: what’s it in for you

• Participatory budgeting• Petitions• Transfer of assets• “Redress”• Young mayors• Cllrs Commission

Things to think about: what’s in it for you

• Potential as facilitators of community devolution (TMOs, asset transfer)

• Service provision• Connector between

regional, sub-regional, local

• Horizon scanning

Horizon Scanning

• A future without funding

• A future with substantial debt

• A future where local is likely to have primacy

• A search for new models of delivery

• Where radicalism will be welcomed?

Finally…