People First Expo Pilots

Putting Communities First

John Kerridge Assistant Director,

Adults’ & Community Services Lambeth Council

May 2008

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Contents Page/s

Foreword Councillor Rachel Heywood, Deputy Cabinet Member Community Cohesion & Involvement

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Introduction 4 People First 4

Why Engage

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People First Expo 5 The Pilots 5 North Lambeth 6 Brixton 7 Norwood 7 Measuring Success 7/8 Lessons Learned 9 Opportunities for Improvement 10 Relationship Management 11

Cost of Pilot

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General Observations 12 Outcome Framework 12 Capacity Building Ladder 13/15

Political Confidence and Stability

Recommendations 16 Locations 16 Basic Format 17 Frequency 17 Budget 17 The Sustainable Communities Act 2007 18

Joint Strategic Needs Assessment 18 Ward Councillors 19

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Foreword We are all connected through a set of interwoven networks involving our family, neighbourhood, town centre, friendships, common interests, age, faith, culture, and race, along with many other factors. The way we interact with each other is an indication of the level of cohesion that exists within our communities. Community engagement in Lambeth has been subject to frequent reviews resulting in a patchwork of forums providing a range of local community engagement services. In some cases these forums are based around a town centre, in others they may operate within a more localised neighbourhood. The capacity of some community forums also varies and is largely dependent upon a small number of hard working and committed active citizens. There has been declining activity in certain community forums due to uncertainty, instability and insufficient resources. The People First Expo pilots were held to test out innovative approaches designed to reinvigorate civic engagement. The purpose of this report is to provide a reflection and evaluation on the pilots, as well as to set out some next steps. I believe social isolation, intolerance and a sense of powerlessness combine to undermine confidence in the economic, social and environmental wellbeing of our communities and our fundamental belief in the possibility of change. The three pilot People First Expos were a new way of working for us and tested out different approaches to engaging. Cohesive communities do not happen by accident and the recent events, between our young people have served as a stark reminder that not working hard to maintain and build cohesion can have tragic results. We also know that by providing places and opportunities for people to meet, to chat, to challenge, and to change the future we can support the creation of stable, strong and safe communities.

Councillor Rachel Heywood Deputy Cabinet Member Community Cohesion and Involvement

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1. Introduction 1.0 Community engagement

needs to be tailored to the needs of people, their communities and neighbourhoods. One size does not fit all.

1.1 The Lambeth People First

Expo pilots have evidenced that community engagement also requires stability, political maturity and confidence across all involved.

People First 1.2 The principle of local people managing engagement activities is one

that we should all aspire to, although the depth of social capital and community infrastructure differs greatly across Lambeth; What works in Brixton may not be appropriate for Norwood for example. In some cases local people may want to manage and deliver engagement activities through their groups and associations. In other places the Council may need to take a more active role.

Why Engage? 1.3 The Council is clear that in order to improve the wellbeing of Lambeth’s

communities, it needs to assist those communities to build the information, skills and structures that they need to take part.

1.4 The Council hopes that community managed Forums across Lambeth,

which bring together representatives from the voluntary and community sector, elected members, tenant groups and Safer Neighbourhood Panels can work together to achieve this. The role of Community Forums would be to:

• Create a platform for communities to drive forward, lead or partner

agencies in policies and plans affecting their local area. • Promote unity, understanding and cohesion between different

people, communities and cultures. • Celebrate Lambeth. • Secure active citizenship and promote better links between

communities and elected representatives. • Help shape the services commissioned by the Council. • Improve visibility and accountability of local public officers.

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2. People First Expo Pilots 2.0 The People First Expo pilots, held in North Lambeth, Norwood and

Brixton were developed in collaboration with a variety of partners through Lambeth First (the borough’s Local Strategic Partnership). They provided opportunities for local people, service providers, community groups and councillors to meet within an informal and creative environment.

2.1 During 2006/07 Lambeth embarked upon extensive consultation across

its diverse communities and partners. This involved over 70 public meetings and focus groups. The purpose of this consultation was to explore how we could all work together to build strong, inclusive and resilient communities.

The Pilots 2.2 Each Expo pilot worked through a common model that encouraged

local innovation, which included:

• A core theme • A market place for service providers • Entertainment • Local question time • Refreshments

2.3 A project steering group was established for each Expo with a lead

agency taking responsibility for co-ordination and delivery:

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Area Lead Agency

North Lambeth Metropolitan Police

Authority

Brixton Lambeth Council

Norwood Norwood Forum Outcomes and Performance 2.4 The Expos were designed to

promote community interface with service providers and elected councillors, as well as creating opportunities for local groups to network and share experiences. The outcomes used for measuring the success of the pilots and actual performance follows:

Outcome

Area Performance

North Lambeth 320 people registered. Brixton 400 people registered.

A minimum of 150 people attending each event. Norwood 200 people registered.

North Lambeth 43 organisations attended and provided stalls.

Brixton 22 organisations attended and provided stalls.

20 neighbourhoods or ward based groups and services to network.

Norwood 28 organisations attended and provided stalls.

North Lambeth 61% registered as first time attendees.

Brixton 42% noted as first time attendees.

Increase the number of ‘new’ people attending area-based events.

Norwood 36% registered as first time attendees.

North Lambeth 2.5 The North Lambeth Expo was held on Saturday 26th January 2008 at

the Lilian Baylis School. This Expo was developed through a joint-partnership steering group, which brought together The Metropolitan Police Authority, Lambeth Council, South Bank Employers Group, Lambeth First and Lambeth Metropolitan Police Service. The theme for this event was Community Safety and Volunteering.

2.6 Successes on the day included that over 30 individuals that took

application packs to become school governors, the Waterloo Carnival recruited new volunteers, and there was positive feedback about the receptiveness of the event.

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Brixton 2.7 The Brixton Expo was held on Saturday 2nd February 2008 across

three different locations. These were in Tate Gardens, Brighton House and the Karibu Education Centre. Key partners included Lambeth Council, Lambeth First, Muslim Youth Concern, Brixton Mosque, The Karibu Centre, The Youth Council and the X-it Programme. The theme for this event was Young People in Enterprise.

2.8 Those attending felt the event had a relaxed, friendly, open and lively

atmosphere. Successes included pioneering work with the Muslim community and increased recruitment of young people into community activity.

Norwood 2.9 The Norwood Expo was held on Saturday 9th February 2008 at Crown

Lane School. The lead partner was Norwood Forum and the project team included Lambeth Council, Lambeth First, Primary Care Trust and Metropolitan Police Service. The theme for the event was Regenerating Norwood.

2.10 There were 28 stalls in total, including 18 community and voluntary

organisations. Additional activities included storytelling, a roaming magician and a youth singing group. The event also tested out new an interactive electronic voting system with young people, through the Norwood Youth Forum.

Measuring Success 2.11 Questionnaires were circulated and completed at each event and

subsequently collated and analysed. In addition, focus groups with stall holders, councillors and officers were held after the events to gather more information. This information has informed the following summary:

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General ü The atmosphere was positive and there was a ‘buzz.’ People enjoyed themselves – plenty of smiling.

ü Family Rooms and childcare made the events. accessible to families.

ü Attendance exceeded expectations. ü Entertainment, food and refreshments contributed to the

positive tone of the events. ü The informal nature/structure also contributed towards

the relaxed atmosphere. ü High number of people registered at Expos as the first

event they had attended in the area. ü Independence of facilitators.

Market Place

ü Well received across all Expos with a high level of

satisfaction from community groups, service providers and attendees.

ü The most successful stalls developed interactive activities for members of the public.

ü Networking and meeting new people particularly scored high. Good opportunity for voluntary organisations to meet, speak and get to know each other.

ü The level of information was very good, people took away plenty of information - their bags were full of bundles of leaflets.

ü The interface with the Council’s Democratic Services was good.

Planning

ü The involvement of cross partnership steering groups

brought together resources, expertise and knowledge; people ‘pulled together.’

ü Resources were obtained from a variety of partners. ü All the Expos drew on the knowledge, experience and

energy of local volunteers. ü Use of the Council’s GIFTS database to target

distribution of information. Date & Time

ü Saturday afternoon worked well and helped increase

access as it was not during working hours, or an evening.

North Lambeth

ü The allocating of small grants to community projects

made the connection between the Expo and voting. ü Good and positive leadership throughout the day. ü Great facilities at the school.

Brixton ü Future Brixton and the Cross River Partnership initiatives in particular identified that they had gained a great deal of consultative information.

ü Tate Gardens, a great location. Norwood ü Voting buttons. People responded to a modern

interactive approach to engagement. ü Great facility at the school.

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Lessons Learned Question Time

K Not a great deal of debate at the panel sessions. K Lack of local questions. K Room too noisy, too much activity for people to hear what was

being said. K Elected councillor role needs further development and thought

Venues K All three venues had their positives and negatives as they sought to balance suitable location, accessibility, capacity and layout.

Monitoring K The monitoring questionnaire was too long and complex.

K Signing in/reception was difficult to maintain throughout the day, especially at peak times.

K Many people did not complete the diversity section of the attendee-monitoring questionnaire.

Publicity K The branding needed to be more imaginative and recognisable.

K Corporate communication resources across partners were slow to respond.

Frequency K Events should happen on an annual basis within each area.

North Lambeth K Poor sound system.

Brixton K The marquee captured the passing trade, but people did not stay very long. It was cold.

K The setting up of the marquee also created an added burden and risk with weather.

K Outside venue not appropriate in the winter months. Norwood

K The venue was not big enough to accommodate the number of

groups wanting to run a stall.

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Opportunities for Improvement General

• Opportunity to identify an areas top three local priorities • Strengthen the capacity of town centre and area forums

to deliver community engagement activities like the Expo.

• Where a town centre or area forum is not strong enough, or may not exist, then work through elected members in the area as a building block.

• Integrate engagement activities to ensure communities of common interest/identity are not missed out.

• Themed events that are important to local people, maybe directly linked to Local Area Agreement priorities.

Venue • Single site venues to be used.

• Utilise school buildings where possible. • The market place and question time to be located in

separate parts of the venue. • Use alternating venues within a town centre/area to

maximise attendance.

Question Time • Themed debates linked to LAA priorities facilitated by Democratic Services and led by elected councillors from the town centre/area.

• Members of the public able to submit questions and present petitions to these themed debates.

• Maintain a ‘question time’ session involving key partners to close each event.

• Further attendance of senior officers from service providers to mingle through the market place and meet people informally.

Communications • Increase direct contact and involvement with ‘grass

roots’ community, tenant and resident groups. • Improve data inputting with the GIFTS database (map

the network of traditionally excluded groups) • Improve communications in the run up to and after the

event (web based/emails/Lambeth Life, etc) emphasising the continuous cycle of the engagement.

• Publicity to focus on top three area priorities. • Feedback to go out soon after each event – use the

web, etc. • All Lambeth First partners as a minimum to attend

future events.

Monitoring • Simplify the monitoring questionnaire

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Relationship Management 2.12 The Expos worked due to the skills,

knowledge and techniques that galvanised the cross-partnership project steering groups.

2.13 The successful delivery of the pilots

required considerable time in the management of often complex and conflicting relationships across neighbourhoods, community groups, councillors, service providers and council departments. Careful management of relationships needs to be integral to any future roll out of Expos in Lambeth.

Cost of Pilot 2.14 These costs do not include officer time expended to develop the pilots,

some of the costs involved can be attributed to the pilot nature of the events and would not recur.

Area Budget Actual Spend Balance North Lambeth

£9,000 £7.364 (£1.636)

Norwood

£9,000 £7.716 (£1.284)

Brixton

£9.000 £8.522 (£478)

Totals

£27,000 £23,602 £3,398

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3. General Observations 3.0 Lambeth has developed several policy initiatives over the past decade

that has sought to strengthen accountability between citizen, elected member, community and statutory services.

3.1 What is evident is that a centralised, ‘one size fits all’ approach does

not work, and community forums that only galvanise a small number of people can be just as disempowering as statutory initiatives, especially for traditionally excluded and new communities.

3.2 Community forums should be commissioned to deliver future Expo’s

and if they do not have sufficient capacity to be commissioned they should be supported to build their capacity at present to be commissioned in the future. In communities and neighbourhoods where there are no existing forums then workshops should be held with local councillors, partners and community activists to explore options for establishing a local forum.

3.3 In turn this will require a flexible framework built around common

standards of what is on offer from the Council to facilitate the widest possible engagement from local people.

Outcome Framework

Outcome Framework

Input Expertise and funding to provide capacity building designed in partnership with each town centre, or area forum. A budget to commission community engagement services from town centre or area forums.

Outputs The capacity building/support offered to community forums in:

• Norwood (and Upper Norwood) • Waterloo • Brixton • Herne Hill Forum • Kennington, Oval and Vauxhall Forum • Stockwell • Clapham • Streatham

Outcome Building strong and safe communities in Lambeth

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The Capacity Building Ladder 3.4 The proposed model of capacity building is built on four steps:

• Inform • Consult • Involve • Devolve

3.5 Each forum identified within the outcome framework will be supported

to undertake a capacity assessment against the following framework: Capacity level What is expected What we will do Inform The Forum is an informal group of people who meet when required.

- Basic aims and objectives - To circulate information to

members - Stall at annual People First

Expo

- Capacity building

support if forum wishes to achieve ‘consult’ status.

Capacity level What is expected What we will do Consult The Forum is consulted with predetermined options.

- Basic constitution - Bank account - Trustees/management

committee in place - Attendance at forum

meetings, participate in discussions and provide feedback

- To circulate information to forum members

- Capacity building

support if forum wishes to achieve ‘involve’ status

- Forum has access to make application for capacity building funding

- Link officer to attend meetings of Forum/Group on a needs basis

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Capacity level What is expected What we will do Involve The Forum is: Involved in delivering community engagement services Reliant upon grants and donations. Shapes options, not just consulted on predetermined options

- A charitable constitution in

place - Ability to fully participate in

the development of community engagement plans

- Ability to take on actions within community engagement plans and deliver them.

- Auditable activities, leaflets, public meetings; management committee actively seeks to reflect the community it serves, etc

- Provides volunteer resources in the running of the annual People First Expo

- Capacity building

support if forum wishes to achieve ‘devolved’ status

- Forum has access to make application for capacity building funding

- Forum involved from initiation in preparing the community engagement plan and annual People First Expo for the area.

- Named Link officer who will meet with forum no less than four times a year

Capacity level What is expected What we will do Devolve: The Forum is strong enough to take on a contract to deliver community engagement services.

- Constituted to Charity

Commission/Company Law requirements

- Complete an organisational health check to ensure compliance with constitution

- Ability to deliver annual People First Expo

- Enter into service level agreement negotiations

- Complete risk assessment, equalities, and legal insurance requirements for running public events

- Monitoring officer

meeting no less than bi-monthly

- Undertake organisational health checks and ensure compliance with any agreements

- Provide a service level agreement

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3.6 The capacity building offered should be negotiated with forums and undertaken over two stages:

Stage 1: Organisational Review This will involve the completion of an evaluation report that will identify a forums current level of capacity against the capacity building ladder. This work will culminate in the provision of a report that will provide options for the way forward. Stage 2: Development Support

This stage will involve access to resources to support improvements, which have been identified as part of the review stage. An adviser will work alongside the forum on the suggested improvement areas.

Political Confidence and Stability 3.7 Community engagement, by its

nature, is political, although not party political, because it ultimately seeks to influence, and provide a voice. As a process, it will continue to be of interest to party political groups.

3.8 Community engagement needs

to operate within a politically confident environment. Community forums need to be strong enough to operate alongside partisan politics and this needs to be recognised as an important ingredient of the democratic fabric of our community life.

3.9 The Expo pilots did not seek to hide politics, in fact the whole process

sought to promote political difference in a constructive, open and healthy way through the ‘Question Time’ panels. Political administrations change, but communities remain. Stability builds confidence in communities that have remained excluded, as well as in those who want to remain engaged.

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3.10 We know that fruitful engagement does not happen overnight; it takes resources, skills and time. Meaningful engagement will only be maintained when political maturity allows for stability in structure and resources regardless of a changing political landscape.

4. Recommendations Locations 4.0 This report recommends the capacity building of community forums in

Lambeth to enable them to be commissioned to deliver People First Expos in the following places:

o Norwood/upper Norwood o Waterloo o Brixton o Herne Hill o Kennington, Oval and Vauxhall Forum o Stockwell o Clapham o Streatham

4.1 Running alongside the piloting of Expos in Lambeth, has been a

programme of engagement activities aimed at communities of common interest and identity. These communities have included faith communities, Portuguese communities, communities of Somali origins, the Peace on the Street campaign, etc.

4.2 The Council’s Active Communities Team has established an

engagement programme across a number of partners to ensure resources are utilised effectively. The continued development of Expos will be best served if undertaken within this broader engagement programme.

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Basic Format 4.3 The basic format for Expos is recommended to ensure a level of quality

is maintained across events, and this should be built into specified service that will be commissioned via community forums. Community Forums will be encouraged to use this format as a minimum and to develop Expos around local nuances.

The minimum format for Expos to include:

a) Market place b) Ballot for a local grant allocation c) 2 themed debates linked to Local Area Agreement

priorities lead by local councillors d) Community entertainment throughout the event e) Refreshments f) Determination of three area priorities g) Cross partnership Question Time panel session to close

event

Frequency 4.4 The frequency of Expos will need to be a balanced between sustaining

community interest and capacity to deliver. One of the reasons for the success of the pilots was their freshness. There is a risk that too many Expos within an area would devalue and undermine their impact if held to frequent.

4.5 Expos should be seen as the annual summit event for each area and

provide the opportunity for the top 3 priorities to be identified for the area. Feedback on progress towards delivering against these 3 priorities should be disseminated throughout the year to, and through, neighbourhood groups and panels. The annual Expo will provide opportunities to examine progress against the priorities and test out the continued relevance.

Budget 4.6 The average cost of each pilot Expo is £8,000, not including staff time.

As well as this, community forums will require funding to maintain their core activities through out the year. The estimated commissioning budget for this work is in the region of £150,000 per annum. It is recommended that the Council:

1. Establish a capacity building budget of £50,000 in the first year to

facilitate the proposed capacity building of community forums; 2. Seek to build a commissioning fund of £150,000 per annum with

partners through the Lambeth Local Strategic Partnership, including access to the Working Neighbourhood Fund.

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The Sustainable Communities Act 2007 4.7 The Sustainable Communities Act 2007 aims to promote the

sustainability of local communities and begins with the principle that local people know best what needs to be done to promote the sustainability of their area. The Act covers all aspects of the wellbeing powers including economic, social and environmental issues.

4.8 The Act promotes the concept of local people deciding what they think

needs to be done to promote the sustainability of their area, and enabling local communities to feed ideas to central government through their local authority. The Act also proposes the publication of local spending reports, which provide quick and easy access to information about where public money is spent. This ongoing debate and engagement with local communities will then enable local authorities, partners and communities to take more informed decisions about priorities they choose to promote.

4.9 It is recommended that Lambeth opts into the principles of the

Sustainable Communities Act 2007 and the Council is mindful of the proposed developments of Expos as a vehicle for delivering its responsibilities under the Act.

Joint Strategic Needs Assessment 4.10 The Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act 2007

places a duty on local authorities to undertake Joint Strategic Needs Assessments (JSNA), which identifies current and future health and wellbeing needs within local populations. The JSNA will then inform the priorities within commissioning plans, Local Area Agreement and the Sustainable Community Strategy.

4.11 Community engagement is an essential element of the JSNA process,

which also recognises that the process of engagement will, in itself, have a positive impact on health and wellbeing outcomes. This will enable commissioners to understanding whether services have delivered what was expected, and whether the service has met the desired needs.

4.12 The results of community engagement activities will assist

commissioners, including practice based commissioners, to specify outcomes that encourage local innovation in determining solutions and help providers share services that address needs more effectively.

4.13 It is recommended that the results of community engagement in Expos

should be utilised to inform the ongoing development of the Lambeth Joint Strategic Needs Assessment.

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Ward Councillors 4.14 The role of ward councillors in the design and delivery of Expos will be

an evolving aspect of the Expos and be determined by local nuances, personal capacity and the interest of local ward councillors. Ward councillors have a critical role to play in promoting involvement in the Expos, as well as other community engagement activities within the area. Ward member involvement should not be prescribed, but could include:

• A stall being made available. • The holding of a super surgery, or mingle and meet local people

and groups. • Participation in themed debates

4.15 As community leaders, ward members could also lead on the delivery

of themed debates at the Expo, linked to priorities from the Local Area Agreement. The Expos and community engagement work must be seen as complementary to any structure that facilitates area based decision making, or formal scrutiny function of the legally elected councillor.

Conclusion 4.16 The Council and its partners are increasingly required to engage with

communities as part of their statutory responsibilities. Organisations with responsibility for commissioning services will need to take regard of their resource allocation to different communities to ensure resources are most effectively targeted.

4.17 A challenge in Lambeth is that partners have different frameworks for

working with communities, which creates a lack of co-ordination, results in duplication and causes confusion in communities and neighbourhoods. There would be considerable advantage in partners adopting a common engagement framework, which would also benefit future joint commissioning plans as it would clearly link engagement with commissioning. The most logical geographical division for statutory organisations to start and build this common engagement framework is the ward.