Co

mm

un

itie

s in

co

ntr

ol

Real

peo

ple,

real

pow

er

Communities in control: real people, real power

Com

mun

ities

in c

ontr

ol:

real

peo

ple,

rea

l pow

er

Pres

ente

d to

Par

liam

ent

by t

he S

ecre

tary

of

Stat

e

for

Com

mun

ities

and

Loc

al G

over

nmen

t by

Com

man

d of

Her

Maj

esty

9

July

200

8

Cm

742

7 £3

3.45

© C

row

n C

op

yrig

ht

2008

The

text

in t

his

docu

men

t (e

xclu

ding

the

Roy

al A

rms

and

othe

r de

part

men

tal

or a

genc

y lo

gos)

may

be

repr

oduc

ed f

ree

of c

harg

e in

any

for

mat

or

med

ium

pr

ovid

ing

it is

rep

rodu

ced

accu

rate

ly a

nd n

ot u

sed

in a

mis

lead

ing

cont

ext.

The

mat

eria

l mus

t be

ack

now

ledg

ed a

s C

row

n co

pyrig

ht a

nd t

he t

itle

of t

he

docu

men

t sp

ecifi

ed.

Whe

re w

e ha

ve id

entif

ied

any

third

par

ty c

opyr

ight

mat

eria

l you

will

nee

d to

ob

tain

per

mis

sion

fro

m t

he c

opyr

ight

hol

ders

con

cern

ed.

For

any

othe

r us

e of

thi

s m

ater

ial p

leas

e w

rite

to O

ffic

e of

Pub

lic S

ecto

r In

form

atio

n, In

form

atio

n Po

licy

Team

, K

ew,

Rich

mon

d, S

urre

y TW

9 4D

U o

r e-

mai

l: lic

ensi

ng@

opsi

.gov

.uk

ISBN

: 97

8 0

10 1

7427

2 6

Con

tent

s

Co

nte

nts

Fore

wo

rd b

y R

t. H

on

. Go

rdo

n B

row

n M

P, P

rim

e M

inis

ter

i

Intr

od

uct

ion

iii

by R

t. H

on. H

azel

Ble

ars

MP

Secr

etar

y of

Sta

te f

or

Com

mun

ities

and

Loc

al G

over

nmen

t

Exec

uti

ve S

um

mar

y 1

Ch

apte

r 1:

Th

e ca

se f

or

peo

ple

an

d c

om

mu

nit

ies

hav

ing

mo

re p

ow

er

11

Why

em

pow

erm

ent?

Ch

apte

r 2:

Act

ive

citi

zen

s an

d t

he

valu

e o

f vo

lun

teer

ing

33

How

can

I be

an

activ

e ci

tizen

and

vol

unte

er?

Ch

apte

r 3:

Acc

ess

to in

form

atio

n

47

How

can

I fin

d ou

t in

form

atio

n in

a w

ay I

unde

rsta

nd a

nd c

an u

se?

Ch

apte

r 4:

Hav

ing

an

infl

uen

ce

63

How

do

I hav

e m

y sa

y an

d in

fluen

ce t

he d

ecis

ions

bei

ng m

ade

on m

y be

half,

bo

th b

y el

ecte

d an

d ap

poin

ted

peop

le?

Ch

apte

r 5:

Ch

alle

ng

e 89

How

do

I hol

d to

acc

ount

the

peo

ple

who

exe

rcis

e po

wer

in m

y lo

calit

y?

Ch

apte

r 6:

Red

ress

95

How

do

I get

sw

ift a

nd f

air

redr

ess

whe

n th

ings

go

wro

ng a

nd m

ake

sure

it

does

n’t

happ

en t

o so

meo

ne e

lse?

Ch

apte

r 7:

Sta

nd

ing

fo

r o

ffice

10

3

How

do

I sta

nd f

or o

ffice

and

wha

t su

ppor

t sh

ould

I ge

t?

Ch

apte

r 8:

Ow

ner

ship

an

d c

on

tro

l 11

7

How

can

my

frie

nds,

nei

ghbo

urs

and

I ow

n an

d ru

n lo

cal s

ervi

ces

ours

elve

s?

Co

ncl

usi

on

: U

nle

ash

ing

gen

ius

and

tal

ent

127

An

nex

es

131

Com

mun

ities

in c

ontr

ol: r

eal p

eopl

e, r

eal p

ower

i

In t

he m

oder

n w

orld

the

re a

re m

any

chal

leng

es t

hat

cann

ot b

e m

et b

y ce

ntra

l go

vern

men

t ac

ting

alon

e –

and

to a

ddre

ss t

hose

cha

lleng

es e

ffec

tivel

y, w

e ne

ed t

o ha

rnes

s th

e en

ergy

and

inno

vatio

n of

fro

nt-li

ne p

rofe

ssio

nals

, loc

al g

over

nmen

t,

citiz

ens

and

com

mun

ities

.

Am

ong

my

first

prio

ritie

s w

hen

I bec

ame

Prim

e M

inis

ter

wer

e th

e G

over

nanc

e of

Brit

ain

prop

osal

s to

enh

ance

the

rig

hts

of c

itize

ns a

nd t

o m

ake

our

inst

itutio

ns m

ore

acco

unta

ble.

But

we

need

to

build

on

this

by

empo

wer

ing

com

mun

ities

and

citi

zens

an

d en

surin

g th

at p

ower

is m

ore

fairl

y di

strib

uted

acr

oss

the

who

le o

f ou

r so

ciet

y.

Ove

r th

e la

st t

en y

ears

loca

l cou

ncils

hav

e im

prov

ed t

he q

ualit

y of

the

ser

vice

s th

ey o

ffer

lo

cal p

eopl

e, a

nd a

s a

resu

lt w

e ha

ve f

reed

the

m u

p fr

om c

entr

al g

over

nmen

t co

ntro

l, w

ith f

ewer

tar

gets

and

gre

ater

tru

st.

Now

with

thi

s W

hite

Pap

er w

e w

ant

to m

ove

to t

he n

ext

stag

e in

tha

t pr

oces

s –

enha

ncin

g th

e po

wer

of

com

mun

ities

and

hel

ping

peo

ple

up a

nd d

own

the

coun

try

to

set

and

mee

t th

eir

own

prio

ritie

s. In

thi

s w

ay w

e st

reng

then

loca

l dem

ocra

cy b

y in

crea

sing

par

ticip

atio

n.

This

is n

ot a

bout

mak

ing

peop

le s

it in

mee

tings

on

wet

Tue

sday

nig

hts,

it is

abo

ut

help

ing

citiz

ens

to g

et in

volv

ed w

hen

they

wan

t to

on

thei

r ow

n te

rms

– pa

ving

the

w

ay f

or a

new

sty

le o

f ac

tive

polit

ics

that

not

onl

y gi

ves

peop

le a

gre

ater

say

but

en

sure

s th

at t

heir

voic

es a

re h

eard

and

tha

t th

eir

view

s w

ill m

ake

a di

ffer

ence

.

And

it is

an

agen

da f

or e

mpo

wer

men

t th

at r

each

es r

ight

acr

oss

the

boar

d, f

rom

su

ppor

ting

peop

le w

ho w

ant

to t

ake

an a

ctiv

e ro

le in

the

ir co

mm

uniti

es t

o gi

ving

the

m

bett

er a

cces

s to

info

rmat

ion

and

the

chan

ce t

o ge

t m

ore

invo

lved

in k

ey lo

cal p

ublic

se

rvic

es. T

hese

the

mes

lie

at t

he h

eart

of

our

publ

ic s

ervi

ce r

efor

m a

gend

a –

the

tran

sfer

of

pow

er b

oth

to f

ront

-line

pro

fess

iona

ls a

nd t

o us

ers,

who

we

wan

t to

be

able

to

pla

y a

far

grea

ter

role

in s

hapi

ng t

he s

ervi

ces

they

use

.

Fore

wor

d by

Rt.

Hon

. Gor

don

Brow

n M

P

Fore

wo

rd

10 D

OW

NIN

G S

TR

EE

TL

ON

DO

N S

W1A

2A

A

Com

mun

ities

in c

ontr

ol: r

eal p

eopl

e, r

eal p

ower

ii

To h

elp

achi

eve

thos

e go

als,

thi

s W

hite

Pap

er s

ets

out

conc

rete

pro

posa

ls f

or a

reas

w

here

bot

h ce

ntra

l and

loca

l gov

ernm

ent

can

devo

lve

mor

e po

wer

to

citiz

ens

– gi

ving

lo

cal c

omm

uniti

es t

he p

ower

to

driv

e re

al im

prov

emen

ts in

eve

ryth

ing

from

the

way

th

eir

neig

hbou

rhoo

ds a

re p

olic

ed t

o th

e w

ay t

hat

com

mun

ity a

sset

s ar

e us

ed. I

bel

ieve

it

will

hel

p to

bui

ld t

he v

ibra

nt lo

cal d

emoc

raci

es o

n w

hich

our

soc

iety

and

our

pub

lic

serv

ices

dep

end.

Rt.

Ho

n. G

ord

on

Bro

wn

MP,

Pri

me

Min

iste

r

iii

Intr

oduc

tion

by R

t. H

on. H

azel

Ble

ars

MP

Intr

od

uct

ion

My

30 y

ears

in p

oliti

cs, a

s a

com

mun

ity a

ctiv

ist,

cou

ncill

or, M

embe

r of

Par

liam

ent

and

Min

iste

r ha

ve c

onvi

nced

me

that

the

re a

re f

ew is

sues

so

com

plex

, few

pro

blem

s so

kno

tty,

th

at t

hey

cann

ot b

e ta

ckle

d an

d so

lved

by

the

inna

te c

omm

on s

ense

and

gen

ius

of lo

cal

peop

le. W

ith t

he r

ight

sup

port

, gui

danc

e an

d ad

vice

, com

mun

ity g

roup

s an

d or

gani

satio

ns

have

a h

uge,

larg

ely

late

nt, c

apac

ity f

or s

elf-

gove

rnm

ent

and

self-

orga

nisa

tion.

Thi

s sh

ould

be

the

hal

lmar

k of

the

mod

ern

stat

e: d

evol

ved,

dec

entr

alis

ed, w

ith p

ower

diff

used

th

roug

hout

our

soc

iety

.

That

peo

ple

shou

ld h

ave

the

max

imum

influ

ence

, con

trol

and

ow

ners

hip

over

the

de

cisi

ons,

for

ces

and

agen

cies

whi

ch s

hape

the

ir liv

es a

nd e

nviro

nmen

ts is

the

ess

ence

of

dem

ocra

cy. T

here

are

few

idea

s m

ore

pow

erfu

l, or

mor

e ch

alle

ngin

g. P

eopl

e w

ith

pow

er a

re s

eldo

m w

illin

g to

giv

e it

up r

eadi

ly; p

eopl

e w

ithou

t po

wer

are

sel

dom

co

nten

t to

rem

ain

ensl

aved

. We

can

see

this

tru

th b

eing

pla

yed

out

with

ter

rible

vi

olen

ce in

a c

ount

ry s

uch

as Z

imba

bwe.

Our

his

tory

is p

unct

uate

d by

gre

at s

trug

gles

for

dem

ocra

cy, f

rom

the

sol

dier

s w

ho

deba

ted

with

gen

eral

s at

Put

ney

durin

g th

e En

glis

h C

ivil

War

, to

the

Roch

dale

fam

ilies

w

ho t

ook

cont

rol o

ver

the

food

the

y bo

ught

by

crea

ting

the

first

coo

pera

tive,

fro

m t

he

fam

ilies

who

gat

here

d at

St

Pete

r’s F

ield

in M

anch

este

r to

dem

and

parli

amen

tary

re

form

, to

the

Cha

rtis

ts w

ho m

arch

ed in

the

ir th

ousa

nds

at K

ersa

l Moo

r in

Sal

ford

, fr

om t

he w

omen

who

cha

ined

the

mse

lves

to

raili

ngs

and

wen

t to

pris

on t

o w

in t

he

vote

, to

our

gran

dpar

ents

’ gen

erat

ion

who

def

eate

d fa

scis

m.

Our

s is

a g

over

nmen

t co

mm

itted

to

grea

ter

dem

ocra

cy, d

evol

utio

n an

d co

ntro

l for

co

mm

uniti

es. W

e w

ant

to s

ee s

tron

ger

loca

l cou

ncils

, mor

e co

-ope

rativ

es a

nd s

ocia

l en

terp

rises

, mor

e pe

ople

bec

omin

g ac

tive

in t

heir

com

mun

ities

as

volu

ntee

rs, a

dvoc

ates

, an

d el

ecte

d re

pres

enta

tives

. We

wan

t to

see

pub

lic s

ervi

ces

and

publ

ic s

erva

nts

in t

une

with

, and

acc

ount

able

to,

the

peo

ple

they

ser

ve. D

emoc

racy

is n

ot a

bout

a c

ross

in a

bo

x ev

ery

five

year

s, b

ut a

bout

a w

ay o

f lif

e. It

sho

uld

flow

aro

und

us li

ke o

xyge

n.

Com

mun

ities

in c

ontr

ol: r

eal p

eopl

e, r

eal p

ower

iv

We’

ve t

aken

som

e im

port

ant

step

s fo

rwar

d in

rec

ent

year

s, w

ith d

evol

utio

n fo

r Sc

otla

nd,

Wal

es a

nd L

ondo

n, r

efor

min

g th

e Lo

rds,

mor

e in

vest

men

t an

d po

wer

s fo

r lo

cal c

ounc

ils,

and

enco

urag

emen

t fo

r in

nova

tive

way

s to

get

peo

ple

invo

lved

suc

h as

par

ticip

ator

y bu

dget

ing,

citi

zens

’ jur

ies

and

petit

ions

. But

the

re is

so

muc

h m

ore

to b

e do

ne.

This

Whi

te P

aper

tak

es u

s fu

rthe

r on

the

jour

ney,

but

thi

s is

not

the

last

wor

d. W

e ar

e ch

angi

ng h

ere

the

term

s of

the

deb

ate.

We

will

con

tinue

to

striv

e fo

r gr

eate

r re

form

, de

volu

tion

and

acco

unta

bilit

y, b

ecau

se t

hat

is w

hat

peop

le w

ill in

crea

sing

ly w

ant

and

dem

and.

And

bec

ause

it is

the

rig

ht t

hing

to

do.

Rt.

Ho

n. H

azel

Ble

ars

MP

Secr

etar

y of

Sta

te f

or C

omm

uniti

es a

nd L

ocal

Gov

ernm

ent

1

1.

C

omm

uniti

es in

con

trol

: rea

l peo

ple,

rea

l pow

er a

ims

to p

ass

pow

er in

to t

he h

ands

of

loca

l com

mun

ities

. We

wan

t to

gen

erat

e vi

bran

t lo

cal d

emoc

racy

in e

very

par

t of

the

cou

ntry

, and

to

give

rea

l con

trol

ove

r lo

cal d

ecis

ions

and

ser

vice

s to

a w

ider

po

ol o

f ac

tive

citiz

ens.

We

wan

t to

shi

ft p

ower

, inf

luen

ce a

nd r

espo

nsib

ility

aw

ay f

rom

exi

stin

g ce

ntre

s of

2.

po

wer

into

the

han

ds o

f co

mm

uniti

es a

nd in

divi

dual

citi

zens

. Thi

s is

bec

ause

we

belie

ve t

hat

they

can

tak

e di

ffic

ult

deci

sion

s an

d so

lve

com

plex

pro

blem

s fo

r th

emse

lves

. The

sta

te’s

role

sho

uld

be t

o se

t na

tiona

l prio

ritie

s an

d m

inim

um

stan

dard

s, w

hile

pro

vidi

ng s

uppo

rt a

nd a

fai

r di

strib

utio

n of

res

ourc

es.

A v

ibra

nt p

artic

ipat

ory

dem

ocra

cy s

houl

d st

reng

then

our

rep

rese

ntat

ive

3.

dem

ocra

cy. T

he t

hird

sec

tor

– th

roug

h ch

ariti

es, v

olun

tary

org

anis

atio

ns a

nd s

ocia

l en

terp

rises

– h

as m

uch

to o

ffer

fro

m it

s tr

aditi

ons

of p

urpo

sefu

l altr

uism

and

se

lfles

s vo

lunt

eerin

g. E

qual

ly, w

e be

lieve

tha

t po

litic

al a

ctiv

ity is

a w

orth

whi

le a

nd

esse

ntia

l par

t of

Brit

ish

life,

and

we

wan

t to

res

tore

peo

ple’

s fa

ith in

pol

itics

.

In t

he W

hite

Pap

er, w

e ad

dres

s se

ven

key

issu

es w

hich

we

trea

t fr

om t

he

4.

pers

pect

ive

of in

divi

dual

citi

zens

: bei

ng a

ctiv

e in

you

r co

mm

unity

; acc

ess

to

info

rmat

ion;

hav

ing

an in

fluen

ce; c

halle

nge;

red

ress

; sta

ndin

g fo

r of

fice;

and

ow

ners

hip

and

cont

rol.

We

hav

e d

on

e a

lot

so f

ar…

Ove

r th

e la

st d

ecad

e, t

he G

over

nmen

t ha

s m

oder

nise

d th

e de

moc

ratic

sys

tem

5.

w

ith d

evol

ved

adm

inis

trat

ions

in S

cotla

nd, W

ales

and

Nor

ther

n Ire

land

; a L

ondo

n as

sem

bly

and

dire

ctly

-ele

cted

may

ors

in E

ngla

nd; e

lect

oral

ref

orm

for

Eur

opea

n Pa

rliam

ent

elec

tions

; and

an

end

to t

he h

ered

itary

prin

cipl

e in

the

Hou

se o

f Lo

rds.

Ther

e ha

ve b

een

equa

lly im

port

ant

chan

ges

in o

ur p

artic

ipat

ory

dem

ocra

cy, w

ith

6.

com

mun

ities

hel

ping

to

shap

e re

gene

ratio

n pr

ogra

mm

es t

hrou

gh N

ew D

eal f

or

Com

mun

ities

, loc

al e

lect

ions

to

NH

S Fo

unda

tion

Trus

ts a

nd a

str

onge

r ro

le f

or

petit

ions

. Loc

al c

ounc

ils h

ave

beco

me

mor

e vi

sibl

e an

d ac

coun

tabl

e, w

ith g

reat

er

devo

lutio

n of

pow

er t

o lo

cal n

eigh

bour

hood

s. N

ew p

artn

ersh

ips

and

agre

emen

ts

have

hel

ped

to s

tren

gthe

n ac

coun

tabi

lity.

Exec

utiv

e Su

mm

ary

Exec

uti

ve S

um

mar

y

Com

mun

ities

in c

ontr

ol: r

eal p

eopl

e, r

eal p

ower

2

… b

ut

we

nee

d m

ore

ref

orm

Yet

pow

er s

till r

emai

ns t

oo c

entr

alis

ed a

nd t

oo c

once

ntra

ted

in g

over

nmen

t. T

he

7.

divi

sion

bet

wee

n w

hat

shou

ld b

e de

cide

d at

the

cen

tre

and

wha

t is

bes

t de

cide

d lo

cally

rem

ains

blu

rred

.

Ther

e ha

s be

en a

gro

win

g di

senc

hant

men

t w

ith f

orm

al p

oliti

cal m

echa

nism

s.

8.

Turn

out

at e

lect

ions

has

bee

n de

clin

ing.

Pol

itica

l par

ties

that

onc

e ha

d 3.

5 m

illio

n m

embe

rs n

ow h

ave

bare

ly h

alf

a m

illio

n be

twee

n th

em. P

eopl

e lo

cally

don

’t f

eel

they

hav

e an

ade

quat

e sa

y in

the

run

ning

of

loca

l ser

vice

s. A

nd a

maj

ority

don

’t

thin

k co

unci

llors

rep

rese

nt t

heir

view

s.

But

whi

le p

eopl

e w

ant

to h

ave

a gr

eate

r sa

y, t

hey

need

als

o to

be

conv

ince

d th

at

9.

thei

r in

volv

emen

t w

ill m

ake

a di

ffer

ence

. If

they

spe

ak u

p, t

hey

wan

t to

kno

w t

hat

thei

r vo

ices

will

be

hear

d. T

his

is w

hat

emp

ow

erm

ent

is a

ll ab

out

– pa

ssin

g m

ore

and

mor

e po

litic

al p

ower

to

mor

e an

d m

ore

peop

le t

hrou

gh e

very

pra

ctic

al

mea

ns.

And

the

evi

denc

e su

gges

ts t

he q

ualit

y of

dec

isio

n-m

akin

g is

impr

oved

as

10.

gove

rnm

ent

actio

ns m

ore

clos

ely

mat

ch t

he w

ishe

s of

the

ir ci

tizen

s. In

thi

s w

ay,

empo

wer

men

t ca

n re

vive

civ

ic s

ocie

ty a

nd d

rive

impr

ovem

ents

in t

he N

HS,

pol

ice,

ju

stic

e sy

stem

and

loca

l cou

ncils

.

Loca

l co

un

cils

rem

ain

cru

cial

Cou

ncils

rem

ain

at t

he h

eart

of

loca

l dem

ocra

cy. T

he G

over

nmen

t ha

s gi

ven

them

11

. a

45 p

er c

ent

incr

ease

in r

eal-t

erm

s fu

ndin

g si

nce

1997

, and

has

cut

cen

tral

ta

rget

s. A

t th

e sa

me

time,

acc

ount

abili

ty t

hrou

gh t

he A

udit

Com

mis

sion

has

see

n a

big

impr

ovem

ent

in q

ualit

y, w

ith o

nly

a ha

ndfu

l of

coun

cils

now

in t

he

Com

mis

sion

’s w

eake

st c

ateg

orie

s.

But

man

y co

unci

ls s

houl

d do

mor

e to

pro

mot

e pa

rtic

ipat

ion.

So,

we

will

intr

oduc

e 12

. a

new

‘du

ty t

o p

rom

ote

dem

ocr

acy’

to

help

cou

ncils

pro

mot

e in

volv

emen

t th

roug

h cl

eare

r in

form

atio

n, b

ette

r tr

aine

d st

aff

and

mor

e vi

sibl

e co

unci

llors

in t

he

com

mun

ity. W

e w

ill a

lso

exte

nd t

he e

xist

ing

‘du

ty t

o in

volv

e’ lo

cal p

eopl

e in

key

de

cisi

ons,

whi

ch w

ill c

ome

into

eff

ect

in A

pril

2009

, and

will

cov

er p

olic

e au

thor

ities

and

key

art

s, s

port

ing,

cul

tura

l and

env

ironm

enta

l org

anis

atio

ns. W

e w

ill s

up

po

rt f

ron

tlin

e st

aff

in r

espo

ndin

g to

indi

vidu

al n

eeds

with

a n

ew t

ask

3

Exec

utiv

e Su

mm

ary

forc

e. W

e w

ill a

lso

set

up a

n Em

po

wer

men

t Fu

nd

of

at le

ast

£7.5

m t

o su

ppor

t na

tiona

l thi

rd s

ecto

r or

gani

satio

ns t

urn

key

empo

wer

men

t pr

opos

als

into

pr

actic

al a

ctio

n.

Sup

po

rtin

g y

ou

in b

eco

min

g a

mo

re a

ctiv

e ci

tize

n o

r vo

lun

teer

Brita

in h

as a

ric

h tr

aditi

on o

f vo

lunt

ary

activ

ity. T

hree

-qua

rter

s of

Brit

ish

peop

le

13.

volu

ntee

r in

som

e w

ay. T

he g

over

nmen

t ha

s su

ppor

ted

volu

ntee

ring,

par

ticul

arly

fo

r yo

ung

peop

le a

nd t

he s

ocia

lly e

xclu

ded,

for

exa

mpl

e, t

hrou

gh t

he v

cha

rity,

Vo

lunt

eerin

g fo

r A

ll an

d G

olds

tar.

The

Dep

artm

ent

for

Wor

k an

d Pe

nsio

ns a

re

expl

orin

g ho

w t

ho

se o

n b

enef

its

can

be

sup

po

rted

in t

akin

g up

vol

unte

erin

g op

port

uniti

es a

nd t

he O

ffic

e of

the

Thi

rd S

ecto

r w

ill in

vest

£2m

in o

pp

ort

un

itie

s fo

r p

eop

le w

ith

dis

abili

ties

to

volu

ntee

r. W

e ar

e w

orki

ng c

lose

ly w

ith t

he P

rime

Min

iste

r’s C

ounc

il on

Soc

ial A

ctio

n on

ext

end

ing

men

tori

ng

an

d b

efri

end

ing

.

Lear

ning

abo

ut c

itize

nshi

p he

lps

to d

evel

op s

kills

in y

oung

peo

ple

and

adul

ts. T

he

14.

citi

zen

ship

cu

rric

ulu

m is

impo

rtan

t in

sch

ools

and

we

will

als

o be

sup

port

ing

a p

ath

fin

der

pro

gra

mm

e (T

ake

Part

) fo

r ad

ults

whi

ch w

ill o

ffer

tra

inin

g an

d in

form

atio

n ab

out

how

to

be a

n ac

tive

citiz

en. W

e w

ill e

ncou

rage

and

su

pp

ort

in

no

vati

ve p

rog

ram

mes

to

hel

p y

ou

ng

peo

ple

fro

m d

iver

se b

ackg

rou

nd

s to

bec

om

e ef

fect

ive

lead

ers.

Com

mun

ity d

evel

opm

ent w

orke

rs c

an h

elp

citiz

ens

to s

hape

thei

r ow

n ar

eas.

We

are

15.

keen

to e

ncou

rage

oth

er fr

ontli

ne w

orke

rs to

do

com

mun

ity b

uild

ing.

Inde

pend

ent

mul

ti pu

rpos

e co

mm

unity

led

orga

nisa

tions

can

also

pla

y a

vita

l rol

e in

em

pow

erin

g lo

cal p

eopl

e an

d w

e ar

e es

tabl

ishin

g a

£70m

Com

mun

ityb

uild

ers

sche

me

to h

elp

them

bec

ome

mor

e su

stai

nabl

e. G

rass

root

s G

rant

s, d

evel

oped

by

the

Off

ice

of t

he

Third

Sec

tor,

offe

r sm

all s

ums

of m

oney

fro

m a

n £8

0m f

und

– in

add

ition

the

re is

a

£50m

com

mun

ity e

ndow

men

t fu

nd –

to

help

loca

lly-b

ased

gro

ups

to s

urvi

ve

and

thriv

e.

Man

y te

ns o

f th

ousa

nds

of p

eopl

e ar

e m

otiv

ated

by

thei

r fa

ith t

o pr

ovid

e se

rvic

es

16.

to lo

cal c

omm

uniti

es. B

ut t

heir

cont

ribut

ion

hasn

’t a

lway

s be

en f

ully

app

reci

ated

. W

e in

tend

to

rem

ove

th

e b

arri

ers

to c

om

mis

sio

nin

g s

ervi

ces

fro

m f

aith

-b

ased

gro

up

s an

d ca

rry

out

a na

tiona

l sur

vey

of t

hird

sec

tor

orga

nisa

tions

, in

clud

ing

faith

bas

ed o

rgan

isat

ions

, to

unde

rsta

nd t

he d

iffic

ultie

s th

ey f

ace.

Com

mun

ities

in c

ontr

ol: r

eal p

eopl

e, r

eal p

ower

4

We

will

sup

port

com

mun

ity e

ffor

t in

tac

klin

g 17

. cl

imat

e ch

ang

e. A

‘Gre

en

Nei

ghbo

urho

od’ s

chem

e ha

s be

en la

unch

ed w

hich

will

dem

onst

rate

how

co

mm

uniti

es c

an t

ake

actio

n to

ado

pt lo

w c

arbo

n lif

esty

les.

Loca

l eve

nts

prov

ide

a gr

eat

way

for

com

mun

ities

to

com

e to

geth

er a

nd

18.

enco

urag

e pe

ople

to

get

invo

lved

in lo

cal a

ctiv

ities

. We

will

su

pp

ort

loca

l co

mm

un

itie

s in

dev

elo

pin

g lo

cal e

ven

ts s

uch

as li

tter

pic

ks, p

aint

ing

com

mun

ity c

entr

es, s

tree

t pa

rtie

s or

fai

rs in

loca

l par

ks.

Pro

vid

ing

yo

u w

ith

mo

re a

cces

s to

info

rmat

ion

C

itize

ns o

ften

fee

l pow

erle

ss b

ecau

se o

f a

lack

of

info

rmat

ion.

Too

muc

h ja

rgon

19

. ca

n al

iena

te, c

onfu

se a

nd f

rust

rate

. Mor

e ac

cess

ible

and

ope

n in

form

atio

n is

a

pre-

requ

isite

to

com

mun

ity e

mpo

wer

men

t. D

espi

te f

reed

om o

f in

form

atio

n an

d m

ore

‘Pla

in E

nglis

h’, p

eopl

e fe

el le

ss w

ell-i

nfor

med

abo

ut t

heir

loca

l cou

ncil

toda

y th

an t

hey

did

a fe

w y

ears

ago

.

The

Inte

rnet

off

ers

huge

opp

ortu

nitie

s an

d w

e w

ant

to e

ncou

rage

pub

lic b

odie

s 20

. to

aut

horis

e th

e re

-use

of

info

rmat

ion.

We

are

imp

rovi

ng

th

e in

form

atio

n

avai

lab

le t

o lo

cal c

itiz

ens

and

serv

ice-

user

s. B

ut t

here

is a

cor

rela

tion

betw

een

soci

al a

nd d

igita

l exc

lusi

on. W

e w

ill e

nsur

e al

l sec

tions

of

soci

ety

can

enjo

y th

e be

nefit

s of

the

Inte

rnet

, and

oth

er m

etho

ds o

f co

mm

unic

atio

n.

Loca

l aut

horit

ies,

pub

lic s

ervi

ce p

rovi

ders

and

web

site

s se

t up

by

citiz

ens

are

21.

help

ing

us t

o en

sure

tha

t m

ore

wid

espr

ead

up-t

o-da

te lo

cal d

ata

is p

ublis

hed.

N

HS

hosp

ital d

ata

will

hel

p pa

tient

s m

ake

mor

e in

form

ed c

hoic

es a

bout

the

ir ca

re.

Pare

nts

will

soo

n kn

ow m

ore

abou

t th

eir

child

ren’

s pr

ogre

ss, b

ehav

iour

and

ho

mew

ork.

We

wan

t pe

ople

to

have

acc

ess

to in

form

atio

n on

wha

t is

hap

peni

ng in

the

ir ow

n 22

. ar

eas.

We

will

incr

ease

acc

ess

to in

form

atio

n a

vaila

ble

at

a lo

cal l

evel

and

ex

plor

e ne

w a

nd in

nova

tive

appr

oach

es t

o sh

arin

g in

form

atio

n bo

th w

ith c

itize

ns

and

with

thi

rd p

artie

s. W

e w

ill o

pen

up f

urth

er e

lem

ents

of

the

Plac

es D

atab

ase.

A s

tron

g in

depe

nden

t m

edia

is a

vita

l par

t of

any

dem

ocra

cy. W

e w

ill c

ontin

ue t

o 23

. su

ppor

t a

rang

e of

med

ia o

utle

ts a

nd s

uppo

rt in

nova

tion

in c

omm

unity

and

soc

ial

med

ia. W

e w

ill p

ilot

a m

ento

ring

sche

me

in d

epriv

ed a

reas

on

usin

g th

e In

tern

et.

5

Exec

utiv

e Su

mm

ary

Mak

ing

su

re y

ou

r p

etit

ion

s ar

e h

eard

– a

nd

act

ed u

po

nPe

titio

ns h

ave

beco

me

easi

er t

hrou

gh t

he In

tern

et, w

ith m

ore

than

8 m

illio

n 24

. pe

ople

sig

ning

pet

ition

s on

the

No

10 D

owni

ng S

tree

t pe

titio

ns w

ebsi

te t

o da

te.

To m

ake

it ea

sier

to

influ

ence

the

age

nda

at a

loca

l lev

el w

e w

ill in

trod

uce

a 25

. n

ew

du

ty f

or

cou

nci

ls t

o r

esp

on

d t

o p

etit

ion

s, e

nsur

ing

that

tho

se w

ith s

igni

fican

t lo

cal s

uppo

rt a

re p

rope

rly d

ebat

ed. L

ocal

aut

horit

ies

shou

ld r

espo

nd c

lear

ly t

o pe

titio

ns, f

or e

xam

ple

thos

e de

alin

g w

ith e

mpt

y pr

oper

ties,

tra

nsfe

rrin

g th

e ow

ners

hip

of a

bui

ldin

g to

the

com

mun

ity, o

r pa

rtic

ipat

ory

budg

etin

g. If

peo

ple

are

not

satis

fied

with

a r

espo

nse

to a

pet

ition

, the

y co

uld

ask

for

it to

be

deba

ted

in f

ull c

ounc

il. C

ounc

ils w

ill a

lso

act

as c

om

mu

nit

y ad

voca

tes

for

pet

itio

ns

rela

ted

to

th

e Pr

imar

y C

are

Tru

st.

Petit

ions

sho

uld

be t

aken

into

acc

ount

in d

ecis

ion

mak

ing

in p

ublic

ser

vice

s. W

e 26

. w

ill w

ork

with

key

insp

ecto

rate

s to

enc

oura

ge t

hem

to

ensu

re p

etit

ion

s ar

e im

po

rtan

t p

iece

s o

f ev

iden

ce t

o d

eter

min

e w

hen

insp

ecti

on

s sh

ou

ld b

e tr

igg

ered

.

Incr

easi

ng

yo

ur

chan

ce t

o in

flu

ence

co

un

cil b

ud

get

s an

d

po

licie

sC

itize

ns s

houl

d ha

ve a

gre

ater

say

in h

ow lo

cal b

udge

ts a

re s

pent

. 27

. Pa

rtic

ipat

ory

b

ud

get

ing

– w

here

citi

zens

hel

p to

set

loca

l prio

ritie

s fo

r sp

endi

ng –

is a

lread

y op

erat

ing

in 2

2 lo

cal a

utho

ritie

s. W

e w

ant

to e

ncou

rage

eve

ry lo

cal a

utho

rity

to

use

such

sch

emes

in s

ome

form

by

2012

.

Loca

l aut

horit

ies

shou

ld d

o m

ore

to

28.

pro

mo

te v

oti

ng

in e

lect

ions

, inc

ludi

ng

wor

king

with

you

ng p

eopl

e th

roug

h ci

tizen

ship

less

ons.

We

will

giv

e co

unci

ls t

he

pow

er t

o pr

ovid

e m

odes

t in

cen

tive

s fo

r vo

tin

g –

per

haps

an

entr

y in

to a

priz

e dr

aw –

as

a w

ay o

f en

gagi

ng p

eopl

e.

Giv

ing

yo

u m

ore

say

in y

ou

r n

eig

hb

ou

rho

od

W

e w

ant

to e

ncou

rage

29

. m

ore

nei

gh

bo

urh

oo

d c

ou

nci

ls. S

o w

e w

ill b

uild

on

the

exis

ting

8,90

0 pa

rish

and

tow

n co

unci

ls b

y en

cour

agin

g ne

w v

illag

e,

neig

hbou

rhoo

d an

d co

mm

unity

cou

ncils

, par

ticul

arly

in u

rban

are

as. W

e w

ill

intr

oduc

e a

right

of

appe

al w

here

a c

omm

unity

’s pr

opos

al f

or a

loca

l cou

ncil

is

deni

ed b

y th

e lo

cal a

utho

rity.

Com

mun

ities

in c

ontr

ol: r

eal p

eopl

e, r

eal p

ower

6

A q

uart

er o

f lo

cal c

ounc

ils u

se

30.

nei

gh

bo

urh

oo

d m

anag

emen

t to

join

up

loca

l se

rvic

es in

clud

ing

heal

th a

nd t

rans

port

and

hel

p ta

ckle

pro

blem

s in

dep

rived

co

mm

uniti

es. T

he r

ecen

t Fl

anag

an r

evie

w o

f po

licin

g re

com

men

ded

that

ne

ighb

ourh

ood

polic

ing

shou

ld b

e pa

rt o

f th

is p

roce

ss. T

he t

hird

sec

tor

also

has

a

uniq

ue a

bilit

y to

art

icul

ate

the

view

s of

citi

zens

and

driv

e ch

ange

, and

we

will

w

ork

with

the

m t

o de

velo

p pr

inci

ples

for

the

ir pa

rtic

ipat

ion

in L

ocal

Str

ateg

ic

Part

ners

hips

.

Loca

l aut

horit

ies

mus

t en

gage

mor

e pe

ople

in

31.

com

mis

sio

nin

g lo

cal g

oo

ds

and

se

rvic

es. C

itize

ns s

houl

d ha

ve a

say

in h

ow s

ervi

ces

are

deliv

ered

, to

impr

ove

deci

sion

-mak

ing

and

valu

e-fo

r-m

oney

.

We

wan

t w

itnes

ses

and

the

vict

ims

of c

rime

to f

eel t

hat

the

syst

em is

on

thei

r 32

. si

de. W

e su

ppor

t th

e us

e of

‘co

mm

un

ity

just

ice’

giv

ing

loca

l peo

ple

the

chan

ce

to d

ecid

e, f

or e

xam

ple,

wha

t ta

sks

offe

nder

s on

wor

k or

ders

sho

uld

unde

rtak

e.

The

Min

istr

y of

Jus

tice

will

wor

k w

ith t

he L

ocal

Gov

ernm

ent

Ass

ocia

tion

and

the

Ass

ocia

tion

of C

hief

Pol

ice

Off

icer

s to

agr

ee p

ilot

pro

ject

s fo

r ci

tize

ns

to

dis

cuss

‘co

mm

un

ity

pay

bac

k’ a

nd lo

cal c

omm

unity

saf

ety

prio

ritie

s.

Equa

lly, w

e w

ant

loca

l peo

ple

to h

ave

mor

e of

a s

ay in

the

pla

nnin

g sy

stem

so

we

33.

will

pro

vide

mor

e fu

ndin

g to

sup

port

co

mm

un

ity

eng

agem

ent

in p

lan

nin

g a

nd

we

will

ens

ure

plan

ners

dev

elop

str

onge

r sk

ills

in w

orki

ng w

ith c

omm

uniti

es.

Up

to 7

50,0

00 p

eopl

e ar

e on

a

34.

ten

ants

’ gro

up o

r co

mm

ittee

, mak

ing

deci

sion

s ab

out

thei

r ho

mes

and

est

ates

. Sub

ject

to

Parli

amen

tary

app

rova

l, a

new

bod

y,

the

Tena

nt S

ervi

ces

Aut

horit

y w

ill s

oon

be r

espo

nsib

le f

or p

rote

ctin

g al

l soc

ial

hous

ing

tena

nts.

We

are

givi

ng t

enan

ts a

gre

ater

say

thr

ough

loca

l com

pact

s,

choi

ce-b

ased

lett

ings

and

ten

ant

co-o

pera

tives

.

Giv

ing

old

er a

nd

yo

un

g p

eop

le a

str

on

ger

vo

ice

It is

impo

rtan

t th

at o

lder

peo

ple

can

shap

e lo

cal s

ervi

ces

and

in J

une

2008

the

35

. G

over

nmen

t la

unch

ed a

rev

iew

of

old

er p

eop

le’s

en

gag

emen

t w

ith

g

ove

rnm

ent.

Mos

t you

ng p

eopl

e do

n’t v

ote

and

man

y se

em d

isaff

ecte

d w

ith tr

aditi

onal

pol

itics

. Yet

36

. 67

per

cen

t of 1

8-24

yea

r old

s sa

y th

ey a

re in

tere

sted

in lo

cal i

ssue

s –

and

youn

g pe

ople

are

oft

en w

illin

g to

vol

unte

er. S

o w

e m

ust d

o m

ore

to e

ngag

e th

em.

7

Exec

utiv

e Su

mm

ary

Youn

g pe

ople

nee

d ge

nuin

e in

fluen

ce o

ver

loca

l ser

vice

s an

d de

cisi

on m

akin

g.

37.

The

Dep

artm

ent

for

Chi

ldre

n, S

choo

ls a

nd F

amili

es (D

CSF

) has

est

ablis

hed

a Yo

uth

Sect

or D

evel

opm

ent

Fund

to

supp

ort

good

thi

rd s

ecto

r or

gani

satio

ns e

xpan

d th

eir

capa

city

to

deliv

er g

ood

qual

ity p

rovi

sion

to

youn

g pe

ople

. 250

tra

ined

yo

un

g

advi

sors

are

alre

ady

help

ing

publ

ic b

odie

s to

dev

elop

pol

icie

s an

d pl

ans

in w

ays

that

mee

t th

e ne

eds

of y

oung

peo

ple.

Som

e ar

eas

also

hav

e a

yout

h m

ayor

el

ecte

d by

you

ng p

eopl

e lo

cally

. We

will

est

ablis

h d

irec

t ac

cess

fo

r yo

un

g

advi

sors

to

th

e Se

cret

ary

of

Stat

e fo

r C

om

mu

nit

ies

and

Lo

cal G

ove

rnm

ent

and

set

up

a p

rog

ram

me

for

you

ng

peo

ple

to

'sh

ado

w' g

ove

rnm

ent

min

iste

rs a

nd

ele

cted

may

ors

. DC

SF a

re e

stab

lishi

ng a

£6m

nat

iona

l ins

titut

e fo

r yo

uth

lead

ersh

ip w

hich

will

wor

k w

ith u

s to

dev

elop

inte

rnsh

ips

for

you

ng

p

eop

le w

ith

co

un

cillo

rs.

Enab

ling

yo

u t

o h

old

th

ose

wit

h p

ow

er t

o a

cco

un

t W

e w

ill

38.

rais

e th

e vi

sib

ility

of

the

ove

rvie

w a

nd

scr

uti

ny

fun

ctio

n in

loca

l go

vern

men

t, w

hich

is s

imila

r to

Sel

ect

Com

mitt

ees

in P

arlia

men

t. P

ub

lic o

ffic

ials

w

ill b

eco

me

mo

re v

isib

le. A

key

par

t of

the

rol

e of

a c

hair

or c

hief

exe

cutiv

e of

a

publ

ic b

ody

shou

ld b

e th

at t

hey

face

a r

egul

ar p

ublic

hea

ring.

We

will

con

sult

on a

new

rig

ht t

o pe

titio

n to

hol

d lo

cal o

ffic

ers

to a

ccou

nt a

t pu

blic

mee

tings

.

We

are

incr

easi

ng t

he

39.

acco

un

tab

ility

of

loca

l po

lice

and

hea

lth

ser

vice

s.

Thro

ugh

cons

ulta

tion

on t

he N

HS

Con

stitu

tion

Prim

ary

Car

e Tr

usts

are

bei

ng

aske

d to

con

side

r ho

w t

hey

can

stre

ngth

en t

heir

dire

ct e

ngag

emen

t w

ith t

he

publ

ic. T

he f

orth

com

ing

Polic

ing

Gre

en P

aper

will

set

out

how

pol

ice

forc

es w

ill b

e m

ade

mor

e ac

coun

tabl

e, in

clud

ing

thro

ugh

dire

ct e

lect

ions

.

We

wan

t m

ore

visi

ble

and

acco

unta

ble

loca

l lea

ders

. We

supp

ort

the

dire

ctly

-40

. el

ecte

d m

ayor

mod

el, a

lread

y in

ope

ratio

n in

12

tow

ns in

add

ition

to

the

high

-pr

ofile

Lon

don

May

or. W

e w

ant

to s

ee m

ore

may

ors

dir

ectl

y el

ecte

d a

nd w

ill

cons

ult

on m

akin

g it

easi

er f

or lo

cal p

eopl

e to

dem

and

a re

fere

ndum

and

on

redu

cing

res

tric

tions

on

the

freq

uenc

y of

ref

eren

dum

s.

New

inde

pend

ent

asse

ssm

ents

of

serv

ices

in lo

cal a

reas

are

bei

ng in

trod

uced

fro

m

41.

Apr

il 20

09. T

his

Co

mp

reh

ensi

ve A

rea

Ass

essm

ent

will

incl

ude

eval

uatio

n of

the

qu

ality

of

publ

ic e

ngag

emen

t.

Com

mun

ities

in c

ontr

ol: r

eal p

eopl

e, r

eal p

ower

8

Pro

vid

ing

yo

u w

ith

red

ress

wh

en t

hin

gs

go

wro

ng

Whe

n pu

blic

ser

vice

s fa

ll sh

ort

of t

he h

ighe

st s

tand

ards

, citi

zens

sho

uld

be a

ble

to

42.

com

pla

in a

nd

see

k re

dre

ss.

One

in f

ive

adul

ts c

ompl

ains

to

thei

r lo

cal c

ounc

il ea

ch y

ear

and

a la

rger

43

. pr

opor

tion

is d

issa

tisfie

d ab

out

the

qual

ity o

f lo

cal s

ervi

ces.

Peo

ple

who

wan

t to

co

mpl

ain

ofte

n do

n’t

know

how

to

go a

bout

it. N

early

tw

o-th

irds

of t

hose

who

do

com

plai

n to

the

cou

ncil

are

diss

atis

fied

with

how

the

ir co

mpl

aint

is h

andl

ed.

Even

so,

the

re is

als

o a

grow

ing

belie

f th

at t

he q

ualit

y of

loca

l ser

vice

s is

im

prov

ing.

Publ

ic s

ervi

ces

are

beco

min

g m

ore

acce

ssib

le t

hrou

gh s

ervi

ces

such

as

Dire

ctgo

v 44

. an

d C

onsu

mer

Dire

ct. T

he A

udit

Com

mis

sion

and

the

Loc

al G

over

nmen

t O

mbu

dsm

an b

oth

prov

ide

advi

ce o

n ho

w t

o co

mpl

ain

abou

t po

or s

ervi

ces.

We

are

revi

ewin

g t

he

Loca

l Om

bu

dsm

an’s

juri

sdic

tio

n t

o m

ake

sure

all

mat

ters

ar

e co

vere

d.

How

ever

, it

is im

port

ant

that

eve

ry lo

cal a

utho

rity

has

45.

a sy

stem

of

acce

ssib

le,

inte

ract

ive

con

tact

for

citi

zens

to

rais

e co

ncer

ns. S

uch

syst

ems

shou

ld b

e de

velo

ped

with

cle

ar p

rinci

ples

and

a p

rope

r un

ders

tand

ing

of w

hat

redr

ess

or

com

pens

atio

n m

ay b

e av

aila

ble

whe

re t

hat

is a

ppro

pria

te. W

here

peo

ple

just

w

ant

thin

gs p

ut r

ight

, the

y sh

ould

be

kept

info

rmed

of

wha

t ha

s be

en d

one

follo

win

g th

eir

com

plai

nt.

Righ

ts a

nd p

ower

s sh

ould

be

bala

nced

by

resp

onsi

bilit

ies

and

dutie

s. W

e w

ill

46.

exte

nd p

ilot

Co

mm

un

ity

Co

ntr

acts

whi

ch a

gree

prio

ritie

s be

twee

n co

unci

ls,

polic

e or

the

NH

S w

ith lo

cal r

esid

ents

, who

in t

urn

agre

e to

pla

y th

eir

part

. We

wou

ld li

ke t

o he

ar f

rom

loca

l are

as in

tere

sted

in r

unni

ng a

co

mm

un

ity

ple

dg

eban

k w

here

indi

vidu

als

pled

ge a

sm

all a

mou

nt o

f re

sour

ce if

oth

ers

do

the

sam

e.

We

will

com

mis

sion

a

47.

revi

ew in

to e

xten

din

g r

edre

ss f

or

citi

zen

s. T

he r

evie

w

will

rep

ort

in e

arly

200

9.

9

Exec

utiv

e Su

mm

ary

Mak

ing

it e

asie

r fo

r yo

u t

o s

tan

d f

or

off

ice

The

prop

ortio

n of

cou

ncill

ors

who

are

wom

en, u

nder

-25

or f

rom

bla

ck a

nd

48.

min

ority

eth

nic

back

grou

nds

is f

ar lo

wer

tha

n th

eir

prop

ortio

n of

the

pop

ulat

ion.

W

e w

ant

to s

ee a

wid

er r

ang

e o

f p

eop

le s

tan

din

g f

or

elec

tio

n t

o th

eir

loca

l co

unci

l. A

tas

kfor

ce c

haire

d by

Bar

ones

s U

ddin

is w

orki

ng t

o he

lp m

ore

blac

k an

d m

inor

ity e

thni

c w

omen

bec

ome

coun

cillo

rs. P

rogr

amm

es s

uch

as O

pera

tion

Blac

k Vo

te a

re u

sing

a s

hado

win

g sc

hem

e to

enc

oura

ge m

ore

blac

k pe

ople

to

beco

me

coun

cillo

rs, m

agis

trat

es a

nd s

choo

l gov

erno

rs. W

e w

ill a

men

d t

he

Wid

dic

om

be

rule

s w

hich

for

bid

coun

cil w

orke

rs a

bove

a c

erta

in s

alar

y ba

nd f

rom

bei

ng a

ctiv

e in

par

ty p

oliti

cs.

We

will

giv

e 49

. b

ackb

ench

co

un

cillo

rs m

ore

po

wer

s to

mak

e ch

ange

s in

the

ir w

ard

with

dis

cret

iona

ry lo

calis

ed b

udge

ts t

hat

they

can

tar

get

on w

ard

prio

ritie

s.

We

will

sup

port

aut

horit

ies

in e

nabl

ing

coun

cillo

rs w

ith c

arin

g re

spon

sibi

litie

s an

d ot

hers

to

part

icip

ate

in m

eetin

gs a

nd v

ote

rem

otel

y.

We

wan

t pe

ople

to

serv

e in

a r

ange

of

civi

c ro

les.

Cou

ncill

ors,

mag

istr

ates

, sch

ool

50.

gove

rnor

s an

d ot

hers

are

alre

ady

entit

led

to r

eque

st r

easo

nabl

e ti

me

off

wo

rk

for

thei

r p

ub

lic d

uti

es. W

orki

ng w

ith e

mpl

oyer

s, w

e w

ill c

onsu

lt on

ext

endi

ng

that

rig

ht t

o pe

ople

ser

ving

on

a ra

nge

of o

ther

impo

rtan

t pu

blic

boa

rds

such

as

mem

bers

of

cour

t bo

ards

or

boar

ds o

f ho

usin

g as

soci

atio

ns.

Peop

le m

ay b

e pr

even

ted

from

sta

ndin

g fo

r pu

blic

off

ice

beca

use

they

are

afr

aid

51.

of lo

sing

the

ir jo

b if

they

are

ele

cted

. Em

ploy

ers

ofte

n ov

eres

timat

e th

e tim

e in

volv

ed a

nd u

nder

estim

ate

the

skill

s ac

quire

d in

a c

ivic

rol

e. S

o w

e ar

e w

orki

ng

with

em

ploy

er o

rgan

isat

ions

on

an e

mp

loye

rs’ i

nfo

rmat

ion

pac

k.

Man

y co

unci

llors

wou

ld li

ke t

o se

e 52

. a

form

al q

ual

ific

atio

n t

hat

reco

gnis

ed t

heir

wor

k. W

e w

ill r

evie

w e

xist

ing

qual

ifica

tions

and

mod

ules

to

deve

lop

a sy

stem

of

form

al a

ccre

dita

tion

at d

iffer

ent

skill

leve

ls. W

e w

ill e

ncou

rage

cou

ncils

to

use

thei

r ex

istin

g po

wer

s to

cre

ate

Ald

erm

en f

rom

exp

erie

nce

d f

orm

er

cou

nci

llors

an

d e

nab

le t

he

use

of

the

new

tit

le o

f ‘A

lder

wo

man

’.

Com

mun

ities

in c

ontr

ol: r

eal p

eopl

e, r

eal p

ower

10

We

wan

t to

mak

e it

easi

er f

or p

eopl

e w

ishi

ng t

o se

rve

on lo

cal c

omm

ittee

s,

53.

boar

ds o

r sc

hool

gov

erni

ng b

odie

s to

kno

w w

hat

the

role

invo

lves

and

how

to

go

abou

t ap

plyi

ng f

or v

acan

cies

. We

will

mak

e it

easi

er f

or p

eopl

e to

fin

d in

form

atio

n on

the

ran

ge o

f w

ays

they

cou

ld b

e ac

tive

in c

ivic

rol

es in

the

ir co

mm

uniti

es. T

his

will

invo

lve

dire

ctin

g pe

ople

to

furt

her

info

rmat

ion,

and

als

o al

low

tho

se r

unni

ng

com

mun

ity w

ebsi

tes

to p

rese

nt r

elev

ant

info

rmat

ion

to t

heir

loca

l com

mun

ity.

Ow

ner

ship

an

d c

on

tro

lW

e w

ant

to s

ee a

n in

crea

se in

the

num

ber

of p

eopl

e he

lpin

g to

run

or

own

loca

l 54

. se

rvic

es a

nd a

sset

s, a

nd t

o tr

ansf

er m

ore

of t

hese

ass

ets

into

com

mun

ity o

wne

rshi

p.

Thes

e as

sets

mig

ht in

clud

e co

mm

unity

cen

tres

, str

eet

mar

kets

, sw

imm

ing

pool

s,

park

s or

a d

isus

ed s

choo

l, sh

op o

r pu

b. A

new

Ass

et T

ran

sfer

Un

it w

ill p

rovi

de

info

rmat

ion,

res

earc

h an

d go

od p

ract

ice.

Loca

l aut

horit

ies

shou

ld e

nsur

e th

at in

form

atio

n on

the

ass

ets

they

ow

n or

55

. m

anag

e is

cle

arly

up

to d

ate.

Com

mun

ity L

and

Trus

ts (C

LTs)

are

inde

pend

ent

orga

nisa

tions

whi

ch o

wn

or

56.

cont

rol l

and

for

the

bene

fit o

f th

e lo

cal c

omm

unity

. W

e w

ill c

on

sult

on

a

nat

ion

al f

ram

ewo

rk f

or

Co

mm

un

ity

Lan

d T

rust

s. W

e ar

e su

ppor

ting

four

teen

pi

lot

CLT

s.

We

wan

t to

see

mor

e pe

ople

invo

lved

in s

tart

ing

and

runn

ing

soci

al e

nter

pris

es,

57.

whe

re t

he p

rofit

s ar

e pl

ough

ed b

ack

into

the

com

mun

ity o

r re

inve

sted

in t

he

busi

ness

. A n

ew S

ocia

l Ent

erpr

ise

Uni

t is

bei

ng s

et u

p in

Com

mun

ities

and

Loc

al

Gov

ernm

ent

to r

ecog

nise

the

soc

ial e

nter

pris

e co

ntrib

utio

n to

the

dep

artm

ent’s

ob

ject

ives

. We

will

als

o en

cou

rag

e lo

cal a

uth

ori

ties

to

en

sure

so

cial

en

terp

rise

s ar

e ab

le t

o c

om

pet

e fa

irly

fo

r co

ntr

acts

.

Co

ncl

usi

on

Unl

ess

we

give

citi

zens

sim

ilar

choi

ces

in o

ur d

emoc

ratic

sys

tem

to

thos

e th

ey

58.

have

in t

heir

ever

yday

live

s –

and

the

sam

e rig

hts

to d

eman

d th

e be

st –

we

will

se

e a

furt

her

eros

ion

of t

rust

and

par

ticip

atio

n in

dem

ocra

cy. T

here

are

no

limits

to

the

capa

city

of

the

Briti

sh p

eopl

e fo

r se

lf-go

vern

men

t, g

iven

the

rig

ht p

latf

orm

s,

mec

hani

sms

and

ince

ntiv

es. E

mpo

wer

ing

citiz

ens

and

com

mun

ities

is a

n ur

gent

ta

sk f

or u

s al

l.

If lib

erty

and

equ

ality

, as

is t

houg

ht b

y so

me,

ar

e ch

iefly

to

be f

ound

in

dem

ocra

cy, t

hey

will

be

be

st a

ttai

ned

whe

n al

l pe

rson

s al

ike

shar

e in

the

go

vern

men

t to

the

utm

ost.

Ari

sto

tle

(384

–322

BC

)

Ch

apte

r 1

The

case

for

peo

ple

and

com

mun

ities

ha

ving

mor

e po

wer

Com

mun

ities

in c

ontr

ol: r

eal p

eopl

e, r

eal p

ower

12

The

case

fo

r p

eop

le a

nd

co

mm

un

itie

s h

avin

g m

ore

po

wer

Pass

ing

po

wer

to

th

e p

eop

le

1.1

Com

mun

ities

in c

ontr

ol: r

eal p

eopl

e, r

eal p

ower

has

a s

impl

e ai

m: t

o pa

ss p

ower

in

to t

he h

ands

of

loca

l com

mun

ities

so

as t

o ge

nera

te v

ibra

nt lo

cal d

emoc

racy

in

ever

y pa

rt o

f th

e co

untr

y an

d gi

ve r

eal c

ontr

ol o

ver

loca

l dec

isio

ns a

nd s

ervi

ces

to

a w

ider

poo

l of

activ

e ci

tizen

s.

This

is a

Gov

ernm

ent,

not

just

a C

omm

uniti

es a

nd L

ocal

Gov

ernm

ent

Whi

te P

aper

. 1.

2 Th

e ke

y th

emes

are

pow

er, i

nflu

ence

and

con

trol

: who

has

pow

er, o

n w

hose

be

half

it is

exe

rcis

ed, h

ow it

is h

eld

to a

ccou

nt, a

nd h

ow it

can

be

diff

used

th

roug

hout

the

com

mun

ities

in w

hich

we

live.

It is

abo

ut d

emoc

racy

, and

how

de

moc

ratic

pra

ctic

es a

nd id

eals

can

be

appl

ied

to o

ur c

ompl

ex, m

oder

n so

ciet

y.

The

pri

nci

ple

s o

f em

po

wer

men

tTh

e pr

inci

ples

whi

ch u

nder

pin

this

Whi

te P

aper

are

:1.

3

dem

ocra

tic r

efor

ms

mus

t be

foc

used

on

the

role

of

the

citi

zen

, act

ing

alon

e or

with

oth

ers,

to

influ

ence

dec

isio

ns, h

old

polit

icia

ns a

nd o

ffic

ials

to

acco

unt,

se

ek r

edre

ss o

r ta

ke c

ontr

ol o

f lo

cal s

ervi

ces.

We

are

appr

oach

ing

this

Whi

te

Pape

r fr

om t

he p

ersp

ectiv

e of

the

citi

zen,

not

the

sys

tem

. The

refo

re t

his

docu

men

t is

str

uctu

red

arou

nd t

he w

ays

in w

hich

citi

zens

may

wis

h to

be

enga

ged

in s

ocie

ty a

nd t

he p

oliti

cal p

roce

ss

our

refo

rms

are

desi

gned

to

shif

t p

ow

er, i

nfl

uen

ce a

nd

res

po

nsi

bili

ty a

way

fr

om e

xist

ing

cent

res

of p

ower

and

into

the

han

ds o

f co

mm

uniti

es a

nd

citiz

ens.

The

se a

re t

he p

eopl

e w

ho u

ltim

atel

y m

ust

hold

pow

er in

a m

atur

e de

moc

racy

. Our

ref

orm

s ar

e ne

ither

abo

ut t

wea

king

the

sys

tem

nor

abo

ut

redi

strib

utin

g po

litic

al p

ower

fro

m o

ne g

roup

of

polit

icia

ns t

o an

othe

r

the

chal

len

ge

and

deb

ate

that

aris

es f

rom

thi

s sh

ift o

f po

wer

is a

goo

d th

ing,

how

ever

unc

omfo

rtab

le t

his

may

be

for

polit

icia

ns a

nd s

ervi

ce p

rovi

ders

. Th

e pe

ople

, as

the

ultim

ate

hold

ers

of p

ower

, hav

e th

e rig

ht t

o as

k di

ffic

ult

ques

tions

, dem

and

answ

ers

and

take

act

ion

them

selv

es t

o im

prov

e th

eir

com

mun

ities

Ch

apte

r 1

13

The

case

for

peo

ple

and

com

mun

ities

hav

ing

mor

e po

wer

we

belie

ve t

hat

citi

zen

s an

d c

om

mu

nit

ies

are

cap

able

of

taki

ng

dif

ficu

lt

dec

isio

ns,

bal

anci

ng c

ompe

ting

dem

ands

and

sol

ving

com

plex

pro

blem

s th

emse

lves

, giv

en t

he r

ight

sup

port

and

res

ourc

es. W

e do

not

thi

nk t

hat

only

an

enl

ight

ened

and

altr

uist

ic c

lass

of

polit

ical

lead

ers

and

adm

inis

trat

ors

can

deliv

er w

hat

is g

ood

for

peop

le. W

e tr

ust

peop

le t

o ha

ve t

he c

omm

on s

ense

an

d in

genu

ity t

o ru

n th

eir

own

affa

irs a

nd t

o be

the

aut

hors

of

thei

r ow

n de

stin

y

loca

l au

tho

riti

es h

ave

a vi

tal r

ole

. The

re a

re m

any

exce

llent

exa

mpl

es o

f co

unci

ls b

eing

at

the

hear

t of

loca

l dem

ocra

cy a

nd t

his

shou

ld b

e th

e ca

se

ever

ywhe

re. R

epre

sen

tati

ve d

emo

crac

y re

mai

ns c

entr

al t

o lo

cal d

emoc

racy

bu

t w

e be

lieve

it c

an b

e re

info

rced

, not

und

erm

ined

, by

dire

ct p

artic

ipat

ion

of

citiz

ens

– ea

ch r

equi

res

the

othe

r

the

role

of

cen

tral

go

vern

men

t is

to

prov

ide

supp

ort,

res

ourc

es, l

egis

latio

n an

d th

e fr

amew

ork

of n

atio

nal p

riorit

ies.

The

sta

te s

houl

d be

a p

latf

orm

und

er

peop

le’s

feet

, not

a w

eigh

t ho

ldin

g th

em d

own

we

part

icul

arly

val

ue t

he r

ole

of t

he t

hir

d s

ecto

r in

soc

ial a

nd d

emoc

ratic

re

new

al, b

y w

hich

we

mea

n gr

oups

, cam

paig

ns, c

o-op

erat

ives

, mut

uals

and

so

cial

ent

erpr

ises

ow

ned

and

run

by t

heir

own

mem

bers

, inv

estin

g th

eir

prof

its

in t

he lo

cal c

omm

unity

. The

se t

ypes

of

orga

nisa

tions

are

whe

re p

eopl

e le

arn

the

skill

s of

dem

ocra

cy a

nd w

here

dem

ocra

cy c

an f

lour

ish

with

in t

he t

hird

sec

tor,

we

reco

gn

ise

and

cel

ebra

te t

he

role

of

ind

ivid

ual

ac

tive

cit

izen

s, s

ocia

l ent

repr

eneu

rs, c

ampa

igne

rs, v

olun

teer

s an

d po

litic

al

activ

ists

. Our

civ

il so

ciet

y is

def

ined

and

ene

rgis

ed b

y hu

ndre

ds o

f th

ousa

nds

of

dece

nt p

eopl

e, p

erfo

rmin

g ac

ts o

f al

trui

sm a

nd s

elfle

ssne

ss, a

nd t

hese

peo

ple

dese

rve

the

supp

ort

and

reco

gniti

on o

f go

vern

men

t

the

cont

ribut

ions

, exp

erie

nces

and

per

spec

tives

of

all c

itiz

ens,

reg

ardl

ess

of

race

, age

, dis

abili

ty, g

ende

r, se

xual

orie

ntat

ion

and

relig

ion

shou

ld b

e re

cogn

ised

and

val

ued

last

ly, t

he a

ssum

ptio

n ru

nnin

g th

roug

hout

thi

s W

hite

Pap

er is

tha

t p

olit

ical

ac

tivi

ty is

val

uab

le a

nd

wo

rth

wh

ile, s

houl

d be

rec

ogni

sed

and

rew

arde

d,

and

is a

n es

sent

ial p

art

of B

ritai

n’s

natio

nal l

ife. W

e w

ant

to c

halle

nge

the

ster

eoty

pes

of p

oliti

cs a

nd t

ake

on t

he c

ynic

ism

whi

ch c

orro

des

our

polit

ical

sy

stem

. We

aim

to

show

tha

t by

eng

agin

g in

pol

itics

peo

ple

can

enac

t be

nefic

ial c

hang

e, s

erve

the

ir co

mm

uniti

es, d

evel

op t

heir

own

skill

s an

d ex

perie

nce

and

cont

ribut

e to

a s

tron

g so

ciet

y an

d na

tion

Com

mun

ities

in c

ontr

ol: r

eal p

eopl

e, r

eal p

ower

14

Our

mod

ern

defin

ition

of

dem

ocra

cy is

a s

yste

m o

f go

vern

men

t w

here

by, p

oliti

cal

1.4

pow

er is

exe

rcis

ed b

y ci

tizen

s th

roug

h el

ecte

d re

pres

enta

tives

, or

dire

ctly

thr

ough

pe

titio

ns, r

efer

endu

ms

or a

ctiv

e pa

rtic

ipat

ion.

Thi

s op

erat

es w

ithin

a f

ram

ewor

k of

fr

ee e

lect

ions

, che

cks

and

bala

nces

on

pow

er, a

n in

depe

nden

t ju

dici

ary

and

med

ia

and

guar

ante

ed c

ivil

liber

ties

and

hum

an r

ight

s. P

oliti

cal p

artie

s ar

e an

ess

entia

l co

mpo

nent

of

dem

ocra

cy, b

ecau

se t

hey

have

a v

ital r

ole

in a

ggre

gatin

g op

inio

n an

d gi

ving

citi

zens

a p

latf

orm

for

the

ir vi

ews.

The

y al

so h

ave

a lo

cal r

ole

in re

crui

ting

mem

bers

, pro

vidi

ng p

oliti

cal e

duca

tion

and

orga

nisa

tiona

l exp

erie

nce

to in

divi

dual

s an

d ru

nnin

g el

ectio

n ca

mpa

igns

.

Dem

ocr

acy

in B

rita

inBr

itain

’s de

moc

racy

is t

he p

rodu

ct o

f te

n ce

ntur

ies

of c

hang

e. A

t tim

es t

he c

hang

e 1.

5 ha

s co

me

rapi

dly,

cat

alys

ed b

y so

cial

and

eco

nom

ic d

evel

opm

ents

, by

revo

lutio

n an

d w

ar, o

r by

the

ele

ctio

n of

gov

ernm

ents

with

a f

irm m

anda

te t

o re

form

the

sy

stem

. At

times

the

cha

nge

has

been

ste

ady

and

slow

, oft

en r

esul

ting

from

the

pr

actic

e of

dem

ocra

cy it

self.

Briti

sh h

isto

ry is

pun

ctua

ted

by d

ebat

es a

bout

the

nat

ure

of d

emoc

racy

and

the

1.

6 st

rugg

les

for

polit

ical

pow

er t

o be

ext

ende

d to

gre

ater

num

bers

of

the

popu

latio

n –

from

the

Put

ney

Deb

ates

dur

ing

the

Engl

ish

Civ

il W

ar w

hich

pav

ed t

he w

ay f

or

our

civi

l lib

ertie

s, t

o th

e C

hart

ists

’ cam

paig

n in

the

nin

etee

nth

cent

ury

to e

xten

d th

e vo

te t

o w

orki

ng p

eopl

e an

d fr

om t

he d

eman

ds o

f th

e Su

ffra

gett

es f

or v

otes

fo

r w

omen

, to

the

cam

paig

ns in

the

196

0s a

nd 1

970s

for

mor

e in

volv

emen

t by

in

dust

rial w

orke

rs, s

tude

nts,

cou

ncil

hous

e te

nant

s an

d us

ers

of s

ocia

l ser

vice

s.

Mor

e re

cent

ly t

he m

ass

cam

paig

n m

obili

sing

peo

ple

in t

he c

all t

o ‘M

ake

Pove

rty

His

tory

’ rem

inds

us

that

the

way

our

dem

ocra

cy w

orks

has

alw

ays

been

sub

ject

to

pres

sure

fro

m b

elow

.

In 1

948

artic

le 2

1 of

the

Uni

vers

al D

ecla

ratio

n of

Hum

an R

ight

s se

t ou

t rig

hts

to

1.7

equa

l acc

ess

to p

ublic

ser

vice

, to

vote

in f

ree

elec

tions

and

to

take

par

t in

go

vern

men

t “d

irect

ly o

r th

roug

h fr

eely

cho

sen

repr

esen

tativ

es”.

1

This

part

of t

he U

nive

rsal

Dec

lara

tion

of H

uman

Rig

hts

reco

gnise

s th

at d

emoc

racy

can

1.

8 be

exe

rcise

d by

ele

ctin

g re

pres

enta

tives

as

part

of a

repr

esen

tativ

e de

moc

ratic

sys

tem

. It

also

mak

es c

lear

that

dire

ct d

emoc

racy

can

be

part

of a

dem

ocra

tic s

yste

m. T

he

prin

cipl

e is

that

the

will

of t

he p

eopl

e is

the

basis

for t

he a

utho

rity

of g

over

nmen

t.

1 U

nive

rsal

Dec

lara

tion

of H

uman

Rig

hts:

194

8.

15

The

case

for

peo

ple

and

com

mun

ities

hav

ing

mor

e po

wer

This

Whi

te P

aper

vie

ws

polit

ical

par

ticip

atio

n an

d de

moc

ratic

con

trol

in t

his

light

–

1.9

not

as a

priv

ilege

gru

dgin

gly

bequ

eath

ed t

o th

e ci

tizen

ry b

y th

ose

with

pow

er, b

ut

as a

n ac

tivity

fun

dam

enta

l to

the

defin

ition

of

‘citi

zen’

, to

be c

laim

ed a

s a

right

.

The

past

ten

yea

rs h

ave

been

a p

erio

d of

pol

itica

l cha

nge

and

refo

rm. S

ince

199

7,

1.10

the

dem

ocra

tic s

yste

m h

as b

een

mod

erni

sed

by c

reat

ing

a W

elsh

Ass

embl

y,

Scot

tish

Parli

amen

t, t

he N

orth

ern

Irela

nd A

ssem

bly

and

a Lo

ndon

May

or a

nd

Ass

embl

y, in

trod

ucin

g th

e fir

st d

irect

ly-e

lect

ed m

ayor

s in

Eng

land

, end

ing

the

here

dita

ry p

rinci

ple

in t

he H

ouse

of

Lord

s an

d re

form

ing

the

syst

em o

f el

ectio

ns

for

the

Euro

pean

Par

liam

ent.

Alo

ngsi

de t

hese

maj

or r

efor

ms

to o

ur r

epre

sent

ativ

e de

moc

ratic

str

uctu

res,

the

1.

11 G

over

nmen

t, s

ince

199

7, h

as p

ione

ered

met

hods

of

part

icip

ator

y de

moc

racy

. For

ex

ampl

e: t

he t

en-y

ear

New

Dea

l for

Com

mun

ities

pro

gram

me

incl

uded

dire

ct

elec

tions

to

loca

l boa

rds,

whi

ch s

et p

riorit

ies

and

dire

ct in

vest

men

t in

dep

rived

ar

eas;

the

new

NH

S Fo

unda

tion

Trus

ts h

ave

a lo

cal m

embe

rshi

p w

hich

ele

cts

repr

esen

tativ

es; t

he S

cott

ish

Parli

amen

t ha

s a

petit

ioni

ng s

yste

m w

hich

allo

ws

citiz

ens

to p

ropo

se d

ebat

es; a

nd D

owni

ng S

tree

t ha

s en

cour

aged

on-

line

petit

ions

. The

Gov

ernm

ent

has

also

use

d pa

rtic

ipat

ory

met

hods

to

devi

se p

olic

y,

for

exam

ple

the

ambi

tious

You

r H

ealth

, You

r C

are,

You

r Sa

y pr

ogra

mm

e to

en

gage

peo

ple

in m

akin

g he

alth

pol

icy,

and

rec

ent

citiz

ens’

jurie

s ru

n on

chi

ldre

n’s

serv

ices

and

imm

igra

tion.

The

Min

istr

y of

Jus

tice

is p

ublis

hing

, alo

ngsi

de t

his

Whi

te P

aper

, a d

iscu

ssio

n pa

per

sett

ing

out

a pr

opos

ed f

ram

ewor

k fo

r th

e gr

eate

r us

e of

eng

agem

ent

tech

niqu

es a

t th

e na

tiona

l lev

el.

Sinc

e 19

97 t

here

hav

e be

en d

ram

atic

cha

nges

in h

ow p

eopl

e us

e an

d sh

are

1.12

info

rmat

ion.

In 1

997

less

tha

n 10

per

cen

t of

the

pop

ulat

ion

had

used

the

In

tern

et. I

n 20

07 6

7 pe

r ce

nt a

cces

sed

the

Inte

rnet

eve

ryda

y.2

In 1

997

ther

e w

as

no d

omes

tic b

road

band

but

now

mor

e th

an h

alf

of h

ouse

hold

s ha

ve b

road

band

.

2 O

ffic

e of

Nat

iona

l Sta

tistic

s (2

007)

Inte

rnet

Acc

ess

2007

: Hou

seho

lds

and

Indi

vidu

als.

Lon

don:

Off

ice

of N

atio

nal S

tatis

tics.

Com

mun

ities

in c

ontr

ol: r

eal p

eopl

e, r

eal p

ower

16

Publ

ic s

ervi

ces

in 1

997

wer

e in

nee

d of

inve

stm

ent a

nd m

oder

nisa

tion.

Ove

r the

last

1.

13 te

n ye

ars

mos

t ser

vice

s ha

ve u

nder

gone

two

maj

or s

tage

s of

refo

rm. T

he fi

rst s

tage

us

ed n

atio

nal s

tand

ards

and

targ

ets

to d

rive

up p

erfo

rman

ce w

hilst

incr

easin

g in

vest

men

t. In

the

seco

nd s

tage

, top

-dow

n ta

rget

s an

d st

anda

rds

wer

e co

mpl

emen

ted

with

impr

ovem

ent d

riven

by

clea

rer i

ncen

tives

with

in th

e pu

blic

se

rvic

es th

emse

lves

, rat

her t

han

impo

sed

from

Whi

teha

ll.

As

part

of

the

agen

da f

or p

ublic

ser

vice

refo

rm t

he p

ublic

atio

n of

1.

14

Stro

ng a

nd

Pros

pero

us C

omm

uniti

es: t

he L

ocal

Gov

ernm

ent

Whi

te P

aper

in O

ctob

er 2

006

sign

alle

d a

devo

lutio

n of

pow

er f

rom

Whi

teha

ll to

tow

n ha

lls a

nd f

rom

loca

l au

thor

ities

to

loca

l com

mun

ities

in E

ngla

nd.3

Prog

ress

has

bee

n m

ade

in in

crea

sing

vi

sibi

lity

and

acco

unta

bilit

y of

loca

l cou

ncils

and

the

ir sc

ope

to d

evel

op in

nova

tive

loca

l sol

utio

ns.

The

mai

n el

emen

ts o

f thi

s ne

w re

latio

nshi

p be

twee

n ce

ntra

l and

loca

l gov

ernm

ent

1.15

and

betw

een

loca

l gov

ernm

ent a

nd p

eopl

e ar

e se

t out

in d

etai

l in

stat

utor

y gu

idan

ce

that

we

are

publ

ishin

g al

ongs

ide

this

Whi

te P

aper

.4 Th

e ke

y co

mpo

nent

s ar

e:

Loca

l Str

ateg

ic P

artn

ersh

ips

(LSP

s): t

hese

par

tner

ship

s be

twee

n lo

cal

coun

cils

and

oth

er lo

cal a

genc

ies

prov

ide

the

foru

m t

o cr

eate

a s

hare

d vi

sion

an

d a

shar

ed s

ense

of

prio

ritie

s fo

r a

plac

e. T

hird

sec

tor

orga

nisa

tions

are

ful

l an

d eq

ual p

artn

ers

in L

ocal

Str

ateg

ic P

artn

ersh

ips

(LSP

s)

the

du

ty t

o in

volv

e, p

lace

d on

a s

erie

s of

indi

vidu

al p

artn

ers,

will

ens

ure

that

pe

ople

hav

e gr

eate

r op

port

uniti

es t

o in

fluen

ce d

ecis

ion-

mak

ing

and

get

invo

lved

new

Lo

cal A

rea

Ag

reem

ents

(LA

As)

set

out

the

prio

ritie

s fo

r th

e lo

cal a

rea.

N

ew L

AA

s ar

e ag

reem

ents

bet

wee

n ce

ntra

l gov

ernm

ent,

loca

l aut

horit

ies

and

thei

r pa

rtne

rs, t

hrou

gh t

he L

SP, t

o im

prov

e se

rvic

es a

nd t

he q

ualit

y of

life

in a

pl

ace.

Gov

ernm

ent

Off

ices

in t

he r

egio

ns w

ork

with

loca

l aut

horit

ies

and

thei

r pa

rtne

rs t

o en

sure

tar

gets

set

in L

AA

s ar

e m

et

3 C

omm

uniti

es a

nd L

ocal

Gov

ernm

ent

(200

6) S

tron

g an

d Pr

ospe

rous

Com

mun

ities

: The

Loc

al

Gov

ernm

ent

Whi

te P

aper

. Lon

don:

Com

mun

ities

and

Loc

al G

over

nmen

t.4

This

sta

tuto

ry g

uida

nce,

Com

mun

ities

and

Loc

al G

over

nmen

t (2

008)

Cre

atin

g St

rong

, Saf

e an

d Pr

ospe

rous

Com

mun

ities

Sta

tuto

ry G

uida

nce,

cov

ers

Loca

l Str

ateg

ic P

artn

ersh

ips,

Sus

tain

able

C

omm

unity

Str

ateg

ies,

Loc

al A

rea

Agr

eem

ents

, the

dut

y to

con

sult,

info

rm a

nd in

volv

e, a

chie

ving

Be

st V

alue

and

str

ateg

ic c

omm

issi

onin

g. S

ee w

ww

.com

mun

ities

.gov

.uk/

publ

icat

ions

/com

mun

ities

/co

mm

uniti

esin

cont

rol

17

The

case

for

peo

ple

and

com

mun

ities

hav

ing

mor

e po

wer

Nat

ion

al In

dic

ato

rs: t

he p

erfo

rman

ce f

ram

ewor

k fo

r lo

cal g

over

nmen

t in

clud

es a

set

of

198

Nat

iona

l Ind

icat

ors.

The

se in

dica

tors

cov

er a

ll th

e na

tiona

l pr

iorit

y ou

tcom

es w

hich

loca

l aut

horit

ies

and

thei

r pa

rtne

rs w

ill b

e re

spon

sibl

e fo

r de

liver

ing.

Eac

h LA

A h

as u

p to

35

of t

hese

indi

cato

rs a

gree

d as

prio

ritie

s.

Perf

orm

ance

aga

inst

all

the

natio

nal i

ndic

ator

s w

ill b

e as

sess

ed t

hrou

gh t

he

Com

preh

ensi

ve A

rea

Ass

essm

ent

(CA

A)

ind

epen

den

t C

om

pre

hen

sive

Are

a A

sses

smen

ts w

ill b

e re

port

ed a

nnua

lly

for

each

loca

l are

a an

d w

ill c

onsi

st o

f:

– an

are

a as

sess

men

t th

at lo

oks

at h

ow w

ell l

ocal

pub

lic s

ervi

ces

are

deliv

erin

g be

tter

out

com

es f

or p

eopl

e an

d ho

w li

kely

the

y ar

e to

impr

ove

in t

he f

utur

e.

This

will

be

deliv

ered

join

tly b

y th

e A

udit

Com

mis

sion

and

oth

er in

spec

tora

tes

– or

gani

satio

nal a

sses

smen

ts o

f in

divi

dual

pub

lic b

odie

s

We

have

als

o ta

ken

sign

ifica

nt s

teps

to

stre

ngth

en c

ivil

soci

ety

and

build

our

1.

16 ca

paci

ty f

or v

olun

tary

act

ion.

The

Thi

rd S

ecto

r Re

view

whi

ch r

epor

ted

in J

uly

2007

co

mm

itted

£51

5m in

thi

rd s

ecto

r pr

ogra

mm

es t

o su

ppor

t th

ousa

nds

of

com

mun

ity o

rgan

isat

ions

acr

oss

the

coun

try

to b

uild

the

ir ca

paci

ty, t

o be

com

e m

ore

effe

ctiv

e, t

o he

lp t

hem

tra

nsfo

rm p

ublic

ser

vice

s an

d to

giv

e th

em, a

nd

thos

e th

ey w

ork

for,

a gr

eate

r vo

ice.

5 Bo

th c

entr

al a

nd lo

cal g

over

nmen

t ar

e co

mm

itted

to

wor

king

with

the

thi

rd s

ecto

r in

line

with

the

Com

pact

– a

fr

amew

ork

for

part

ners

hip

wor

king

set

out

in 1

998.

6 Th

e th

ird s

ecto

r ha

s a

uniq

ue a

bilit

y to

art

icul

ate

and

driv

e ch

ange

thr

ough

adv

ocac

y an

d ac

tion.

The

nee

d f

or

furt

her

ref

orm

But

desp

ite p

rogr

ess

bein

g m

ade

over

the

pas

t de

cade

, as

we

surv

ey o

ur p

oliti

cal

1.17

syst

em a

t th

e en

d of

the

firs

t de

cade

of

the

new

mill

enni

um, i

t is

cle

ar t

hat

it ne

eds

to a

dapt

to

the

pres

sure

s pl

aced

upo

n it

by t

he s

wee

ping

cha

nges

of

glob

alis

atio

n,

new

cha

lleng

es s

uch

as t

ackl

ing

clim

ate

chan

ge, n

ew t

echn

olog

y an

d ris

ing

expe

ctat

ions

fro

m c

itize

ns. W

hile

we

can

be p

roud

tha

t m

any

of t

he n

ew s

yste

ms

are

wor

king

wel

l and

tha

t Br

itain

’s po

litic

al s

yste

m re

mai

ns f

ree

from

the

inst

abili

ty a

nd

the

tain

t of

cor

rupt

ion

or s

yste

mat

ic c

heat

ing

that

mar

s so

me

othe

rs, w

e ne

ed t

o be

ho

nest

abo

ut t

he w

ays

in w

hich

our

sys

tem

is f

ailin

g. T

here

is u

nfin

ishe

d bu

sine

ss

here

; we

need

to

mak

e th

is n

ew a

rchi

tect

ure

wor

k fo

r pe

ople

and

mov

e to

the

nex

t st

age

of p

ublic

sec

tor

refo

rm, w

here

citi

zens

are

em

pow

ered

to

play

the

ir pa

rt.

5 C

abin

et O

ffic

e (2

007)

The

Fut

ure

Role

of

the

Third

Sec

tor

in S

ocia

l and

Eco

nom

ic R

egen

erat

ion:

Fi

nal R

epor

t. L

ondo

n: C

abin

et O

ffic

e.6

See

ww

w.t

heco

mpa

ct.o

rg.u

k

Com

mun

ities

in c

ontr

ol: r

eal p

eopl

e, r

eal p

ower

18

The

1.18

G

over

nanc

e of

Brit

ain

Gre

en P

aper

, pre

sent

ed t

o Pa

rliam

ent

in J

uly

2007

, hi

ghlig

hted

the

se c

halle

nges

.7 It

said

tha

t:

pow

er r

emai

ns t

oo c

entr

alis

ed a

nd t

oo c

once

ntra

ted

in g

over

nmen

t ha

nds

clar

ity is

nee

ded

over

wha

t po

wer

gov

ernm

ent

shou

ld a

nd s

houl

d no

t ha

ve

incr

easi

ng c

ynic

ism

and

dis

enga

gem

ent

from

the

pol

itica

l pro

cess

is r

efle

cted

in

fal

ling

elec

tion

turn

outs

At t

he 2

001

gene

ral e

lect

ion,

turn

out a

cros

s th

e U

K w

as ju

st 5

9 pe

r cen

t. It

wen

t up

1.19

sligh

tly to

61

per c

ent i

n 20

05, a

lthou

gh 1

7 m

illio

n re

gist

ered

vot

ers

stay

ed a

t hom

e.

This

com

pare

s to

the

hist

oric

hig

h tu

rnou

t in

the

1950

ele

ctio

n of

84

per c

ent,

and

turn

out f

or a

ll ot

her g

ener

al e

lect

ions

sin

ce th

e w

ar o

f abo

ve 7

0 pe

r cen

t.8

In t

he M

ay 2

008

coun

cil e

lect

ions

, tur

nout

was

just

35

per

cent

.1.

20

9

Even

the

Lon

don

May

oral

ele

ctio

n in

May

200

8, w

ith s

igni

fican

t m

edia

att

entio

n 1.

21 an

d hi

gh-p

rofil

e ca

mpa

igns

, att

ract

ed o

nly

45 p

er c

ent

of L

ondo

n’s

elec

tors

to

the

polli

ng s

tatio

ns.10

Ther

e is

evi

denc

e th

at s

ocia

l cla

ss is

an

impo

rtan

t fa

ctor

in d

ecid

ing

whe

ther

1.

22 pe

ople

vot

e or

not

.11 T

he p

arlia

men

tary

con

stitu

enci

es a

nd c

ounc

il ar

eas

with

the

lo

wes

t tu

rnou

ts c

orre

late

clo

sely

with

are

as w

here

the

poo

rest

peo

ple

live.

12

In 2

005,

the

hig

hest

tur

nout

s w

ere

in W

est

Dor

set,

Win

ches

ter,

Rich

mon

d Pa

rk in

1.

23 so

uth-

wes

t Lo

ndon

and

Nor

thav

on, a

sea

t co

mpr

isin

g sm

all t

owns

and

Bris

tol

subu

rbs.

Som

e of

the

low

est

turn

outs

wer

e in

inne

r-ci

ty s

eats

in L

iver

pool

, Sal

ford

, M

anch

este

r an

d G

lasg

ow.13

7 M

inis

try

of J

ustic

e (2

007)

The

Gov

erna

nce

of B

ritai

n. L

ondo

n: M

inis

try

of J

ustic

e.8

Ralli

ngs,

C. a

nd T

hras

her,

M. (

2000

) Brit

ish

Elec

tora

l Fac

ts: 1

832-

1999

; The

Ele

ctor

al C

omm

issi

on

(200

5) E

lect

ion

2005

: tur

nout

, Lon

don:

The

Ele

ctor

al C

omm

issi

on.

9 Se

e ht

tp://

new

s.bb

c.co

.uk/

1/hi

/uk_

polit

ics/

7378

788.

stm

. To

note

, the

se f

igur

es h

ave

not

been

ver

ified

. 10

Se

e ht

tp://

new

s.bb

c.co

.uk/

1/hi

/uk_

polit

ics/

7378

788.

stm

. To

note

, the

se f

igur

es h

ave

not

been

ver

ified

.11

H

ansa

rd S

ocie

ty (2

008)

An

Aud

it of

Pol

itica

l Eng

agem

ent

5 Lo

ndon

: Han

sard

Soc

iety

.12

El

ecto

ral C

omm

issi

on (2

005)

Ele

ctio

n 20

05: T

urno

ut –

How

Man

y, W

ho a

nd W

hy?

Lond

on: T

he

Elec

tora

l Com

mis

sion

.13

Ib

id.

19

The

case

for

peo

ple

and

com

mun

ities

hav

ing

mor

e po

wer

Seve

nty

per

cent

of

peop

le in

soc

ial c

lass

AB

(for

inst

ance

man

ager

s an

d 1.

24 pr

ofes

sion

als)

vot

ed in

200

5, b

ut o

nly

54 p

er c

ent

of p

eopl

e cl

assi

fied

as D

E (f

or

inst

ance

sem

i-and

uns

kille

d w

orke

rs a

nd m

anua

l wor

kers

).14

The

mos

t re

cent

1.

25

Aud

it of

Pol

itica

l Eng

agem

ent

finds

tha

t le

ss t

han

a qu

arte

r of

18

-24

year

old

s (2

3 pe

r ce

nt) a

re a

bsol

utel

y ce

rtai

n to

vot

e, c

ompa

red

with

alm

ost

eigh

t in

ten

of

the

65-7

4 ag

e gr

oup

(78

per

cent

).15

Ther

e is

evi

denc

e th

at y

oung

peo

ple’

s re

ject

ion

of m

ains

trea

m p

oliti

cs is

a h

abit

1.26

whi

ch s

ticks

, dep

ress

ing

turn

outs

in f

utur

e el

ectio

ns a

nd m

akin

g it

hard

er f

or

polit

ical

par

ties

to r

ecru

it ac

tivis

ts.16

The

dang

er is

tha

t po

litic

al p

artie

s sk

ew t

heir

polic

y pl

atfo

rms

tow

ards

the

peo

ple

1.27

mor

e lik

ely

to v

ote

(old

er, m

ore

afflu

ent)

, ins

tead

of

the

peop

le m

ost

in n

eed

of

enga

gem

ent

and

supp

ort.

In e

ffec

t, it

mig

ht m

ean

that

the

peo

ple

for

who

m

polit

ics

has

the

mos

t to

off

er (t

he p

oore

st a

nd m

ost

disa

dvan

tage

d) a

re t

he p

eopl

e le

ast

likel

y to

pla

y an

act

ive

polit

ical

rol

e, o

r ev

en v

ote.

But

the

faili

ngs

of o

ur p

oliti

cal s

yste

m r

un m

uch

deep

er t

han

the

obvi

ous

1.28

man

ifest

atio

n of

non

-vot

ing.

The

re is

als

o a

grow

ing

sens

e th

at p

oliti

cs is

a p

ursu

it co

nduc

ted

by ‘s

omeo

ne e

lse’

and

tha

t po

litic

ians

are

in it

for

wha

t th

ey c

an g

et

out

of it

, not

wha

t th

ey c

an c

ontr

ibut

e. T

he id

ea o

f pu

blic

ser

vice

thr

ough

pol

itics

is

incr

easi

ngly

vie

wed

as

old-

fash

ione

d an

d ec

cent

ric. W

here

as o

nly

40 y

ears

ago

po

litic

s w

as s

een

as a

res

pect

able

way

of

serv

ing

your

com

mun

ity, t

oday

it is

vi

ewed

, alb

eit

unfa

irly,

as

a w

ay o

f se

rvin

g yo

urse

lf. C

omm

enta

tors

suc

h as

Pet

er

Ridd

ell i

n H

ones

t O

ppor

tuni

sm –

the

ris

e of

the

car

eer

polit

icia

n ha

ve w

ritte

n ab

out

the

rise

of a

str

atum

of

prof

essi

onal

pol

itici

ans,

dis

tinct

and

dis

tant

fro

m t

he

peop

le t

hey

are

elec

ted

to s

erve

.17

14

Ibid

.15

H

ansa

rd S

ocie

ty (2

008)

An

Aud

it of

Pol

itica

l Eng

agem

ent

5 Lo

ndon

: Han

sard

Soc

iety

.16

El

ecto

ral C

omm

issi

on (2

005)

Ele

ctio

n 20

05: T

urno

ut –

How

Man

y, W

ho a

nd W

hy?

Lond

on:

The

Elec

tora

l Com

mis

sion

.17

Ri

ddel

l, P

(199

3) H

ones

t O

ppor

tuni

sm: t

he r

ise

of t

he c

aree

r po

litic

ian.

Ham

ish

Ham

ilton

.

Com

mun

ities

in c

ontr

ol: r

eal p

eopl

e, r

eal p

ower

20

In B

ritai

n, m

embe

rshi

p of

pol

itica

l par

ties

is a

t a

reco

rd lo

w. I

n th

e 19

50s,

ove

r 1.

29 3.

5 m

illio

n Br

itons

bel

onge

d to

the

Lab

our,

Con

serv

ativ

e or

Lib

eral

Par

ties.

Tod

ay,

that

fig

ure

is o

nly

half

a m

illio

n.18

All

polit

ical

par

ties

stru

ggle

to

recr

uit

mem

bers

, to

enc

oura

ge a

ctiv

ism

and

to

stan

d ca

ndid

ates

in e

very

are

a.

At

a lo

cal l

evel

, evi

denc

e su

gges

ts t

hat

peop

le f

eel a

liena

ted

from

loca

l 1.

30 de

moc

racy

. An

opin

ion

poll

cond

ucte

d fo

r C

omm

uniti

es a

nd L

ocal

Gov

ernm

ent

in

Febr

uary

200

8 sh

owed

tha

t:

six

out

of t

en p

eopl

e do

not

fee

l tha

t th

ey a

re g

iven

an

adeq

uate

say

in h

ow

loca

l cou

ncil

serv

ices

are

run

mor

e th

an n

ine

out

of t

en b

elie

ve t

hat

coun

cils

cou

ld b

e m

ore

acco

unta

ble

near

ly f

our

out

of t

en p

eopl

e do

not

fee

l tha

t co

unci

llors

are

rep

rese

ntat

ive

of

thei

r co

mm

uniti

es

six

out

of t

en p

eopl

e do

not

bel

ieve

tha

t co

unci

llors

ade

quat

ely

refle

ct t

heir

view

s

only

one

in t

hree

peo

ple

feel

tha

t th

ey c

an in

fluen

ce d

ecis

ions

in t

heir

loca

l ar

ea a

nd e

ven

few

er y

oung

peo

ple

feel

tha

t th

ey c

an h

ave

an in

fluen

ce. B

ut

four

in f

ive

peop

le a

gree

it is

impo

rtan

t to

influ

ence

loca

l dec

isio

ns19

So w

hat

are

the

caus

es o

f po

litic

al d

isen

gage

men

t? T

he G

over

nmen

t’s v

iew

is t

hat

1.31

peop

le f

eel t

hey

lack

pow

er.

Lack

of

basi

c in

form

atio

n ab

out

how

and

whe

re t

o vo

te, i

gnor

ance

of

the

polit

ical

1.

32 sy

stem

, alie

natio

n fr

om m

ains

trea

m p

artie

s, la

ck o

f tim

e, a

nd t

he im

pact

of

a cy

nica

l med

ia a

ll pl

ay a

par

t in

dep

ress

ing

turn

out.

Our

cur

rent

dem

ocra

tic

stru

ctur

es a

re la

rgel

y th

e pr

oduc

t of

the

Vic

toria

n er

a. B

ut w

e no

w li

ve in

a

cent

ury

whe

n pe

ople

acc

ess

vast

am

ount

s of

info

rmat

ion

inst

antly

, cre

ate

onlin

e co

mm

uniti

es a

cros

s co

ntin

ents

, dev

elop

per

sona

l rel

atio

nshi

ps w

ith t

heir

bank

s,

insu

rers

, and

ret

aile

rs a

nd e

xpec

t an

d de

man

d hi

gh s

tand

ards

fro

m t

he p

eopl

e su

pply

ing

them

with

ser

vice

s. O

ur d

emoc

ratic

str

uctu

res

have

not

kep

t pa

ce w

ith

this

pro

gres

s.

18

Page

, B. (

2005

) The

Fut

ure

of P

oliti

cal P

artie

s Pr

ospe

ct M

agaz

ine,

Sep

tem

ber

2005

.19

se

e w

ww

.com

mun

ities

.gov

.uk/

docu

men

ts/c

omm

uniti

es/x

ls/7

1280

1.xl

s

21

The

case

for

peo

ple

and

com

mun

ities

hav

ing

mor

e po

wer

We

belie

ve t

hat

the

caus

es o

f po

litic

al d

isen

gage

men

t, w

hile

com

plex

, can

be

1.33

dist

illed

to

a do

min

ant

fact

or: a

sen

se o

f po

wer

less

ness

on

the

part

of

mos

t ci

tizen

s th

at t

heir

voic

es a

re n

ot b

eing

hea

rd, t

heir

view

s no

t lis

tene

d to

, the

ir pa

rtic

ipat

ion

unw

elco

med

or

thei

r ac

tivity

unr

ewar

ded.

Peo

ple

wan

t to

kno

w t

hat

if th

ey e

xpen

d th

eir

valu

able

tim

e an

d ef

fort

, the

re w

ill b

e ta

ngib

le, p

ract

ical

and

po

sitiv

e re

sults

.

Yet

peop

le a

re n

ot n

atur

ally

apa

thet

ic. S

ixty

-nin

e pe

r ce

nt o

f re

spon

dent

s to

the

1.

34 20

07 A

udit

of P

oliti

cal E

ngag

emen

t sa

id t

hey

wan

ted

a sa

y in

how

the

cou

ntry

is

run.

20 L

ikew

ise,

res

earc

h un

dert

aken

for

the

Lyo

ns In

quiry

fou

nd t

hat

73 p

er c

ent

of r

espo

nden

ts f

elt

that

peo

ple

shou

ld b

e ab

le t

o in

fluen

ce h

ow t

heir

coun

cil t

ax

is s

pent

, with

nea

rly h

alf

wan

ting

to b

e pe

rson

ally

invo

lved

.21 P

eopl

e w

ant

to b

e in

volv

ed a

nd h

ave

thei

r sa

y, b

ut t

he s

truc

ture

and

cul

ture

of

polit

ics

alie

nate

s an

d de

ters

the

m.

The

answ

er li

es in

1.

35

emp

ow

erm

ent:

pas

sing

mor

e an

d m

ore

polit

ical

pow

er t

o m

ore

and

mor

e pe

ople

, usi

ng e

very

pra

ctic

al m

eans

ava

ilabl

e, f

rom

the

mos

t m

oder

n so

cial

net

wor

king

web

site

s, t

o th

e m

ost

anci

ent

met

hods

of

petit

ioni

ng,

publ

ic d

ebat

es a

nd c

itize

ns’ j

urie

s. In

thi

s w

ay, d

emoc

racy

bec

omes

, not

a s

yste

m

of o

ccas

iona

l vot

ing

or a

n im

perf

ect

met

hod

of s

elec

ting

who

gov

erns

us,

but

so

met

hing

tha

t in

fuse

s ou

r w

ay o

f lif

e.

Infl

uen

ce, p

ow

er a

nd

wel

l-b

ein

gTh

ere

is a

bod

y of

evi

denc

e th

at t

he f

amili

ar, o

ften

mun

dane

eve

ryda

y m

eetin

gs

1.36

betw

een

neig

hbou

rs in

the

str

eet

or a

t th

e sc

hool

gat

e, a

re v

ery

impo

rtan

t in

ge

nera

ting

wel

l-bei

ng.22

Str

ong

soci

al n

etw

orks

, goo

d co

mm

unity

spi

rit a

nd a

lo

cal s

ense

of

belo

ngin

g an

d pl

ace,

are

fou

ndat

ions

for

con

fiden

t an

d he

alth

y co

mm

uniti

es.23

20

Han

sard

Soc

iety

/Ele

ctor

al C

omm

issi

on (2

007)

An

Aud

it of

Pol

itica

l Eng

agem

ent

4, L

ondo

n: H

ansa

rd

Soci

ety.

21

BMG

Res

earc

h (2

007)

Lyo

ns In

quiry

Sur

vey.

Nor

wic

h: H

MSO

. 22

Ro

bert

son,

D, S

myt

h, J

, and

McI

ntos

h, I

(200

8) N

eigh

bour

hood

iden

tity,

peo

ple,

tim

e an

d pl

ace.

Jo

seph

Row

ntre

e Fo

unda

tion.

23

Hot

hi, M

(200

8) N

eigh

bour

lines

s +

Em

pow

erm

ent

= W

ellb

eing

. The

You

ng F

ound

atio

n.

Com

mun

ities

in c

ontr

ol: r

eal p

eopl

e, r

eal p

ower

22

UK

evi

denc

e sh

ows

that

tho

se w

ho p

artic

ipat

e in

com

mun

ity a

ctiv

ities

hav

e be

en

1.37

show

n to

gai

n fr

om a

sen

se o

f ac

hiev

emen

t, in

crea

sed

conf

iden

ce, a

nd e

nhan

ced

skill

s an

d se

lf-es

teem

.24

Whe

n a

citiz

en f

eels

tha

t th

ey c

an h

ave

an in

fluen

ce o

ver

loca

l dec

isio

ns a

nd t

hat

1.38

thei

r vo

ice

will

be

hear

d an

d re

spec

ted,

thi

s ca

n im

prov

e th

eir

gene

ral s

ense

of

wel

l-bei

ng a

nd e

ven

leve

ls o

f ha

ppin

ess.

Whi

le s

ocia

l and

eco

nom

ic f

acto

rs p

lay

a ce

ntra

l rol

e in

det

erm

inin

g w

heth

er s

omeo

ne f

eels

hap

py o

r no

t, r

esea

rch

from

Sw

itzer

land

(whi

ch h

as a

wel

l-dev

elop

ed s

yste

m o

f di

rect

dem

ocra

cy) s

how

s th

at

citiz

ens

are

happ

ier

whe

n th

ere

are

grea

ter

leve

ls o

f lo

cal d

emoc

racy

.25 T

wo

reas

ons

are

give

n fo

r th

is: f

irst,

tha

t pa

rtic

ipat

ory

dem

ocra

cy le

ads

to b

ette

r de

cisi

on-m

akin

g, s

o th

at p

eopl

e fe

el t

he G

over

nmen

t’s a

ctio

ns m

ore

clos

ely

mat

ch

the

peop

le’s

wis

hes;

and

sec

ond,

bec

ause

peo

ple

valu

e be

ing

dire

ctly

invo

lved

in

dem

ocra

cy.

Furt

her

ben

efit

sA

s w

ell a

s th

e fe

elin

gs o

f sa

tisfa

ctio

n, f

ulfil

men

t an

d pe

rson

al g

row

th t

hat

activ

e 1.

39 ci

tizen

ship

brin

gs, c

omm

unity

em

pow

erm

ent

can

also

hav

e w

ider

ben

efits

for

so

ciet

y. It

can

:

supp

ort

mor

e co

hesi

ve a

nd in

tegr

ated

com

mun

ities

. As

indi

vidu

als

enga

ge

with

the

ir ne

ighb

ours

, with

com

mun

ity g

roup

s an

d lo

cal d

ecis

ion

mak

ers

on

how

to

tack

le s

hare

d co

ncer

ns, t

here

is m

ore

inte

ract

ion

betw

een

peop

le o

f di

ffer

ent

back

grou

nds

and

mor

e em

phas

is o

n sh

ared

goa

ls. G

reat

er o

penn

ess

abou

t de

cisi

on m

akin

g an

d gr

eate

r in

volv

emen

t in

tho

se d

ecis

ions

can

rem

ove

perc

eptio

ns o

f in

just

ice

that

can

fue

l ext

rem

ism

help

rev

ive

civi

c so

ciet

y an

d lo

cal d

emoc

racy

as

mor

e pe

ople

bec

ome

dire

ctly

in

volv

ed in

the

thi

ngs

that

aff

ect

them

– w

heth

er it

is t

heir

loca

l

24

Popa

y, J

, Att

ree,

P, H

ornb

y, D

, Milt

on, B

, Whi

tehe

ad, M

, Fre

nch,

B, K

owar

zik,

U, S

imps

on, N

and

Po

vall,

S (2

007)

Com

mun

ity E

ngag

emen

t in

Initi

ativ

es A

ddre

ssin

g th

e W

ider

Soc

ial D

eter

min

ants

of

Hea

lth: A

Rap

id R

evie

w o

f Ev

iden

ce o

n Im

pact

, Exp

erie

nce

and

Proc

ess,

Lon

don:

Dep

artm

ent

of H

ealth

.

SQ

W (2

008)

Nei

ghbo

urho

od M

anag

emen

t Pa

thfin

ders

: Fin

al E

valu

atio

n Re

port

, Lon

don:

Com

mun

ities

an

d Lo

cal G

over

nmen

t.

Ba

rnes

, M. a

nd B

enne

t, G

. (19

97) F

rail

Bodi

es, C

oura

geou

s Vo

ices

: Old

er P

eopl

e In

fluen

cing

C

omm

unity

Car

e, H

ealth

and

Soc

ial C

are

in t

he C

omm

unity

, Vol

.6(2

), pp

.102

-111

.25

Fr

ey, B

and

Stu

tzer

, A (2

000)

Hap

pine

ss, E

cono

my

and

Inst

itutio

ns, T

he E

cono

mic

Jou

rnal

, Vol

.110

, N

o.44

6, p

p.91

8-93

8.

23

The

case

for

peo

ple

and

com

mun

ities

hav

ing

mor

e po

wer

neig

hbou

rhoo

ds, s

choo

ls, t

hing

s to

do

for

youn

g pe

ople

, or

prac

tical

ste

ps in

ta

cklin

g bi

g pr

oble

ms

like

clim

ate

chan

ge

crea

te m

echa

nism

s of

citi

zen

part

icip

atio

n (f

or e

xam

ple

syst

ems

of

acco

unta

bilit

y, r

edre

ss a

nd c

ompe

nsat

ion)

whi

ch h

elp

driv

e fo

rwar

d co

ntin

uous

im

prov

emen

ts in

the

qua

lity

and

effic

ienc

y of

pub

lic s

ervi

ces

such

as

the

NH

S,

polic

e, c

rimin

al ju

stic

e sy

stem

and

loca

l cou

ncil

serv

ices

, and

eng

age

peop

le in

de

liver

ing

succ

essf

ul o

utco

mes

it ca

n bu

ild a

str

ong

civi

l soc

iety

whe

re c

omm

itted

indi

vidu

als,

com

mun

ity

grou

ps, v

olun

tary

org

anis

atio

ns a

nd s

ocia

l ent

erpr

ises

see

k so

lutio

ns t

o so

me

of t

he d

iffic

ult

prob

lem

s fa

cing

con

tem

pora

ry s

ocie

ty, s

tren

gthe

ning

pub

lic

deba

te a

nd b

uild

ing

supp

ort

for

chan

ge

A m

ore

deta

iled

revi

ew o

f th

e be

nefit

s of

em

pow

erm

ent

is in

the

Evi

denc

e A

nnex

1.

40 of

thi

s do

cum

ent.

26

The

imp

ort

ance

of

cou

nci

lsTh

e G

over

nmen

t ha

s de

mon

stra

ted

its c

omm

itmen

t to

loca

l aut

horit

ies

by

1.41

incr

easi

ng t

he f

inan

cial

res

ourc

es a

vaila

ble

to c

ounc

ils (a

45

per

cent

incr

ease

in

real

ter

ms

in E

ngla

nd b

y 20

11) a

nd b

y cu

ttin

g th

e nu

mbe

r of

cen

tral

ly-im

pose

d pe

rfor

man

ce in

dica

tors

fro

m 1

200

to 1

98, g

ivin

g co

unci

llors

gre

ater

fre

edom

to

esta

blis

h th

eir

own

loca

l prio

ritie

s in

line

with

the

wis

hes

of t

heir

resi

dent

s.27

The

Gov

ernm

ent

and

the

Loca

l Gov

ernm

ent

Ass

ocia

tion

(LG

A) h

ave

also

sig

ned

the

1.42

Cen

tral

-Loc

al C

onco

rdat

(see

ann

ex) w

hich

ens

hrin

es t

he p

rinci

ple

of d

evol

utio

n at

th

e he

art

of t

he G

over

nmen

t’s r

elat

ions

hip

with

loca

l cou

ncils

in E

ngla

nd.

The

stan

dard

of

serv

ices

tha

t co

unci

ls d

eliv

er h

as b

een

impr

ovin

g in

rec

ent

year

s.

1.43

Loca

l aut

horit

y pe

rfor

man

ce, a

s m

easu

red

by t

he C

ompr

ehen

sive

Per

form

ance

A

sses

smen

t (C

PA) c

ondu

cted

by

the

Aud

it C

omm

issi

on, h

as im

prov

ed. I

n 20

02

ther

e w

ere

34 lo

cal a

utho

ritie

s in

the

bot

tom

tw

o ca

tego

ries,

by

2007

the

re w

ere

only

tw

o, w

ith n

one

in t

he b

otto

m c

ateg

ory.

28

26

see

ww

w.c

omm

uniti

es.g

ov.u

k/pu

blic

atio

ns/c

omm

uniti

es27

Fo

r m

ore

info

rmat

ion

see

Cre

atin

g St

rong

, Saf

e an

d Pr

ospe

rous

Com

mun

ities

(HM

G, J

uly

2008

(f

ootn

ote

4)).

28

ww

w.a

udit-

com

mis

sion

.gov

.uk/

Prod

ucts

/NA

TIO

NA

L-RE

PORT

/890

6AF8

9-01

4B-4

462-

9094

-5D

E69A

5D5C

8F/C

PATh

eHar

derT

est.

pdf

Com

mun

ities

in c

ontr

ol: r

eal p

eopl

e, r

eal p

ower

24

But

loca

l dem

ocra

cy d

oes

not

stop

at

the

door

of

the

coun

cil.

We

wan

t to

see

1.

44 de

volu

tion

of p

ower

ext

endi

ng b

eyon

d th

e to

wn

hall

and

to t

he d

oors

tep

of e

very

ci

tizen

. As

cent

ral g

over

nmen

t de

volv

es p

ower

to

coun

cils

, so

coun

cils

sho

uld

devo

lve

to c

itize

ns.

A n

ew d

uty

to

pro

mo

te d

emo

crac

yA

s a

first

ste

p to

rec

ogni

sing

the

prin

cipl

e th

at p

oliti

cal a

ctiv

ity is

val

uabl

e,

1.45

w

e w

ill

pla

ce a

du

ty t

o p

rom

ote

dem

ocr

acy

on

loca

l au

tho

riti

es. T

his

build

s on

the

w

ork

carr

ied

out

by t

he C

ounc

illor

s C

omm

issi

on29

and

com

plem

ents

the

‘dut

y to

in

volv

e’ t

hat

we

intr

oduc

ed in

the

Loc

al G

over

nmen

t an

d Pu

blic

Invo

lvem

ent

in

Hea

lth A

ct 2

007.

This

mea

ns t

hat

loca

l aut

horit

ies

shou

ld n

o lo

nger

be

seen

as

just

uni

ts o

f lo

cal

1.46

adm

inis

trat

ion,

but

as

vibr

ant

hubs

of

loca

l dem

ocra

cy, w

ith a

sta

tuto

ry d

uty

to

prom

ote

dem

ocra

tic u

nder

stan

ding

and

par

ticip

atio

n. W

e w

ill e

mpo

wer

loca

l co

unci

ls t

o pr

esen

t th

emse

lves

as

dem

ocra

tic c

entr

es, w

ith a

new

cul

ture

whi

ch

sees

dem

ocra

tic p

oliti

cs a

s re

spec

ted,

rec

ogni

sed

and

valu

ed.

Dra

win

g on

the

bes

t ex

ampl

es w

hich

alre

ady

exis

t in

cou

ncils

, we

will

enc

oura

ge

1.47

loca

l aut

horit

ies

to t

ake

a ra

nge

of a

ctio

ns t

hat,

tog

ethe

r, w

ill a

chie

ve t

his.

The

se

coul

d in

clud

e:

bet

ter

info

rmat

ion

: cou

ncil

publ

icat

ions

and

web

site

s sh

ould

pro

vide

cle

ar

info

rmat

ion

abou

t po

litic

al c

ontr

ol, c

ounc

il m

eetin

gs, c

ounc

illor

s’ s

urge

ries

and

how

to

cont

act

both

cou

ncill

ors

and

loca

l pol

itica

l par

ties

a tw

o-w

ay p

roce

ss: u

sing

loca

l rad

io, b

logs

, pod

cast

s an

d in

tera

ctiv

e w

ebsi

tes

to im

prov

e di

alog

ue b

etw

een

coun

cillo

rs a

nd lo

cal p

eopl

e

emp

ow

erin

g y

ou

ng

peo

ple

with

a m

ore

posi

tive

expe

rienc

e of

vot

ing

thro

ugh

youn

g m

ayor

s, t

he U

K Y

outh

Par

liam

ent,

moc

k el

ectio

ns a

nd s

choo

l co

unci

ls

get

tin

g p

eop

le in

volv

ed: e

xpla

inin

g to

all

com

mun

ities

how

to

be a

co

unci

llor

or t

ake

up o

ther

civ

ic r

oles

– in

clud

ing

scho

ol g

over

nors

hips

or

heal

th b

oard

mem

bers

hip

– th

roug

h w

ebsi

tes

and

new

slet

ters

29

Com

mun

ities

and

Loc

al G

over

nmen

t (2

007)

, Rep

rese

ntin

g th

e Fu

ture

: The

Rep

ort

of t

he C

ounc

illor

s C

omm

issi

on, L

ondo

n: C

omm

uniti

es a

nd L

ocal

Gov

ernm

ent.

25

The

case

for

peo

ple

and

com

mun

ities

hav

ing

mor

e po

wer

pra

ctic

al s

up

po

rt f

or

cou

nci

llors

, inc

ludi

ng a

llow

ing

coun

cillo

rs t

o ho

ld

surg

erie

s on

cou

ncil

prem

ises

, and

allo

win

g al

l pol

itica

l par

ties

to h

ire c

ounc

il pr

emis

es f

or m

eetin

gs a

nd e

vent

s

trai

nin

g f

ron

t-lin

e st

aff

so t

hat

they

can

ans

wer

sim

ple

ques

tions

fro

m t

he

publ

ic a

bout

the

loca

l dem

ocra

tic s

yste

m. P

eopl

e lik

e ca

ll ce

ntre

sta

ff, c

ounc

il ta

x, h

ousi

ng a

nd p

lann

ing

offic

ers

shou

ld k

now

whi

ch p

oliti

cal p

arty

con

trol

s th

e co

unci

l, th

e da

te o

f th

e ne

xt e

lect

ions

, how

to

regi

ster

and

whe

re t

o vo

te

pro

mo

tin

g d

emo

crac

y: c

ounc

ils c

ould

invo

lve

staf

f or

for

mer

cou

ncill

ors

in

prom

otin

g lo

cal d

emoc

racy

thr

ough

pro

gram

mes

suc

h as

‘Civ

ic C

ham

pion

s’ o

r ‘D

emoc

racy

Adv

ocat

es’.

This

cou

ld in

clud

e:

– ex

-cou

ncill

ors

beco

min

g m

ento

rs f

or s

ervi

ng c

ounc

illor

s

– co

unci

llors

wor

king

with

loca

l sch

ools

, inc

ludi

ng in

itiat

ing

visi

ts t

o ex

plai

n th

eir

role

and

to

supp

ort

activ

e ci

tizen

ship

edu

catio

n

– m

akin

g a

posi

tive

pres

enta

tion

to lo

cal v

olun

teer

gro

ups

or b

oard

s ab

out

gove

rnan

ce r

oles

and

how

to

appl

y

– pr

omot

ing

the

role

of

the

coun

cil a

nd c

ounc

illor

to

com

mun

ity a

nd

volu

ntar

y gr

oups

– de

velo

ping

link

s w

ith t

own

and

paris

h co

unci

ls a

nd s

uppo

rtin

g de

moc

racy

ac

tiviti

es

targ

etin

g: c

o-or

dina

ted

targ

etin

g of

gro

ups

not

wel

l rep

rese

nted

am

ong

coun

cillo

rs (w

omen

, you

ng p

eopl

e, p

eopl

e of

wor

king

age

, peo

ple

from

bla

ck

and

min

ority

eth

nic

com

mun

ities

) to

expl

ain

the

role

, tim

e co

mm

itmen

t an

d su

ppor

t av

aila

ble

to h

elp

them

tak

e up

civ

ic r

oles

thir

d s

ecto

r: w

orki

ng w

ith t

hird

sec

tor

orga

nisa

tions

to

ensu

re t

hat

activ

e ci

tizen

s in

com

mun

ity a

nd v

olun

tary

gro

ups

know

abo

ut t

he o

ppor

tuni

ties

to

take

up

civi

c ro

les

liais

ing

wit

h lo

cal e

mp

loye

rs t

o en

cour

age

supp

ort

for

staf

f m

embe

rs w

ho

have

tak

en o

n a

civi

c go

vern

ance

rol

e

Com

mun

ities

in c

ontr

ol: r

eal p

eopl

e, r

eal p

ower

26

We

shal

l als

o en

cour

age

loca

l aut

horit

ies

to d

o m

ore

to e

ncou

rage

vot

ing

1.48

30

th

roug

h:

posi

tive

cam

paig

ns t

o en

cour

age

vote

r re

gist

ratio

n an

d vo

ting,

esp

ecia

lly w

ith

youn

g pe

ople

sche

mes

whi

ch r

ecog

nise

peo

ple

who

hav

e tu

rned

out

on

polli

ng d

ay, f

or

exam

ple

ever

y vo

ter

gett

ing

an ‘I

’ve

Vote

d’ s

ticke

r at

the

bal

lot

box

30

We

will

enc

oura

ge lo

cal a

utho

ritie

s to

bui

ld o

n th

e w

ork

they

are

doi

ng t

o m

eet

sect

ion

69 o

f th

e El

ecto

ral A

dmin

istr

atio

n A

ct 2

006.

27

The

case

for

peo

ple

and

com

mun

ities

hav

ing

mor

e po

wer

Sou

thw

ark

Act

ive

Cit

izen

s H

ub

Sout

hwar

k Vo

lunt

eer

Cen

tre

is a

cha

rity

that

aim

s to

enh

ance

the

com

mun

ity in

So

uthw

ark

thro

ugh

prom

otin

g, s

uppo

rtin

g an

d de

velo

ping

vol

unte

erin

g an

d ac

tive

citiz

ensh

ip. I

t ha

s be

en e

stab

lishe

d fo

r 12

yea

rs, a

nd h

as 1

8 m

embe

rs o

f st

aff.

In

2006

the

y en

able

d 6,

500

peop

le t

o ge

t in

volv

ed. S

ince

200

5, it

has

bee

n co

mm

issi

oned

by

Sout

hwar

k C

ounc

il to

dev

elop

and

ope

rate

an

Act

ive

Citi

zens

H

ub, w

ith o

ther

pub

lic s

ecto

r pa

rtne

rs in

the

bor

ough

.

It pr

ovid

es a

ran

ge o

f ac

tiviti

es in

clud

ing:

free

tra

inin

g on

top

ics

such

as

med

ia s

kills

, bec

omin

g a

mag

istr

ate,

eff

ectiv

e ne

twor

king

, ‘ho

w S

outh

war

k w

orks

’ and

dev

elop

ing

a pr

ojec

t

prod

ucin

g ‘H

ow t

o’ g

uide

s ex

plai

ning

the

pro

cess

for

get

ting

invo

lved

in a

fo

rmal

civ

ic r

ole

such

as

coun

cillo

r, m

agis

trat

e, s

choo

l gov

erno

r an

d so

on

prod

ucin

g gu

ides

exp

lain

ing

how

to

get

invo

lved

in o

ther

way

s su

ch a

s st

artin

g a

cam

paig

n or

influ

enci

ng a

pla

nnin

g pr

opos

al

rais

ing

the

prof

ile o

f ac

tive

citiz

ens

and

volu

ntee

ring

thro

ugh

exhi

bitio

n st

alls

, co

nfer

ence

s an

d ot

her

even

ts

orga

nisi

ng a

Sou

thw

ark

Star

s ev

ent

to

cele

brat

e pe

ople

act

ive

in t

heir

com

mun

ities

thr

ough

aw

ards

suc

h as

A

ctiv

e C

itize

n of

the

Yea

r

supp

ortin

g re

side

nt m

embe

rs o

n th

e Lo

cal S

trat

egic

Par

tner

ship

supp

ortin

g co

mm

unity

-of-

inte

rest

for

ums,

in p

artn

ersh

ip w

ith t

he c

ounc

il

Com

mun

ities

in c

ontr

ol: r

eal p

eopl

e, r

eal p

ower

28

Exte

nd

ing

th

e ‘D

uty

to

Invo

lve’

We

will

1.

49

exte

nd

th

e ‘d

uty

to

invo

lve’

to

ad

dit

ion

al a

gen

cies

an

d b

od

ies

acro

ss E

ng

lan

d. T

he ‘d

uty

to in

volv

e’, w

hich

com

es in

to e

ffec

t in

Apr

il 20

09,

curr

ently

app

lies

mai

nly

to lo

cal a

utho

ritie

s. It

req

uire

s na

med

bod

ies

to t

ake

appr

opria

te s

teps

to

invo

lve

peop

le in

dec

isio

ns, p

olic

ies

and

serv

ices

tha

t m

ay

affe

ct t

hem

or

be o

f in

tere

st t

o th

em.

Belo

w a

re t

he a

dditi

onal

org

anis

atio

ns t

o be

cov

ered

by

the

duty

to

invo

lve:

1.50

the

Art

s C

ounc

il

Chi

ef O

ffic

er o

f Po

lice

and

Polic

e A

utho

ritie

s

Engl

ish

Her

itage

The

Envi

ronm

ent

Age

ncy

The

Hea

lth &

Saf

ety

Exec

utiv

e

The

Hom

es a

nd C

omm

uniti

es A

genc

y31

JobC

entr

e Pl

us

Prob

atio

n Tr

usts

and

oth

er p

rovi

ders

of

prob

atio

n se

rvic

es

The

Mus

eum

s, L

ibra

ries

and

Arc

hive

s C

ounc

il

Nat

ural

Eng

land

Regi

onal

Dev

elop

men

t A

genc

ies

Spor

t En

glan

d

Yout

h O

ffen

ding

Tea

ms

NH

S bo

dies

are

und

er a

com

para

ble

duty

to

invo

lve.

Sta

tuto

ry g

uida

nce

to

1.51

acco

mpa

ny t

hese

pro

visi

ons

will

be

issu

ed s

hort

ly.32

31

The

esta

blis

hmen

t of

the

Hom

es a

nd C

omm

uniti

es A

genc

y is

sub

ject

to

Parli

amen

tary

app

rova

l. Th

e A

genc

y w

ill b

e cr

eate

d by

the

Hou

sing

and

Reg

ener

atio

n Bi

ll w

hich

has

not

, at

the

time

of

publ

icat

ion,

rec

eive

d Ro

yal A

ssen

t.32

N

HS

Trus

ts, N

HS

Foun

datio

n Tr

usts

and

Prim

ary

Car

e Tr

usts

. For

det

ails

see

sec

tion

242

of t

he N

atio

nal

Hea

lth S

ervi

ce A

ct 2

006,

am

ende

d by

sec

tion

233

of t

he L

ocal

Gov

ernm

ent

and

Publ

ic In

volv

emen

t in

H

ealth

Act

200

7.

29

The

case

for

peo

ple

and

com

mun

ities

hav

ing

mor

e po

wer

This

rep

rese

nts

a m

ajor

incr

ease

in c

itize

n po

wer

acr

oss

orga

nisa

tions

with

a h

uge

1.52

influ

ence

on

peop

les’

live

s.

We

also

wan

t to

mak

e su

re t

hat

peop

le a

re n

ot b

omba

rded

with

a r

ange

of

1.53

cons

ulta

tion

requ

ests

. We

thin

k th

at p

ublic

bod

ies

shou

ld, w

here

app

ropr

iate

, joi

n up

with

oth

er o

rgan

isat

ions

to

enga

ge p

eopl

e. W

e w

ill w

ork

with

loca

l bod

ies

unde

r th

e ‘d

uty

to in

volv

e’ t

o id

entif

y w

ays

to s

trea

mlin

e co

nsu

ltat

ion

an

d

eng

agem

ent.

Loc

al S

trat

egic

Par

tner

ship

s (L

SPs)

hav

e an

impo

rtan

t ro

le h

ere.

Emp

ow

erin

g t

he

wo

rkfo

rce

Ever

yone

wor

king

for

the

pub

lic s

ecto

r pl

ays

a ro

le in

em

pow

erin

g ci

tizen

s an

d 1.

54 co

mm

uniti

es. W

e w

ill c

reat

e a

new

Em

po

wer

ing

th

e Fr

on

tlin

e Ta

skfo

rce,

tha

t w

ill in

clud

e a

wid

e ra

nge

of s

take

hold

ers

from

acr

oss

loca

l gov

ernm

ent,

pub

lic

serv

ices

, sta

ff g

roup

s, t

rade

uni

ons,

thi

rd s

ecto

r or

gani

satio

ns a

nd s

ervi

ce u

sers

th

emse

lves

. The

tas

kfor

ce w

ill lo

ok a

t th

e ro

le o

f th

e pu

blic

ser

vice

wor

kfor

ce in

em

pow

erin

g us

ers

and

resi

dent

s an

d ho

w t

he f

ront

line

can

resp

ond

to a

mor

e em

pow

ered

pub

lic. I

t w

ill c

onsi

der,

in p

artic

ular

, the

rel

atio

nshi

ps b

etw

een

loca

l pu

blic

ser

vice

s an

d th

e m

ost

vuln

erab

le g

roup

s in

soc

iety

. We

will

ann

ounc

e m

ore

deta

il th

is a

utum

n, a

nd w

ould

exp

ect

the

task

forc

e to

run

unt

il au

tum

n 20

10.

The

Emp

ow

erm

ent

Fun

dM

any

thou

sand

s of

1.

55

thir

d s

ecto

r or

gani

satio

ns a

lread

y co

ntrib

ute

to t

he a

ims

of

this

Whi

te P

aper

in a

way

tha

t no

one

els

e ca

n. W

hile

it is

not

our

rol

e to

sup

port

th

em a

ll, a

long

side

thi

s W

hite

Pap

er w

e ar

e co

nsul

ting

on a

dra

ft p

rosp

ectu

s fo

r an

‘Em

pow

erm

ent

Fund

’, of

at

leas

t £7

.5m

, to

be la

unch

ed la

ter

this

yea

r. Th

is

fund

, whi

ch r

epla

ces

the

prop

osed

Str

ateg

ic P

artn

ers

Prog

ram

me,

will

pro

vide

su

ppor

t fo

r ex

istin

g na

tiona

l thi

rd s

ecto

r or

gani

satio

ns o

pera

ting

acro

ss E

ngla

nd

whi

ch a

re h

elpi

ng lo

cal c

omm

uniti

es t

urn

key

prop

osal

s in

to p

ract

ical

act

ion

on

the

grou

nd in

are

as s

uch

as c

omm

unity

lead

ersh

ip, i

nvol

vem

ent

in p

lann

ing

and

soci

al e

nter

pris

e.

Sco

pe

and

co

nsu

ltat

ion

On

5 M

arch

200

8 C

omm

uniti

es S

ecre

tary

Haz

el B

lear

s an

noun

ced

her

plan

s to

1.

56 de

velo

p th

is W

hite

Pap

er. I

n de

velo

ping

the

doc

umen

t w

e sp

oke

to a

wid

e ra

nge

Com

mun

ities

in c

ontr

ol: r

eal p

eopl

e, r

eal p

ower

30

of s

take

hold

ers

who

fed

the

ir co

mm

ents

and

sug

gest

ions

into

pol

icy

deve

lopm

ent.

For

fur

ther

det

ails

of

whi

ch s

take

hold

ers

wer

e in

volv

ed a

nd t

he

proc

ess

thro

ugh

whi

ch t

hey

wer

e in

volv

ed –

see

the

ann

ex t

o th

is d

ocum

ent.

The

polic

ies

in t

his

Whi

te P

aper

larg

ely

cove

r En

glan

d on

ly. W

here

pro

posa

ls c

over

1.

57 th

e U

nite

d K

ingd

om, t

his

is e

xplic

itly

stat

ed. W

e w

ill e

ngag

e w

ith a

ll de

volv

ed

adm

inis

trat

ions

on

impl

emen

tatio

n, is

sue

by is

sue.

Seve

n q

ues

tio

ns

on

th

e ro

ad t

o a

cit

izen

s’ d

emo

crac

ySo

me

peop

le h

ave

desc

ribed

the

opp

ortu

nitie

s fo

r co

mm

unity

eng

agem

ent

as a

1.

58 ‘la

dder

’ or

a ‘s

pect

rum

’, fr

om in

divi

dual

act

s of

goo

d ne

ighb

ourli

ness

thr

ough

to

taki

ng o

n fo

rmal

civ

ic r

espo

nsib

ility

.33 W

hile

we

valu

e th

ose

that

do

go o

n to

gr

eate

r le

vels

of

invo

lvem

ent,

we

also

kno

w t

hat

diff

eren

t pe

ople

wan

t to

get

in

volv

ed in

com

mun

ity a

ctiv

ity a

nd lo

cal d

emoc

racy

in d

iffer

ent

way

s an

d at

di

ffer

ent

stag

es o

f lif

e. W

e re

cogn

ise

and

enco

urag

e al

l typ

es o

f co

mm

unity

ac

tivity

how

ever

gre

at o

r sm

all.

We

wan

t a

syst

em w

hich

giv

es p

eopl

e a

voic

e, a

n op

port

unity

to

act

and,

if t

hey

1.59

wan

t to

sei

ze it

, rea

l pow

er t

o m

ake

a di

ffer

ence

. Thi

s W

hite

Pap

er s

eeks

to

give

an

swer

s to

sev

en q

uest

ions

tha

t a

citiz

en m

ight

rea

sona

bly

ask:

AC

TIV

E C

ITIZ

ENS

AN

D T

HE

VA

LUE

OF

VO

LUN

TEER

ING

H

ow c

an I

be a

n ac

tive

citiz

en a

nd v

olun

teer

?(s

ee C

hap

ter

2)

AC

CES

S TO

INFO

RM

ATI

ON

H

ow c

an I

find

out

info

rmat

ion

in a

way

I un

ders

tand

and

can

use

? (see

Ch

apte

r 3)

HA

VIN

G A

N IN

FLU

ENC

EH

ow d

o I h

ave

my

say

and

influ

ence

the

dec

isio

ns b

eing

mad

e on

my

beha

lf, b

oth

by e

lect

ed a

nd a

ppoi

nted

peo

ple?

(see

Ch

apte

r 4)

33

Arn

stei

n, S

. (19

69) A

Lad

der

of C

itize

n Pa

rtic

ipat

ion,

Jou

rnal

of

the

Am

eric

an In

stitu

te o

f Pl

anne

rs,

Vol.

35, N

o 4,

pp.

216

-224

31

The

case

for

peo

ple

and

com

mun

ities

hav

ing

mor

e po

wer

CH

ALL

ENG

E H

ow d

o I h

old

to a

ccou

nt t

he p

eopl

e w

ho e

xerc

ise

pow

er in

my

loca

lity?

(see

Ch

apte

r 5)

RED

RES

S H

ow d

o I g

et s

wift

and

fai

r re

dres

s w

hen

thin

gs g

o w

rong

and

mak

e su

re it

do

esn’

t ha

ppen

to

som

eone

els

e?(s

ee C

hap

ter

6)

STA

ND

ING

FO

R O

FFIC

E H

ow d

o I s

tand

for

off

ice

and

wha

t su

ppor

t sh

ould

I ge

t?(s

ee C

hap

ter

7)

OW

NER

SHIP

AN

D C

ON

TRO

L H

ow c

an m

y fr

iend

s, n

eigh

bour

s an

d I o

wn

and

run

loca

l ser

vice

s ou

rsel

ves?

(see

Ch

apte

r 8)

32

Wh

at d

iffe

ren

ce c

an I

mak

e? …

to

clim

ate

chan

ge

Man

y be

lieve

tha

t cl

imat

e ch

ange

is t

he s

ingl

e m

ost

impo

rtan

t ch

alle

nge

that

we

face

to

day.

And

sin

ce a

roun

d 40

per

cen

t of

em

issi

ons

are

a re

sult

of t

he c

hoic

es e

ach

of u

s m

ake

ever

y da

y, t

akin

g ac

tion

toge

ther

will

mak

e a

real

diff

eren

ce. S

o w

hat

can

you

do?

Ho

w c

an I

get

mo

re a

ctiv

e?

I can

wor

k w

ith n

eigh

bour

s to

sha

re t

ips

on e

nerg

y sa

ving

I can

get

invo

lved

with

my

loca

l tow

n or

par

ish

coun

cil i

n ca

rryi

ng o

ut s

mal

l sca

le

sust

aina

ble

ener

gy p

roje

cts

I can

join

the

Gre

en S

tree

ts c

ompe

titio

n th

at w

ill b

e la

unch

ed la

ter

this

yea

r by

the

En

ergy

Sav

ing

Trus

t

I can

cam

paig

n th

roug

h lo

cal a

nd n

atio

nal g

roup

s on

clim

ate

chan

ge is

sues

Ho

w c

an I

acce

ss in

form

atio

n?

I can

fin

d ou

t m

y C

arbo

n Fo

otpr

int

usin

g th

e on

line

Act

on

CO

2 C

arbo

n C

alcu

lato

r at

ww

w.a

cton

co2.

dire

ct.g

ov.u

k or

cal

l the

Act

on

CO

2 he

lplin

e on

080

0 51

2 01

2

I can

fin

d ou

t ho

w m

uch

carb

on a

pro

duct

use

s to

hel

p m

e m

ake

low

car

bon

shop

ping

dec

isio

ns b

y lo

okin

g ou

t fo

r th

e ne

w c

arbo

n la

bels

dev

elop

ed b

y G

over

nmen

t th

roug

h th

e C

arbo

n Tr

ust

I can

fin

d ou

t w

heth

er m

y co

unci

l has

sig

ned

the

Not

tingh

am D

ecla

ratio

n on

C

limat

e C

hang

e an

d is

tak

ing

actio

n to

red

uce

clim

ate

chan

ge b

y ca

lling

my

loca

l co

unci

l or

chec

king

onl

ine34

I can

ask

my

empl

oyer

whe

ther

the

y ar

e re

port

ing

Car

bon

Emis

sion

s to

the

Car

bon

Dis

clos

ure

Proj

ect35

Ho

w c

an I

hav

e an

infl

uen

ce?

I can

get

invo

lved

in s

ettin

g pr

iorit

ies

in m

y ar

ea. I

can

ask

my

coun

cillo

r to

set

so

met

hing

up

or p

rom

pt a

pet

ition

to

ensu

re t

here

’s a

prop

er d

ebat

e on

clim

ate

chan

ge

I can

get

invo

lved

in p

artic

ipat

ory

budg

etin

g sc

hem

es w

here

the

y ex

ist

– or

pet

ition

fo

r on

e if

they

don

‘t –

to

give

me

the

chan

ce t

o sh

ape

how

mon

ey is

spe

nt lo

cally

, fo

r ex

ampl

e on

com

mun

ity c

ompo

stin

g or

car

sha

ring

sche

mes

Ho

w c

an I

run

so

met

hin

g m

ysel

f?

I can

set

up

a so

cial

ent

erpr

ise

to a

ddre

ss c

limat

e ch

ange

loca

lly. F

or e

xam

ple,

I co

uld

take

on

an u

nder

used

cou

ncil

build

ing

and

conv

ert

it in

to a

n ec

o-fr

iend

ly c

omm

unity

ce

ntre

, or

set

up a

spe

cial

ist

recy

clin

g fir

m o

r a

loca

l foo

d co

oper

ativ

e or

I co

uld

help

re

duce

fue

l bill

s th

roug

h a

com

mun

ity o

wne

d w

indf

arm

.3435

34

ww

w.e

nerg

ysav

ingt

rust

.org

.uk/

hous

ingb

uild

ings

/loca

laut

horit

ies/

Not

tingh

amD

ecla

ratio

n35

w

ww

.cdp

roje

ct.n

et

The

peop

le w

ho d

rive

the

effo

rt t

o m

ake

the

good

so

ciet

y ar

e w

illin

g ci

tizen

s.

Thes

e pe

ople

cho

ose

to b

epa

rt o

f a

loca

l and

glo

bal

com

mun

ity w

here

peo

ple

show

con

cern

for

one

anot

her.

Peop

le c

hoos

e

to b

e w

illin

g ci

tizen

s no

t

beca

use

they

are

for

ced

from

with

out,

but

bec

ause

th

ey a

re c

ompe

lled

from

w

ithin

.

Will

ing

cit

izen

s an

d

the

mak

ing

of

the

go

od

so

ciet

y, C

om

mu

nit

y Li

nks

, U

K, J

anu

ary

2008

Ch

apte

r 2

Act

ive

citiz

ens

and

the

valu

e

of v

olun

teer

ing

Com

mun

ities

in c

ontr

ol: r

eal p

eopl

e, r

eal p

ower

34

Act

ive

citi

zen

s an

d t

he

valu

e o

f vo

lun

teer

ing

How

can

I be

an

activ

e ci

tizen

and

vol

unte

er?

Act

ive

and

ente

rpris

ing

indi

vidu

als

can

play

a c

ruci

al r

ole

in s

timul

atin

g co

mm

unity

2.

1 ac

tivity

. Man

y pe

ople

lead

ver

y bu

sy li

ves,

bal

anci

ng t

he d

eman

ds o

f w

ork,

fam

ily

and

frie

nds,

but

sim

ple

acts

of

good

nei

ghbo

urlin

ess

perf

orm

ed in

our

dai

ly li

ves

mak

e a

big

diff

eren

ce. O

ur e

very

day

cont

acts

with

eac

h ot

her

shap

e bo

th o

ur

sens

e of

com

mun

ity a

s w

ell a

s pr

ovid

ing

conc

rete

ben

efits

– f

rom

bor

row

ing

to

baby

sitt

ing

to k

eepi

ng a

n ey

e on

eac

h ot

hers

’ pro

pert

y to

look

ing

in o

n el

derly

ne

ighb

ours

. Kno

win

g th

at w

e ha

ve g

ood

neig

hbou

rs c

an h

elp

us f

eel n

ot ju

st t

hat

we

live

in a

n ar

ea, b

ut t

hat

it is

hom

e.

Ther

e ar

e al

so m

any

insp

iring

indi

vidu

als

and

com

mun

ity g

roup

s w

ho h

ave

take

n 2.

2 co

llect

ive

actio

n to

brin

g ab

out

chan

ge, f

or e

xam

ple,

by

fund

rais

ing

thro

ugh

chur

ch a

nd s

choo

l fet

es o

r by

sta

rtin

g a

com

mun

ity e

nter

pris

e. O

ther

s ha

ve f

ough

t fo

r is

sues

of

conc

ern

to t

heir

loca

l com

mun

ity b

y ca

mpa

igni

ng, t

urni

ng a

roun

d de

mor

alis

ed e

stat

es a

nd h

elpi

ng t

o pr

even

t cr

ime

and

anti-

soci

al b

ehav

iour

.

Brita

in h

as a

str

ong

trad

ition

of

volu

ntar

y an

d co

mm

unity

act

ivity

. A m

yria

d of

2.

3 vo

lunt

ary

orga

nisa

tions

enr

ich

Briti

sh s

ocie

ty: t

he R

ed C

ross

, Oxf

am, W

omen

’s Ro

yal V

olun

tary

Ser

vice

(WRV

S), W

omen

’s In

stitu

te, R

oyal

Nat

iona

l Life

boat

In

stitu

tion

(RN

LI),

Nat

iona

l Tru

st, R

oyal

Soc

iety

for

the

Pre

vent

ion

of C

ruel

ty t

o A

nim

als

(RSP

CA

). Th

ere

are

thou

sand

s of

oth

er g

roup

s su

ch a

s tr

ade

unio

ns,

cham

bers

of

com

mer

ce, f

aith

gro

ups

and

polit

ical

par

ties.

How

ever

, tho

se w

ho w

ant

to a

ct f

or c

hang

e ca

n fa

ce n

umer

ous

obst

acle

s. T

his

is

2.4

part

icul

arly

the

cas

e in

are

as o

f m

ultip

le d

isad

vant

age

whe

re la

ck o

f w

ork,

mon

ey,

mob

ility

or

educ

atio

n ca

n al

l inh

ibit

peop

le f

rom

bei

ng m

ore

activ

e in

the

ir co

mm

uniti

es.

Thos

e w

ho w

ant

to e

ngag

e in

com

mun

ity a

ctiv

ity c

an s

omet

imes

lack

mee

ting

2.5

plac

es, a

ppro

pria

te f

undi

ng o

r pr

actic

al h

elp

from

oth

ers

who

kno

w t

he r

opes

. A

lack

of

loca

l com

mun

ity g

roup

s in

a n

eigh

bour

hood

will

mak

e it

diff

icul

t fo

r

Ch

apte

r 2

35

Act

ive

citiz

ens

and

the

valu

e of

vol

unte

erin

g

peop

le t

o ge

t st

arte

d. Y

et, s

uch

disa

dvan

tage

s an

d ob

stac

les

mak

e co

mm

unity

ac

tivity

all

the

mor

e ne

cess

ary.

We

wan

t to

mak

e it

easi

er t

o be

invo

lved

in v

olun

tary

and

com

mun

ity a

ctiv

ity. T

his

2.6

chap

ter

sets

out

som

e w

ays

in w

hich

gov

ernm

ent

can

and

will

enc

oura

ge t

his.

Fam

ily c

risi

s le

d D

oro

thy

to h

er G

oo

d N

eig

hb

ou

rs

Dor

othy

Pag

e fo

und

the

Shot

ley

and

Erw

arto

n G

ood

Nei

ghbo

ur S

chem

e in

Suf

folk

to

be

inva

luab

le w

hen

one

of h

er s

ons

was

rus

hed

to h

ospi

tal w

ith a

life

-th

reat

enin

g ill

ness

. 82

year

-old

Dor

othy

, liv

ing

alon

e in

an

isol

ated

rur

al a

rea

then

ha

d tw

o ne

w p

robl

ems.

She

had

to lo

ok a

fter

her

son

’s tw

o bo

iste

rous

col

lie d

ogs

and

try

to v

isit

her

son

regu

larly

at

Ipsw

ich

hosp

ital.

A r

ound

trip

by

taxi

cos

t £2

5.

Dor

othy

tur

ned

to a

loca

l Goo

d N

eigh

bour

s Sc

hem

e an

d w

as s

oon

able

to

visi

t he

r so

n,

payi

ng v

olun

teer

driv

ers

just

£10

a t

rip f

or

petr

ol. A

rot

a of

vol

unte

ers

took

tur

ns t

o ta

ke t

he d

ogs

for

a w

alk

each

day

.

“I ju

st d

on’t

kno

w w

hat

I wou

ld h

ave

done

w

ithou

t th

e G

ood

Nei

ghbo

ur S

chem

e,”

said

D

orot

hy. “

They

are

all

nice

peo

ple,

eve

ry

one

of t

hem

tha

t’s c

ome

to h

elp

me.

The

y ca

me

to w

alk

the

dogs

com

e ra

in o

r ha

il,

and

they

alw

ays

took

the

m f

or a

n ho

ur

wha

teve

r th

e w

eath

er.”

Sche

me

chai

rman

Ton

y Ro

bert

s cl

eane

d he

r w

indo

ws

and

volu

ntee

r Ro

n Pa

rr g

ot a

br

oken

bed

wel

ded

by h

is s

on.

ww

w.s

uffo

lkac

re.o

rg.u

k

Com

mun

ities

in c

ontr

ol: r

eal p

eopl

e, r

eal p

ower

36

Vo

lun

teer

ing

Vo

lun

teer

ing

2.7

can

be

defin

ed a

s ‘a

ny a

ctiv

ity w

hich

invo

lves

spe

ndin

g tim

e,

unpa

id, d

oing

som

ethi

ng w

hich

aim

s to

ben

efit

som

eone

(ind

ivid

uals

or

grou

ps)

othe

r th

an o

r in

add

ition

to

clos

e re

lativ

es, o

r be

nefit

the

env

ironm

ent’

.36

The

Gov

ernm

ent

plac

es h

uge

valu

e on

2.

8 vo

lun

teer

ing

. In

July

200

7, t

he P

rime

Min

iste

r cr

eate

d th

e C

ounc

il fo

r So

cial

Act

ion,

to

supp

ort

the

effo

rts

of a

ll th

ose

striv

ing

for

a ch

ange

in o

ur s

ocie

ty. T

he G

over

nmen

t al

so e

stab

lishe

d th

e v

char

ity

in M

ay 2

006

to e

ncou

rage

you

ng v

olun

teer

s, w

ith £

75m

to

desi

gn a

nd

com

mis

sion

a n

ew p

rogr

amm

e ca

lled

vinv

olve

d, t

o en

gage

500

,000

mor

e yo

ung

volu

ntee

rs in

Eng

land

ove

r th

e ne

xt t

hree

yea

rs.

And

in J

une

2007

the

Gov

ernm

ent

appo

inte

d Ba

rone

ss J

ulia

Neu

berg

er t

o th

e 2.

9 ro

le o

f G

over

nmen

t C

ham

pion

for

Vol

unte

erin

g. S

he s

aid

in a

rep

ort

in M

arch

20

08, “

Volu

ntee

ring

can

crea

te a

virt

uous

circ

le, i

mpr

ovin

g le

vels

of

wel

l bei

ng f

or

volu

ntee

rs, p

rofe

ssio

nal c

olle

ague

s an

d m

ost

impo

rtan

tly t

he p

eopl

e th

at u

se t

he

serv

ices

”.37

Bar

ones

s N

eube

rger

has

ann

ounc

ed t

hat

her

next

rep

ort,

due

in

autu

mn

2008

, will

be

on v

olun

teer

ing

acro

ss t

he C

rimin

al J

ustic

e Sy

stem

.

In D

ecem

ber

2007

, Bar

ones

s Sa

lly M

orga

n le

d an

inde

pend

ent

cros

s-pa

rty

pane

l 2.

10 w

hich

sup

port

ed T

he S

cout

Ass

ocia

tion

to u

nder

take

an

inqu

iry in

to y

oung

adu

lt vo

lunt

eerin

g in

the

UK

. She

rec

ogni

sed,

in h

er r

epor

t in

Jun

e 20

08, t

hat

volu

ntee

ring

is a

n ex

celle

nt w

ay f

or y

oung

adu

lts t

o de

velo

p tr

ansf

erab

le s

kills

and

re

com

men

ded

ther

e w

as g

reat

er f

lexi

bilit

y by

gov

ernm

ent,

bus

ines

s an

d ac

adem

ia

to u

nloc

k th

is p

oten

tial a

nd s

uppo

rt v

olun

teer

ing

as a

rou

te in

to w

ork.

38

Toda

y ne

arly

thr

ee-q

uart

ers

of p

eopl

e ar

e ac

tive

in a

ran

ge o

f vo

lunt

ary

activ

ities

, 2.

11 fr

om r

aisi

ng m

oney

, to

serv

ing

on c

omm

ittee

s, t

o vi

sitin

g vu

lner

able

peo

ple,

to

cam

paig

ning

for

cha

nge.

39 In

the

UK

, the

ove

r-60

s co

ntrib

ute

no f

ewer

tha

n 18

mill

ion

hour

s pe

r w

eek,

or

appr

oxim

atel

y 80

0 m

illio

n ho

urs

per

year

in u

npai

d w

ork.

The

ir w

ork

is w

orth

ove

r £5

bn e

ach

year

.40

36

Com

mis

sion

on

the

Futu

re o

f Vo

lunt

eerin

g w

ww

.vol

com

m.o

rg.u

k37

N

eube

rger

, J (2

008)

Vol

unte

erin

g in

the

Pub

lic S

ervi

ces:

hea

lth a

nd s

ocia

l car

e Lo

ndon

: Cab

inet

Off

ice.

38

The

Mor

gan

Inqu

iry w

ww

.mor

gani

nqui

ry.o

rg.u

k39

C

omm

uniti

es a

nd L

ocal

Gov

ernm

ent

(200

8) C

itize

nshi

p Su

rvey

: Apr

il-D

ecem

ber

2007

, Eng

land

and

W

ales

, Lon

don:

Com

mun

ities

and

Loc

al G

over

nmen

t40

H

arpe

r, S.

(200

7) T

he F

utur

e of

Ret

irem

ent,

HSB

C.

37

Act

ive

citiz

ens

and

the

valu

e of

vol

unte

erin

g

Volu

ntee

ring

can

also

be

a m

eans

for

peo

ple

from

diff

eren

t ag

es a

nd b

ackg

roun

ds

2.12

to c

ome

toge

ther

. Diff

eren

t ge

nera

tions

are

bec

omin

g di

scon

nect

ed f

rom

eac

h ot

her,

with

cha

ngin

g fa

mily

pat

tern

s an

d liv

ing

arra

ngem

ents

. The

se is

sues

will

be

the

mai

n th

eme

of t

his

year

’s U

K O

lder

Peo

ple’

s D

ay o

n 1

Oct

ober

200

8. T

he

Dep

artm

ent

for

Chi

ldre

n, S

choo

ls a

nd F

amili

es’ T

ime

to T

alk

cons

ulta

tion

foun

d th

at y

oung

and

old

peo

ple

wan

ted

to g

et t

oget

her

mor

e. M

inis

ters

acr

oss

Gov

ernm

ent

have

bee

n co

nsid

erin

g ho

w t

he G

over

nmen

t ca

n su

ppor

t m

ore

inte

rgen

erat

iona

l act

ivity

to

take

pla

ce a

nd w

ill r

epor

t to

the

Prim

e M

inis

ter

in

sum

mer

200

8.

Vo

lun

teer

ing

, lea

rnin

g a

nd

wo

rkVo

lunt

ary

activ

ity c

an p

lay

an im

port

ant

role

in h

elpi

ng p

eopl

e w

ho a

re n

ot

2.13

wor

king

to

keep

in t

ouch

with

the

labo

ur m

arke

t an

d to

obt

ain

skill

s an

d ex

perie

nce

that

may

hel

p th

em in

to w

ork.

The

Dep

artm

ent

for

Wor

k an

d Pe

nsio

ns (D

WP)

and

the

Ass

ocia

tion

of C

hief

2.

14 Ex

ecut

ives

of

Volu

ntar

y O

rgan

isat

ions

(AC

EVO

) hav

e la

unch

ed a

tas

kfor

ce t

o ex

plor

e th

e ro

le o

f th

e th

ird s

ecto

r in

wel

fare

-to-

wor

k re

form

.

DW

P ar

e al

so w

orki

ng c

lose

ly w

ith t

he C

reat

e C

onso

rtiu

m t

o lo

ok a

t al

low

ing

2.15

com

mun

ity o

rgan

isat

ions

to

pay

peop

le t

o do

wor

k th

at s

tren

gthe

ns t

heir

com

mun

ities

with

out

it af

fect

ing

thei

r be

nefit

s. T

he C

reat

e C

onso

rtiu

m, D

WP

and

Com

mun

ities

and

Loc

al G

over

nmen

t ar

e ai

min

g to

pilo

t th

is ‘C

om

mu

nit

y A

llow

ance

’. D

WP

are

also

rev

iew

ing

trai

ning

and

ope

ratio

nal g

uida

nce

for

thei

r st

aff

in J

obC

entr

es t

o en

sure

tha

t pe

ople

are

abl

e to

tak

e up

vol

unte

erin

g op

port

uniti

es.

The

Gov

ernm

ent

wan

ts e

very

one

to b

e ab

le t

o vo

lunt

eer.

Volu

ntee

ring

For

All

is a

2.

16 th

ree-

year

£3m

cam

paig

n to

rai

se a

war

enes

s of

vol

unte

erin

g op

port

uniti

es a

nd

help

peo

ple

beco

me

volu

ntee

rs. I

t ha

s he

lped

dis

able

d pe

ople

, tho

se w

ith n

o qu

alifi

catio

ns a

nd p

eopl

e fr

om d

iffer

ent

ethn

ic c

omm

uniti

es a

cces

s qu

ality

vo

lunt

eerin

g op

port

uniti

es. A

noth

er s

chem

e ca

lled

Gol

dsta

r pr

ovid

es £

5m t

o tr

ain

and

supp

ort

orga

nisa

tions

in in

volv

ing

peop

le f

rom

the

se g

roup

s as

vol

unte

ers.

The

Gov

ernm

ent,

thr

ough

the

Off

ice

of t

he T

hird

Sec

tor

(OTS

), w

ill

2.17

in

vest

a

furt

her

£2m

to

cre

ate

op

po

rtu

nit

ies

for

peo

ple

wit

h d

isab

iliti

es t

o b

eco

me

volu

nte

ers

and

vo

lun

teer

man

ager

s.

Com

mun

ities

in c

ontr

ol: r

eal p

eopl

e, r

eal p

ower

38

Men

tori

ng

an

d b

efri

end

ing

Men

torin

g an

d be

frie

ndin

g ar

e po

pula

r fo

rms

of v

olun

teer

ing.

The

se in

clud

e 2.

18 ‘p

eer

to p

eer’

sch

ool b

uddy

ing

sche

mes

, spe

cial

ist

prog

ram

mes

con

nect

ing

peop

le

at t

imes

of

cris

is o

r tr

ansi

tion

and

onlin

e m

ento

ring

such

as

the

Hor

ses

Mou

th

web

site

cap

turin

g th

e po

wer

of

lots

of

idea

s fr

om d

iffer

ent

peop

le f

or a

soc

ial

purp

ose.

Str

ong

and

supp

ortiv

e in

divi

dual

rel

atio

nshi

ps a

re a

t th

e ce

ntre

of

ever

y su

cces

sful

com

mun

ity. S

usta

inin

g an

d de

velo

ping

‘one

to

one’

wor

k is

impo

rtan

t.

Ther

e ar

e m

any

effe

ctiv

e m

ento

ring

and

befr

iend

ing

sche

mes

in t

he U

K, o

ften

2.

19 sm

all s

cale

and

loca

l. W

e ar

e w

orki

ng c

lose

ly w

ith t

he C

ounc

il on

Soc

ial A

ctio

n an

d th

e M

ento

ring

and

Befr

iend

ing

Foun

datio

n on

way

s of

ext

endi

ng a

nd

repl

icat

ing

this

wor

k an

d d

evel

op

ing

a s

trat

egy

for

exte

nd

ing

on

e to

on

e en

gag

emen

t th

rou

gh

th

e d

eliv

ery

of

loca

l ser

vice

s.

Men

tori

ng

Yo

un

g B

lack

Men

: th

e R

EAC

H P

rog

ram

me

The

REA

CH

pro

gram

me

emer

ged

from

an

inde

pend

ent

repo

rt o

n yo

ung

blac

k m

en

and

boys

and

the

dis

crep

anci

es b

etw

een

thei

r ac

hiev

emen

t le

vels

and

tho

se o

f th

eir

whi

te c

ount

erpa

rts.

Reco

mm

enda

tions

to

gove

rnm

ent

incl

ude

impr

ovin

g th

e vi

sibi

lity

of b

lack

mal

e ro

le

mod

els

at a

nat

iona

l lev

el, c

reat

ing

bett

er li

nks

betw

een

scho

ols

and

fam

ilies

, im

prov

ing

repo

rtin

g of

rac

e eq

ualit

y in

sch

ools

, and

look

ing

at h

ow g

over

nmen

t ca

n su

ppor

t vo

lunt

ary

and

com

mun

ity o

rgan

isat

ions

to

shar

e ex

pert

ise.

C

omm

uniti

es a

nd L

ocal

Gov

ernm

ent

is s

uppo

rtin

g th

is p

rogr

amm

e of

wor

k.

Com

mun

ities

and

Loc

al G

over

nmen

t w

ill h

elp

the

com

mun

ity t

o re

crui

t at

leas

t 20

bl

ack

mal

e ro

le m

odel

s as

par

t of

a r

ole

mod

ellin

g pr

ojec

t. T

he in

volv

emen

t of

yo

ung

blac

k m

en w

ill b

e ke

y in

sel

ectin

g ca

ndid

ates

. The

wor

k is

des

igne

d to

bui

ld

a gr

oup

of n

atio

nal f

igur

es, w

ho h

ave

been

suc

cess

ful i

n th

eir

field

and

who

are

ab

le t

o de

mon

stra

te a

chie

vem

ent

and

insp

ire a

nd m

otiv

ate

youn

g bl

ack

men

.

Cliv

e Le

wis

, REA

CH

pan

el m

embe

r sa

id: “

I bel

ieve

the

REA

CH

rol

e m

odel

ling

prog

ram

me

offe

rs t

he o

ppor

tuni

ty t

o si

gnifi

cant

ly e

nhan

ce t

he c

omm

uniti

es’ o

ffer

to

you

ng b

lack

boy

s an

d m

en. R

esea

rch

also

sho

ws

that

the

opp

ortu

nity

cos

t of

fa

iling

to

rais

e as

pira

tions

and

att

ainm

ent

in t

his

grou

p am

ount

s to

som

e £2

4bn

over

the

nex

t 50

yea

rs”.

39

Act

ive

citiz

ens

and

the

valu

e of

vol

unte

erin

g

Cit

izen

ship

lear

nin

gA

noth

er k

ey b

arrie

r to

peo

ple

beco

min

g ac

tive

citiz

ens

is t

heir

perc

eive

d la

ck o

f 2.

20 co

nfid

ence

and

ski

lls.41

Citi

zens

hip

lear

ning

in s

choo

ls is

vita

l to

help

you

ng

peop

le d

evel

op t

he s

kills

the

y w

ill n

eed

to p

artic

ipat

e in

the

ir co

mm

uniti

es b

oth

as

youn

g pe

ople

and

in f

utur

e lif

e.

As

part

of

the

new

cur

ricul

um b

eing

tau

ght

in s

econ

dary

sch

ools

fro

m S

epte

mbe

r, 2.

21 th

e ci

tizen

ship

cur

ricul

um w

ill c

ontin

ue t

o in

clud

e pa

rtic

ipat

ion

in d

iffer

ent

kind

s of

dec

isio

n m

akin

g an

d vo

ting

and

the

role

s of

citi

zens

and

Par

liam

ent

in h

oldi

ng

thos

e in

pow

er t

o ac

coun

t. It

will

als

o pr

omot

e ta

king

soc

ial a

ctio

n. F

or p

rimar

y sc

hool

s, S

ir Jim

Ros

e, f

orm

er D

eput

y C

hief

Insp

ecto

r of

Sch

ools

, is

chai

ring

an

inde

pend

ent

revi

ew w

hich

will

be

look

ing

at t

he p

ositi

on o

f ci

tize

nsh

ip

edu

cati

on

as

part

of

the

wid

er r

evie

w o

f th

e w

hole

cur

ricul

um. A

n in

terim

rep

ort

is d

ue in

Oct

ober

200

8 an

d th

e fu

ll re

port

in M

arch

200

9.

Citi

zens

hip

lear

ning

is a

lso

impo

rtan

t fo

r ad

ults

. Som

e pe

ople

wan

t to

kno

w m

ore

2.22

abou

t ho

w lo

cal s

ervi

ces

are

man

aged

and

loca

l dem

ocra

cy o

pera

tes.

Som

e pe

ople

nee

d su

ppor

t an

d en

cour

agem

ent

to h

ave

the

conf

iden

ce t

o sp

eak

up a

nd

get

invo

lved

. We

will

sup

port

a T

ake

Part

loca

l pat

hfi

nd

er p

rog

ram

me,

of

ferin

g in

form

atio

n an

d tr

aini

ng o

n ho

w t

o be

an

activ

e ci

tizen

. It

will

bui

ld o

n th

e ex

istin

g Ta

ke P

art

netw

ork.

Co

mm

un

ity

lead

ersh

ipFo

r co

mm

uniti

es t

o fe

el e

mpo

wer

ed t

hey

need

lead

ers

they

tru

st w

ho u

nder

stan

d 2.

23 th

em a

nd r

efle

ct t

heir

mak

eup.

But

in m

any

plac

es p

eopl

e fr

om c

erta

in

com

mun

ities

fee

l the

y la

ck p

athw

ays

into

pow

er. T

hat

is w

hy it

is im

port

ant

to

help

you

ng p

eopl

e fr

om d

iver

se b

ackg

roun

ds t

o be

com

e ef

fect

ive

lead

ers

whe

ther

in

the

pub

lic, p

rivat

e or

the

thi

rd s

ecto

r. Im

port

ant

wor

k ha

s be

en d

one

by

orga

nisa

tions

incl

udin

g th

e Pr

ince

s Tr

ust

and

Win

dsor

Fel

low

ship

and

the

re a

re

inno

vativ

e ne

w p

rogr

amm

es s

uch

as t

he Y

oung

Fou

ndat

ion’

s U

pris

ing

Lead

ersh

ip

prog

ram

me.

Thi

s is

sup

port

ing

and

trai

ning

a n

ew g

ener

atio

n of

19-

25 y

ear

olds

to

pla

y a

grea

ter

role

in p

oliti

cs a

nd p

ublic

dec

isio

n-m

akin

g an

d to

tak

e up

po

sitio

ns o

f po

wer

. We

will

en

cou

rag

e an

d s

up

po

rt in

no

vati

ve c

om

mu

nit

y le

ader

ship

pro

gra

mm

es, i

nclu

ding

pro

vidi

ng f

undi

ng t

hrou

gh t

he n

ew

Empo

wer

men

t Fu

nd.

41

See

page

48

of D

alzi

el, D

, Hew

itt, E

, and

Eva

ns, L

,(200

7) M

otiv

atio

ns a

nd B

arrie

rs t

o C

itize

n G

over

nanc

e, L

ondo

n: C

omm

uniti

es a

nd L

ocal

Gov

ernm

ent.

Com

mun

ities

in c

ontr

ol: r

eal p

eopl

e, r

eal p

ower

40

Mir

iam

gai

ns

the

con

fid

ence

to

sp

eak

up

as

a ca

rer

Miri

am h

ad b

een

feel

ing

very

isol

ated

as

she

car

ed f

or h

er 1

6-ye

ar-o

ld

seve

rely

aut

istic

son

.

Aft

er a

Spe

akin

g U

p co

urse

in D

evon

sh

e no

w d

eliv

ers

regu

lar

talk

s on

au

tism

and

dis

abili

ty a

war

enes

s to

lo

cal o

rgan

isat

ions

, inc

ludi

ng t

he

Dev

on a

nd C

ornw

all P

olic

e.

“I h

ave

been

tre

men

dous

ly

enco

urag

ed b

y th

e in

tere

st t

hat

my

talk

s ge

nera

te,”

she

sai

d. “

I ow

e a

lot

to t

he S

peak

ing

Up

cour

se. W

ithou

t it,

I ce

rtai

nly

wou

ldn’

t ha

ve h

ad t

he

conf

iden

ce t

o be

com

e a

trai

ner.”

Cur

rent

ly a

roun

d 40

peo

ple

are

trai

ning

soc

ial s

ervi

ces

staf

f to

resp

ond

bett

er t

o ca

rers

’ nee

ds, o

ther

s ar

e tr

aini

ng s

ocia

l wor

kers

at

the

Uni

vers

ity o

f Pl

ymou

th, o

r ar

e pa

rt o

f lo

cal h

ealth

and

soc

ial c

are

foru

ms

and

initi

ativ

es.

The

cour

ses

are

orga

nise

d by

Tak

e Pa

rt in

the

Sou

th W

est,

a p

artn

ersh

ip le

d by

Exe

ter

Cou

ncil

for

Volu

ntar

y Se

rvic

e, w

hich

use

s th

e co

urse

s to

enc

oura

ge u

sers

of

heal

th

and

soci

al c

are

serv

ices

and

car

ers

to s

ay w

hat

they

fee

l abo

ut t

he s

ervi

ces

prov

ided

fo

r th

em.

ww

w.e

xete

rcvs

.org

.uk

Co

mm

un

ity

dev

elo

pm

ent

Com

mun

ity d

evel

opm

ent

seek

s to

em

pow

er in

divi

dual

s an

d gr

oups

of

peop

le b

y 2.

24 pr

ovid

ing

them

with

the

ski

lls t

hey

need

to

effe

ct c

hang

e in

the

ir ow

n co

mm

uniti

es. W

e su

ppor

t th

e ro

le o

f co

mm

unity

dev

elop

men

t w

orke

rs a

s a

cata

lyst

for

act

ive

citiz

ensh

ip. H

owev

er t

here

are

too

few

spe

cial

ist

com

mun

ity

deve

lopm

ent

wor

kers

to

carr

y ou

t th

is w

ork

on t

he s

cale

nee

ded.

We

are

ther

efor

e ke

en t

o su

ppor

t lo

cal a

utho

ritie

s an

d Lo

cal S

trat

egic

Par

tner

ship

s (L

SPs)

w

ho w

ant

to p

riorit

ise

com

mun

ity d

evel

opm

ent,

by

enab

ling

othe

r fr

ont-

line

wor

kers

to

do m

ore

com

mun

ity b

uild

ing.

Incr

easi

ngly,

wor

king

with

com

mun

ities

41

Act

ive

citiz

ens

and

the

valu

e of

vol

unte

erin

g

will

be

part

of

the

day

job

for

man

y se

rvic

e pr

ovid

ers

who

rec

ogni

se t

hat

serv

ices

an

d ou

tcom

es –

ran

ging

fro

m r

ecyc

ling

to e

duca

tion,

fro

m s

tree

t m

aint

enan

ce t

o so

cial

car

e –

can

be b

ette

r w

hen

resi

dent

s sh

are

aim

s an

d ar

e ac

tivel

y in

volv

ed.

We

will

:2.

25

wor

k w

ith t

he C

omm

unity

Dev

elop

men

t Fo

unda

tion

and

othe

r co

mm

unity

de

velo

pmen

t ne

twor

ks, t

o bu

ild o

n th

e C

omm

unity

Dev

elop

men

t C

halle

nge

repo

rt f

rom

200

6 to

ens

ure

that

pra

ctic

al g

uida

nce

is a

vaila

ble

on c

omm

unity

de

velo

pmen

t42

wor

k w

ith t

he A

cade

my

for

Sust

aina

ble

Com

mun

ities

to

ensu

re a

ppro

pria

te

trai

ning

in c

omm

unity

dev

elop

men

t an

d co

mm

unity

em

pow

erm

ent

skill

s is

av

aila

ble

to r

elev

ant

publ

ic s

ecto

r of

ficia

ls, i

nclu

ding

pla

nnin

g of

ficer

s,

rege

nera

tion

prac

titio

ners

,hou

sing

man

ager

s an

d a

wid

er r

ange

of

serv

ice

prov

ider

s

Inve

stin

g in

co

mm

un

ity

org

anis

atio

ns

Com

mun

ity-b

ased

org

anis

atio

ns a

re t

he k

ey t

o so

lvin

g so

me

of t

he m

ost

diff

icul

t 2.

26 an

d co

mpl

ex n

eigh

bour

hood

issu

es. B

ut t

hey

ofte

n re

quire

gre

ater

fin

anci

al

stab

ility

. Nei

ghbo

urho

od o

rgan

isat

ions

can

pro

vide

a b

ase

from

whi

ch p

eopl

e an

d gr

assr

oots

gro

ups

can

get

invo

lved

in d

rivin

g po

sitiv

e so

cial

cha

nge

thro

ugh

a ra

nge

of a

ctiv

ities

, ser

vice

s, s

uppo

rt a

nd f

acili

ties.

Yet

, for

man

y of

the

se

orga

nisa

tions

it is

a s

trug

gle

to s

urvi

ve.

We

wan

t to

sup

port

the

se c

omm

unity

-led

orga

nisa

tions

. 2.

27

We

will

est

ablis

h a

£7

0m C

om

mu

nit

ybu

ilder

s fu

nd

, del

iver

ed b

y a

natio

nal p

artn

er, i

ncor

pora

ting

£11m

fro

m t

he O

ffic

e of

the

Thi

rd S

ecto

r. W

e w

ill b

e in

vitin

g ex

pres

sion

s of

in

tere

st t

o ad

min

iste

r th

e fu

nd a

s so

on a

s po

ssib

le.

The

fund

will

be

inve

sted

to

enab

le c

omm

unity

org

anis

atio

ns t

o m

ake

a st

ep

2.28

chan

ge in

the

ir ac

tiviti

es. W

e w

ant

to e

nsur

e th

ere

are

suita

ble,

acc

essi

ble

com

mun

ity f

acili

ties

whe

re p

eopl

e ca

n m

eet

to r

un t

heir

activ

ities

. We

wan

t ne

ighb

ourh

oods

to

have

spa

ces

whe

re p

eopl

e ca

n co

me

toge

ther

to

disc

uss

thei

r lo

cal c

once

rns

and

chan

nel t

hem

eff

ectiv

ely

and

cons

truc

tivel

y in

to lo

cal d

ecis

ion-

42

Com

mun

ities

and

Loc

al G

over

nmen

t (2

006)

The

Com

mun

ity D

evel

opm

ent

Cha

lleng

e. L

ondo

n:

Com

mun

ities

and

Loc

al G

over

nmen

t.

Com

mun

ities

in c

ontr

ol: r

eal p

eopl

e, r

eal p

ower

42

mak

ing.

We

wan

t or

gani

satio

ns t

o ha

ve t

he a

bilit

y to

bid

for

and

run

loca

l ser

vice

s –

tailo

red

to t

he n

eeds

of

thei

r ow

n pa

rtic

ular

nei

ghbo

urho

od o

r co

mm

unity

. And

w

e w

ant

com

mun

ity o

rgan

isat

ions

to

be r

un a

s ec

onom

ical

ly-v

iabl

e so

cial

en

terp

rises

with

out

bein

g pe

rpet

ually

dep

ende

nt o

n gr

ant

fund

ing.

Gra

ssro

ots

Gra

nts

Gov

ernm

ent

also

rec

ogni

ses

that

a h

uge

rang

e of

sm

all v

olun

tary

and

com

mun

ity

2.29

grou

ps a

nd o

rgan

isat

ions

(gra

ssro

ots

grou

ps) p

lay

a vi

tal r

ole

in s

tren

gthe

ning

co

mm

uniti

es. T

he T

hird

Sec

tor

Revi

ew c

eleb

rate

d th

is a

nd h

ighl

ight

ed t

he p

ositi

ve

impa

ct t

hat

smal

l gra

nt f

undi

ng s

trea

ms

can

have

on

the

com

mun

ity s

ecto

r.43

Dis

cuss

ions

in 2

007

with

sm

all g

roup

s, c

omm

unity

and

vol

unta

ry s

ecto

r 2.

30 or

gani

satio

ns, c

omm

unity

fou

ndat

ions

and

nat

iona

l thi

rd s

ecto

r or

gani

satio

ns a

ll hi

ghlig

hted

the

nee

d fo

r im

med

iate

sm

all g

rant

s fu

ndin

g fo

r gr

assr

oots

gro

ups

and

the

need

to

addr

ess

the

sust

aina

bilit

y an

d in

depe

nden

ce o

f fu

ndin

g. T

he

Gov

ernm

ent

has

reco

gnis

ed t

hat

smal

l gra

nts

prog

ram

mes

are

ess

entia

l to

supp

ort

activ

e co

mm

unity

org

anis

atio

ns in

clud

ing

mar

gina

lised

and

exc

lude

d gr

oups

.

The

Off

ice

of t

he T

hird

Sec

tor

has

deve

lope

d th

e 2.

31

Gra

ssro

ots

Gra

nts

p

rog

ram

me.

The

pro

gram

me

prov

ides

sm

all g

rant

s to

gra

ssro

ots

grou

ps t

hat

have

vol

unte

er t

ime

as t

heir

mai

n re

sour

ce a

nd a

ims

to:

incr

ease

imm

edia

te g

rant

fun

ding

and

cap

acity

bui

ldin

g su

ppor

t to

sm

all

volu

ntar

y an

d co

mm

unity

gro

ups

and

orga

nisa

tions

(gra

ssro

ots

grou

ps)

thro

ugho

ut E

ngla

nd

incr

ease

the

long

ter

m f

undi

ng a

vaila

ble

to g

rass

root

s gr

oups

fro

m

com

mun

ity-o

wne

d en

dow

men

ts r

aise

d fr

om lo

cal d

onor

s

impr

ove

the

sust

aina

bilit

y an

d qu

ality

of

loca

l gra

nt m

akin

g by

str

engt

heni

ng

inde

pend

ent

fund

ers

thro

ugho

ut E

ngla

nd

Smal

l gra

nts

will

be

dis

per

sed

fro

m a

n £

80m

fu

nd

fro

m 2

008

to 2

011

2.32

.

Gra

ssro

ots

Gra

nts

also

aim

s to

inve

st in

the

long

er-t

erm

sus

tain

abili

ty o

f th

e se

ctor

th

roug

h an

add

ition

al £

50m

end

owm

ent

fund

. Thi

s is

a ‘m

atch

cha

lleng

e’

endo

wm

ent:

tho

se r

ecei

ving

the

end

owm

ent

will

be

expe

cted

to

rais

e fu

rthe

r

43

Cab

inet

Off

ice

and

HM

Tre

asur

y (2

007)

The

Fut

ure

role

of

the

third

sec

tor

in s

ocia

l and

eco

nom

ic

rege

nera

tion:

Fin

al r

epor

t N

orw

ich:

TSO

.

43

Act

ive

citiz

ens

and

the

valu

e of

vol

unte

erin

g

inve

stm

ent

from

priv

ate

dona

tions

to

mat

ch t

he G

over

nmen

t fu

ndin

g. T

he

endo

wm

ent

mat

ch c

halle

nge

elem

ent

of G

rass

root

s G

rant

s is

exp

ecte

d to

dra

w in

fu

ndin

g fr

om p

rivat

e in

divi

dual

s an

d or

gani

satio

ns, e

ncou

ragi

ng a

nd r

einf

orci

ng a

cu

lture

of

givi

ng in

res

pons

e to

loca

l nee

ds.

The

role

of

fait

h-b

ased

gro

up

sA

mon

g th

e vo

lunt

ary

orga

nisa

tions

we

wan

t to

hel

p in

diff

eren

t w

ays

to b

uild

2.

33 st

rong

er c

omm

uniti

es, t

here

is a

par

ticul

ar r

ole

for

faith

bas

ed g

roup

s. B

ritai

n ha

s a

stro

ng t

radi

tion

of f

aith

-bas

ed o

rgan

isat

ions

wor

king

to

impr

ove

loca

l co

mm

uniti

es. T

his

refle

cts

the

impo

rtan

ce p

lace

d on

cha

ritab

le a

cts,

soc

ial a

ctio

n an

d ci

vic

duty

in a

ll re

ligio

ns p

ract

ised

in t

he U

K. T

here

are

ove

r 23

,000

rel

igio

us

char

ities

in t

he U

K a

nd m

any

mor

e fa

ith-b

ased

org

anis

atio

ns, i

nvol

ving

ten

s of

th

ousa

nds

of p

eopl

e m

otiv

ated

by

thei

r fa

ith, w

orki

ng a

t a

loca

l and

nat

iona

l lev

el

to p

rovi

de s

uppo

rt a

nd s

ervi

ces

to c

omm

uniti

es. A

t tim

es t

here

has

bee

n re

luct

ance

on

the

part

of

loca

l aut

horit

ies

and

agen

cies

to

com

mis

sion

ser

vice

s fr

om f

aith

-bas

ed g

roup

s, in

par

t be

caus

e of

som

e co

nfus

ion

abou

t th

e pr

oprie

ty

of d

oing

so.

Bui

ldin

g on

the

Fai

thw

orks

Cha

rter

, we

inte

nd t

o w

ork

with

fai

th

com

mun

ities

to

clar

ify t

he is

sues

and

to

rem

ove

th

e b

arri

ers

to c

om

mis

sio

nin

g

serv

ices

fro

m f

aith

-bas

ed g

rou

ps.

The

Off

ice

of t

he T

hird

Sec

tor

will

be

carr

ying

out

a

2.34

n

ew n

atio

nal

su

rvey

of

thir

d s

ecto

r o

rgan

isat

ion

s –

incl

udin

g fa

ith-b

ased

cha

ritie

s –

late

r th

is y

ear

to

bett

er u

nder

stan

d th

e is

sues

whi

ch in

fluen

ce t

he w

ell-b

eing

of

the

sect

or.

Inte

r-fa

ith

str

ateg

yW

e w

ill s

hort

ly p

ublis

h ou

r st

rate

gy f

or in

crea

sing

dia

logu

e an

d co

llabo

rativ

e so

cial

2.

35 ac

tion

betw

een

peop

le w

ith d

iffer

ent

relig

ions

and

bel

iefs

and

tho

se w

ith n

one.

Our

ai

m is

to

fost

er a

n un

ders

tand

ing

of w

hat

we

all h

ave

in c

omm

on a

nd c

reat

e m

ore

oppo

rtun

ities

for

peo

ple

to w

ork

toge

ther

to

brin

g ab

out

a re

al a

nd p

ositi

ve c

hang

e w

ithin

the

ir lo

cal c

omm

unity

. To

boos

t lo

cal a

ctiv

ity, w

e w

ill b

e an

noun

cing

a m

ulti-

mill

ion

poun

d pr

ogra

mm

e of

inve

stm

ent

and

supp

ort

alon

gsid

e th

e st

rate

gy.

Clim

ate

chan

ge

and

en

viro

nm

ent

Clim

ate

chan

ge is

a k

ey c

halle

nge

of o

ur t

imes

and

a c

ompl

ex p

robl

em r

equi

ring

2.36

actio

n by

num

erou

s pa

rtie

s in

clud

ing

cent

ral a

nd lo

cal g

over

nmen

t, t

he t

hird

se

ctor

, the

priv

ate

sect

or, c

omm

uniti

es a

nd in

divi

dual

s. A

ctiv

e ci

tizen

ship

is c

ruci

al

Com

mun

ities

in c

ontr

ol: r

eal p

eopl

e, r

eal p

ower

44

to m

eet

the

dem

andi

ng, b

ut e

ssen

tial,

goal

s of

red

ucin

g ca

rbon

em

issi

ons

as w

ell

as a

dapt

ing

effe

ctiv

ely

to it

s co

nseq

uenc

es.

Ther

e ar

e al

read

y ou

tsta

ndin

g ex

ampl

es o

f ci

tizen

eng

agem

ent

in t

ackl

ing

clim

ate

2.37

chan

ge. F

or e

xam

ple,

the

vill

age

of A

shto

n-H

ayes

, in

Che

shire

, has

set

itse

lf an

am

bitio

us t

arge

t to

bec

ome

carb

on n

eutr

al a

nd h

as a

lread

y ac

hiev

ed s

ubst

antia

l re

duct

ions

in e

mis

sion

s by

act

ing

as a

com

mun

ity, c

oord

inat

ed b

y th

e pa

rish

coun

cil.

The

Gov

ernm

ent

is k

een

to s

uppo

rt c

omm

unity

eff

ort

in t

ackl

ing

clim

ate

chan

ge,

2.38

and

has

a nu

mbe

r of

initi

ativ

es u

nder

way

. The

Dep

artm

ent

for

Envi

ronm

ent,

Foo

d an

d Ru

ral A

ffai

rs p

lans

to

deve

lop

a nu

mbe

r of

‘too

ls’ a

imed

at

both

hel

ping

in

divi

dual

s an

d co

mm

uniti

es u

nder

stan

d ho

w t

hey

can

tack

le c

limat

e ch

ange

. The

y ha

ve a

lso

laun

ched

a £

10m

Gre

en N

eigh

bour

hood

s sc

hem

e w

hich

will

dem

onst

rate

ho

w c

omm

uniti

es c

an t

ake

actio

n to

live

low

-car

bon

lifes

tyle

s in

100

pio

neer

ing

neig

hbou

rhoo

ds. A

num

ber o

f exi

stin

g sc

hem

es ru

n by

the

Ener

gy S

avin

gs T

rust

(EST

), pa

rtic

ular

ly t

he C

omm

unity

Act

ion

for

Ener

gy S

chem

e, o

ffer

sup

port

and

tra

inin

g fo

r co

mm

unity

act

ivis

ts. T

he E

ST’s

Adv

ice

Net

wor

k pr

ovid

es in

form

atio

n on

gra

nts.

Bu

sine

sses

are

als

o im

port

ant

play

ers

in t

ackl

ing

clim

ate

chan

ge a

nd t

he C

arbo

n Tr

ust

supp

orts

the

m t

hrou

gh a

ran

ge o

f in

itiat

ives

aim

ed a

t re

duct

ions

in t

heir

ener

gy u

se a

nd c

arbo

n em

issi

ons.

Envi

ronm

enta

l act

ion

is a

n as

pect

of

volu

ntar

y ac

tivity

tha

t ha

s gr

own

rapi

dly

in

2.39

rece

nt y

ears

. In

som

e si

tuat

ions

thi

s ha

s in

volv

ed p

ublic

cam

paig

ns, i

n ot

hers

it

has

invo

lved

res

pond

ing

to e

mer

genc

ies

such

as

flood

s. B

ut, f

or m

any

peop

le it

is

sim

ple

actio

ns s

uch

as r

ecyc

ling,

hel

ping

cle

an u

p a

loca

l par

k or

par

ticip

atin

g in

‘w

alki

ng b

us’ s

chem

es t

hat

have

mad

e a

diff

eren

ce in

the

ir co

mm

uniti

es.

Volu

ntee

rs a

nd lo

cal c

omm

unity

gro

ups

also

pla

y a

vita

l rol

e in

hel

ping

sup

port

, pr

otec

t an

d en

hanc

e ou

r lo

cal g

reen

spac

es a

nd lo

cal w

ildlif

e. F

or e

xam

ple,

Frie

nds

of E

aton

Par

k in

Nor

wic

h, lo

ok a

fter

and

impr

ove

the

envi

ronm

ent

of t

he p

ark

and

help

mak

e it

acce

ssib

le t

o ev

eryo

ne. T

heir

prog

ram

me

of e

vent

s in

clud

es h

ealth

w

alks

, tal

ks a

nd c

onse

rvat

ion

days

.44

Co

mm

un

ity

even

tsLo

cally

-foc

used

eve

nts

prov

ide

a gr

eat

oppo

rtun

ity f

or p

eopl

e fr

om d

iffer

ent

2.40

back

grou

nds

and

gene

ratio

ns t

o co

me

toge

ther

and

enc

oura

ge p

eopl

e to

get

in

volv

ed in

loca

l act

iviti

es. T

hey

can

deve

lop

a se

nse

of b

elon

ging

to

an a

rea.

44

see

ww

w.f

riend

sofe

aton

park

.co.

uk/a

bout

_us.

htm

l

45

Act

ive

citiz

ens

and

the

valu

e of

vol

unte

erin

g

They

can

als

o in

crea

se k

now

ledg

e ab

out

how

to

influ

ence

loca

l dec

isio

ns. T

hese

co

uld

be o

pen-

days

for

loca

l com

mun

ity g

roup

s, a

nd s

how

case

s fo

r sc

hem

es s

uch

as p

artic

ipat

ory

budg

etin

g or

loca

lly-o

wne

d an

d ru

n as

sets

. The

eve

nts

mig

ht

incl

ude

litte

r pi

cks,

pai

ntin

g co

mm

unity

cen

tres

, str

eet

part

ies

or f

airs

in lo

cal

park

s or

pub

lic c

eleb

ratio

ns o

f fa

ith f

estiv

als

to w

hich

all

are

invi

ted.

Man

y lo

cal

auth

oriti

es a

lread

y en

cour

age

or o

rgan

ise

thes

e.

Loze

lls C

om

mu

nit

y C

lean

Up

Loze

lls is

an

inne

r city

are

a of

Birm

ingh

am b

light

ed fo

r man

y ye

ars

by li

tter

, fly

-tip

ping

, gr

affit

ti an

d fly

pos

ting.

Fed

up

with

filt

hy p

ublic

spa

ces,

a g

athe

ring

of B

lack

Maj

ority

C

hurc

hes

join

ed S

t Pa

ul a

nd S

t Si

las

Chu

rch

who

ran

the

Loz

ells

Com

mun

ity C

lean

U

p to

impr

ove

the

loca

l env

ironm

ent.

The

chur

ches

invi

ted

repr

esen

tativ

es f

rom

Birm

ingh

am C

ity C

ounc

il, G

roun

dwor

k,

Loze

lls a

nd B

irchf

ield

Tra

ding

Ass

ocia

tions

and

oth

er c

omm

unity

org

anis

atio

ns t

o jo

int

mee

tings

to

plan

and

del

iver

the

eve

nt. O

ther

fai

th c

omm

uniti

es w

ere

also

invo

lved

.

The

chur

ches

con

trib

uted

by

info

rmin

g th

e co

mm

unity

, pro

vidi

ng a

cen

tral

mee

ting

plac

e, re

crui

ting

volu

ntee

rs a

nd p

repa

ring

refr

eshm

ents

whi

lst

the

othe

r pa

rtic

ipan

ts

cont

ribut

ed in

oth

er w

ays.

B&

Q p

rovi

ded

pain

t an

d gr

affit

i rem

oval

equ

ipm

ent,

M

cDon

alds

con

trib

uted

to

the

refr

eshm

ents

and

fin

anci

al c

ontr

ibut

ions

wer

e m

ade

by lo

cal b

usin

esse

s.

On

the

day

of t

he C

lean

Up,

the

vol

unte

ers

carr

ied

out

the

plan

ned

wor

k fo

r ea

ch

site

ove

r a

perio

d of

90

min

utes

or

so, s

tayi

ng in

con

tact

via

wal

kie

talk

ie.

The

even

t w

as a

gre

at s

ucce

ss w

ith o

ver

70 p

eopl

e ta

king

par

t in

the

Cle

an U

p.

Jere

my

Shie

lds

from

Birm

ingh

am C

ity C

ounc

il sa

id o

f th

e da

y:

“An

exce

llent

day

; a lo

t w

as a

chie

ved.

Hav

ing

esta

blis

hed

som

e m

omen

tum

, I t

hink

w

e sh

ould

wor

k ou

t a

med

ium

-ter

m s

trat

egy

to s

ee h

ow w

e ca

n ca

pita

lise

on t

he

effo

rt t

hat

wen

t in

. It

real

ly w

as e

xtre

mel

y go

od.”

St P

auls

and

St

Sila

s co

ntin

ue t

o ru

n th

e Lo

zells

Com

mun

ity C

lean

Up,

set

ting

all

sect

ions

of

the

com

mun

ity t

o w

ork

toge

ther

to

impr

ove

the

appe

aran

ce o

f th

eir

com

mun

ity.

Com

mun

ities

in c

ontr

ol: r

eal p

eopl

e, r

eal p

ower

46

We

are

cons

ider

ing

way

s to

sup

port

loca

l com

mun

ities

in d

evel

opin

g su

ch e

vent

s. T

here

is

alre

ady

The

Citi

zens

’ Day

Fra

mew

ork

publ

ishe

d by

the

Citi

zens

hip

Foun

datio

n.45

We

are

expl

orin

g, w

ith p

artn

ers,

the

dev

elop

men

t of

the

inau

gura

l ann

ual g

loba

l soc

ial

foru

m, C

hain

Rea

ctio

n, b

eing

org

anis

ed b

y C

omm

unity

Lin

ks t

his

autu

mn,

ena

blin

g ac

-tiv

ists

acr

oss

the

wor

ld t

o co

nnec

t, c

olla

bora

te a

nd c

omm

it to

soc

ial a

ctio

n. W

e ar

e al

so

in c

onve

rsat

ion

with

a w

ide

rang

e of

pub

lic, p

rivat

e an

d vo

lunt

ary

sect

or p

artn

ers

abou

t a

natio

nal s

umm

er e

vent

to

prom

ote

soci

al a

ctio

n w

hich

will

be

laun

ched

in e

arly

200

9.

Lew

ish

am P

eop

le’s

Day

Lew

isha

m P

eopl

e’s

Day

is n

ow in

its

24th

yea

r. In

tha

t tim

e it

has

grow

n fr

om a

sm

all

scal

e co

unci

l eve

nt t

o a

com

mun

ity f

estiv

al in

volv

ing

all o

f th

e Le

wis

ham

Loc

al

Stra

tegi

c Pa

rtne

rshi

p pa

rtne

rs, w

ith 1

0 st

ages

, 1,7

50 p

artic

ipan

ts a

nd 3

0,00

0 vi

sito

rs.

The

prog

ram

me

invo

lves

loca

l an

d in

tern

atio

nal p

erfo

rmer

s w

ho a

re re

pres

enta

tives

of

Lew

isha

m’s

dive

rse

com

mun

ities

. In

2008

the

y ar

e w

orki

ng w

ith t

he A

rts

Cou

ncil

and

Aud

ienc

es L

ondo

n on

the

Ta

king

Par

t pr

ojec

t to

en

cour

age

new

aud

ienc

es

incl

udin

g ol

der

peop

le, p

eopl

e w

ith le

arni

ng d

isab

ilitie

s,lo

ne p

aren

ts a

nd re

fuge

es. T

hey

have

com

mis

sion

ed t

he E

nglis

h Fo

lk D

ance

and

Son

g So

ciet

y to

wor

k w

ith a

loca

l prim

ary

scho

ol to

dev

ise a

per

form

ance

pie

ce fo

r the

eve

nt

blen

ding

the

trad

ition

al m

usic

and

dan

ce o

f Eng

lish,

Irish

and

Con

gole

se c

ultu

res.

Loca

l peo

ple

will

hav

e an

opp

ortu

nity

to

enga

ge o

n is

sues

aff

ectin

g th

em a

s Le

wis

ham

Loc

al A

ssem

blie

s Te

am w

ill b

e at

the

eve

nt c

olle

ctin

g vi

ews

and

opin

ions

on

var

ious

loca

l iss

ues.

Pre

ssur

e gr

oups

and

pol

itica

l par

ties

are

also

repr

esen

ted

at

the

even

t.

ww

w.le

wis

ham

.gov

.uk/

new

sand

even

ts/e

vent

s/pe

ople

sday

45

See

ww

w.c

itize

nshi

pfou

ndat

ion.

org.

uk/m

ain/

reso

urce

.php

?s36

7

But

Mr

Den

t, t

he p

lans

hav

e be

en

avai

labl

e in

the

loca

l pla

nnin

g

offic

e fo

r th

e la

st n

ine

mon

ths.

”

“Oh

yes,

wel

l as

soon

as

I hea

rd I

wen

t st

raig

ht r

ound

to

see

them

, ye

ster

day

afte

rnoo

n. Y

ou h

adn’

t

exac

tly g

one

out

of y

our

way

to

call

atte

ntio

n to

the

m, h

ad y

ou?

I m

ean,

like

act

ually

tel

ling

an

ybod

y or

any

thin

g.”

“But

the

plan

s w

ere

on d

ispla

y ...

”

“On

disp

lay?

I ev

entu

ally

had

to

go

dow

n to

the

cel

lar

to fi

nd t

hem

.”

“Tha

t’s t

he d

ispl

ay d

epar

tmen

t.”

“With

a fl

ashl

ight

.”

“Ah,

wel

l the

ligh

ts h

ad p

roba

bly

gone

.”

“So

had

the

stai

rs.”

“But

look

, you

fou

nd t

he n

otic

e di

dn’t

you

?”

“Yes

,” s

aid

Art

hur,

“yes

I di

d. It

was

on

disp

lay

in th

e bo

ttom

of a

lock

ed

filin

g ca

bine

t stu

ck in

a d

isuse

d

lava

tory

with

a s

ign

on th

e do

or

sayi

ng ‘B

ewar

e of

the

Leop

ard’

”.

Fro

m T

he

Hit

chh

iker

s’ G

uid

e to

th

e G

alax

y b

y D

ou

gla

s A

dam

s

Ch

apte

r 3

Acc

ess

to in

form

atio

n

Com

mun

ities

in c

ontr

ol: r

eal p

eopl

e, r

eal p

ower

48

Acc

ess

to in

form

atio

nH

ow c

an I

find

out

info

rmat

ion

in a

way

I u

nder

stan

d an

d ca

n us

e?Th

e qu

ote

from

3.

1 Th

e H

itchh

iker

’s G

uide

to

the

Gal

axy

illus

trat

es w

hat

it m

ust

have

fe

lt lik

e w

hen

tryi

ng t

o ge

t in

form

atio

n 20

or

30 y

ears

ago

. Sin

ce t

hen

muc

h ha

s be

en a

chie

ved

and

one

of t

he m

ain

issu

es is

how

to

brin

g al

l pub

lic a

utho

ritie

s up

to

the

sta

ndar

d of

the

bes

t. T

his

chap

ter

look

s at

how

peo

ple

can

obta

in

unde

rsta

ndab

le lo

cal i

nfor

mat

ion

and

shar

e in

form

atio

n of

the

ir ow

n. T

he

Gov

ernm

ent

is c

omm

itted

to

mak

ing

timel

y an

d re

leva

nt in

form

atio

n ab

out

publ

ic

serv

ices

and

crit

ical

issu

es m

ore

avai

labl

e to

eve

ryon

e.

Info

rmat

ion

is p

ow

erO

ne o

f th

e m

ain

reas

ons

peop

le c

an f

eel p

ower

less

is a

lack

of

info

rmat

ion,

in

3.2

form

ats

and

plac

es w

hich

are

rea

dily

acc

essi

ble

and

easi

ly u

nder

stoo

d.

Acr

oss

the

publ

ic s

ervi

ces,

pro

fess

iona

ls a

nd e

xper

ts h

ave

som

etim

es u

sed

jarg

on,

3.3

acro

nym

s an

d te

chni

cal l

angu

age

whi

ch a

liena

te, c

onfu

se a

nd f

rust

rate

citi

zens

in

thei

r pu

rsui

t of

sim

ple

answ

ers

or b

asic

info

rmat

ion.

All

prof

essi

ons

use

jarg

on a

s a

shor

t-ha

nd: a

s a

way

of

tran

smitt

ing

com

plex

info

rmat

ion

amon

g th

eir

peer

gr

oup,

bas

ed o

n th

e kn

owle

dge

that

the

ir pe

ers

will

und

erst

and

wha

t th

ey m

ean.

In

the

NH

S an

d so

cial

ser

vice

s, t

his

can

be a

life

-sav

ing

proc

ess.

But

tec

hnic

al

lang

uage

can

bec

ome

a m

eans

of

excl

udin

g th

e or

dina

ry c

itize

n. M

ost

loca

l au

thor

ities

hav

e so

ught

to

rem

edy

this

, thr

ough

initi

ativ

es s

uch

as p

lain

Eng

lish

cam

paig

ns a

nd a

dvoc

acy

prog

ram

mes

.

Thro

ugh

the

Free

dom

of

Info

rmat

ion

Act

200

0, t

he G

over

nmen

t en

sure

d th

at

3.4

citiz

ens

in E

ngla

nd a

nd W

ales

hav

e a

gene

ral r

ight

, with

lim

ited

exem

ptio

ns, t

o th

e in

form

atio

n he

ld b

y pu

blic

aut

horit

ies,

incl

udin

g lo

cal c

ounc

ils, t

he p

olic

e, t

he

NH

S, s

choo

ls, h

ospi

tals

, uni

vers

ities

and

gov

ernm

ent

agen

cies

. We

did

this

to

reco

gnis

e th

at u

nles

s a

citiz

en h

as f

ull a

cces

s to

the

info

rmat

ion

he o

r sh

e ne

eds,

th

en f

ull c

itize

nshi

p ca

nnot

be

achi

eved

.

Ch

apte

r 3

49

Acc

ess

to in

form

atio

n

Acc

ess

to in

form

atio

n is

a p

re-r

equi

site

to

com

mun

ity e

mpo

wer

men

t.3.

5

Peop

le w

ant

acce

ss t

o re

leva

nt in

form

atio

n ab

out

the

serv

ices

and

fac

ilitie

s w

hich

3.

6 th

ey u

se r

egul

arly

– in

form

atio

n w

hich

is u

nder

stan

dabl

e at

the

leve

l of

thei

r ne

ighb

ourh

ood

or lo

cal a

rea.

46 T

hey

also

wan

t to

use

info

rmat

ion

to g

et in

volv

ed

in lo

cal d

ecis

ions

.47 W

hen

they

can

get

suc

h in

form

atio

n, t

hey

ofte

n fe

el b

ette

r ab

out

the

qual

ity o

f se

rvic

es. Y

et in

200

6–07

, bar

ely

half

of lo

cal a

utho

rity

resi

dent

s fe

lt th

at t

heir

coun

cil k

ept

them

ver

y or

fai

rly w

ell i

nfor

med

abo

ut t

he

serv

ices

and

ben

efits

it p

rovi

ded

– a

decl

ine

of n

ine

perc

enta

ge p

oint

s si

nce

2003

–04.

48 F

or v

ulne

rabl

e pe

ople

the

rol

e of

acc

essi

ble

supp

ort

and

advi

ce in

m

akin

g ch

oice

s re

late

d to

ser

vice

s th

ey n

eed

is c

ruci

al.

Peop

le w

ant

info

rmat

ion

so t

hat

they

can

und

erst

and:

3.7

wha

t se

rvic

es a

nd f

acili

ties

are

avai

labl

e in

the

ir lo

cal a

rea

how

the

y ca

n ge

t m

ore

invo

lved

in t

heir

loca

l are

a

how

the

ir lo

cal s

ervi

ces

com

pare

with

tho

se in

oth

er a

reas

how

a c

ompl

aint

the

y ha

ve m

ade

is b

eing

add

ress

ed

46

Dar

low

, A, H

awtin

, M a

nd J

assi

, S (2

008)

Rep

ortin

g Pe

rfor

man

ce In

form

atio

n to

Citi

zens

, Lon

don:

C

omm

uniti

es a

nd L

ocal

Gov

ernm

ent.

47

Ibid

.48

C

omm

uniti

es a

nd L

ocal

Gov

ernm

ent

(200

7) B

est

Valu

e U

ser

Satis

fact

ion

Surv

eys

2006

-07

– G

ener

al

Surv

ey N

atio

nal R

epor

t, L

ondo

n: C

omm

uniti

es a

nd L

ocal

Gov

ernm

ent.

Com

mun

ities

in c

ontr

ol: r

eal p

eopl

e, r

eal p

ower

50

Red

bri

dg

e’s

cust

om

er f

rien

dly

web

site

The

‘Red

brid

ge i’

web

site

(ww

w.

redb

ridge

.gov

.uk)

has

eff

ectiv

ely

rew

ritte

n th

e ru

les

for

coun

cil w

ebsi

te

desi

gn a

nd a

dopt

ed in

nova

tions

fro

m

the

priv

ate

sect

or –

Goo

gle,

Am

azon

, eB

ay, F

aceb

ook

– to

del

iver

hig

hly

pers

onal

ised

, cus

tom

er-d

riven

‘Web

2.

0’ s

ervi

ces.

Usi

ng G

oogl

e m

appi

ng, r

egis

tere

d us

ers

of t

he s

ite a

re s

how

n th

eir

own

hous

e in

the

mid

dle

of t

he s

cree

n,

mar

ked

with

a b

lue

3-D

hou

se ic

on.

Laye

rs o

f in

form

atio

n ca

n be

eas

ily

adde

d to

and

rem

oved

fro

m t

he m

ap,

such

as

scho

ols,

hea

lth s

ervi

ces

and

libra

ries.

At

the

laun

ch o

f Re

dbrid

ge i

in 2

007,

the

Red

brid

ge C

hief

Exe

cutiv

e st

ated

tha

t th

e si

te’s

flexi

bilit

y “m

eans

it c

an e

volv

e an

d gr

ow in

a d

irect

ion

larg

ely

dict

ated

by

its

audi

ence

”.

Redb

ridge

Cou

ncil

used

its

web

site

for

the

Red

brid

ge C

onve

rsat

ion,

a m

ajor

pub

lic

cons

ulta

tion

whi

ch a

sked

res

iden

ts a

bout

long

ter

m im

prov

emen

ts t

hey

wan

ted

to

see

in t

he B

orou

gh a

nd h

ow t

o pa

y fo

r th

em. B

y us

ing

Redb

ridge

i, t

he c

ounc

il w

as

able

to

offe

r in

tera

ctiv

ity a

nd p

rovi

de la

rge

amou

nts

of c

onte

nt in

a s

truc

ture

d w

ay,

so r

esid

ents

cou

ld m

ake

info

rmed

cho

ices

.

Ove

r 2,

500

onlin

e re

spon

ses

wer

e re

ceiv

ed, p

rovi

ding

det

aile

d fe

edba

ck o

n th

e pr

iorit

ies

of r

esid

ents

and

the

tra

de-o

ffs

they

wou

ld b

e pr

epar

ed t

o m

ake.

Alth

ough

th

ere

was

a p

aral

lel o

ff-li

ne c

onsu

ltatio

n, r

esid

ents

wer

e en

cour

aged

to

go o

nlin

e by

giv

ing

them

fre

e ac

cess

in In

tern

et c

afes

, lib

rarie

s an

d sc

hool

ICT

suite

s.

51

Acc

ess

to in

form

atio

n

The

po

wer

of

info

rmat

ion

on

line

The

Inte

rnet

now

per

form

s a

rang

e of

rol

es f

rom

bei

ng s

een

as a

tru

sted

frie

nd in

3.

8 m

akin

g pu

rcha

sing

dec

isio

ns, t

o be

ing

a so

urce

of

supp

ort

for

diff

eren

t co

mm

uniti

es, t

o be

ing

a so

urce

of

tips

on a

hug

e ra

nge

of a

reas

. Gov

ernm

ent

itsel

f pr

oduc

es a

gre

at d

eal o

f in

form

atio

n of

inte

rest

to

peop

le f

or a

var

iety

of

uses

. The

Ord

nanc

e Su

rvey

for

exa

mpl

e, e

stim

ates

tha

t th

e in

form

atio

n it

prod

uces

und

erpi

ns £

100b

n of

eco

nom

ic a

ctiv

ity e

very

yea

r. A

rec

ent

revi

ew

The

Pow

er o

f In

form

atio

n, c

ondu

cted

by

Tom

Ste

inbe

rg a

nd E

d M

ayo

for

the

Gov

ernm

ent

stat

ed t

hat:

49

“The

re a

re s

ocia

l and

eco

nom

ic b

enef

its t

o ne

w w

ays

of m

akin

g an

d sh

arin

g in

form

atio

n, w

heth

er in

volv

ing

gove

rnm

ent,

citi

zens

or

both

, for

exa

mpl

e:

in m

edic

al s

tudi

es o

f br

east

can

cer

and

HIV

pat

ient

s, p

artic

ipan

ts in

onl

ine

com

mun

ities

und

erst

and

thei

r co

nditi

on b

ette

r an

d ge

nera

lly s

how

a g

reat

er

abili

ty t

o co

pe. I

n th

e ca

se o

f H

IV, t

here

are

als

o lo

wer

tre

atm

ent

cost

s

stud

ies

of ‘w

ired’

loca

l com

mun

ities

dem

onst

rate

tha

t th

ere

are

mor

e ne

ighb

ours

who

kno

w t

he n

ames

of

othe

r pe

ople

on

thei

r st

reet

shar

ing

rest

aura

nts’

foo

d sa

fety

info

rmat

ion

in L

os A

ngel

es le

d to

a d

rop

in

food

-bor

ne il

lnes

s of

13

per

cent

(com

pare

d to

a t

hree

per

cen

t in

crea

se in

the

w

ider

sta

te in

the

sam

e tim

e fr

ame)

. The

pro

port

ion

of r

esta

uran

ts r

ecei

ving

‘g

ood’

sco

res

mor

e th

an d

oubl

ed, w

ith s

ales

ris

ing

by e

ight

per

cen

t

by p

rovi

ding

cle

ar in

form

atio

n w

hen

disp

ensi

ng m

edic

atio

n, p

harm

acis

ts

can

impr

ove

patie

nt a

dher

ence

and

per

sist

ence

with

med

icat

ion

advi

ce b

y

16–3

3 pe

r ce

nt”

The

copy

right

in lo

cal g

over

nmen

t in

form

atio

n is

ow

ned

by t

he lo

cal a

utho

rity.

3.

9 A

num

ber

of p

ublic

sec

tor

bodi

es h

ave

auth

oris

ed r

euse

by

offe

ring

onlin

e lic

ence

s su

ch a

s th

e C

lick-

Use

Lic

ence

, whi

ch is

hos

ted

by t

he O

ffic

e of

Pub

lic

Sect

or In

form

atio

n. A

ny p

ublic

sec

tor

orga

nisa

tion

can

allo

w t

heir

info

rmat

ion

to

be m

ade

avai

labl

e vi

a th

is r

oute

.

49

May

o, E

and

Ste

inbe

rg, T

(200

7) T

he P

ower

of

Info

rmat

ion:

An

Inde

pend

ent

Revi

ew b

y Ed

May

o an

d To

m S

tein

berg

. Lon

don:

Cab

inet

Off

ice.

Ava

ilabl

e fr

om: h

ttp:

//ww

w.c

abin

etof

fice.

gov.

uk/r

epor

ts/

pow

er_o

f_in

form

atio

n.as

px

Com

mun

ities

in c

ontr

ol: r

eal p

eopl

e, r

eal p

ower

52

Free

ing

up

pu

blic

sec

tor

info

rmat

ion

Esse

x C

ount

y C

ounc

il an

d W

orce

ster

shire

Cou

nty

Cou

ncil

have

bee

n ac

cred

ited

unde

r th

e In

form

atio

n Fa

ir Tr

ader

Sch

eme.

Elm

brid

ge B

orou

gh C

ounc

il is

usi

ng t

he o

nlin

e Pu

blic

Sec

tor

Info

rmat

ion

Clic

k-U

se

Lice

nce

to a

utho

rise

the

re-u

se o

f th

e m

ater

ial i

t pr

oduc

es.

Dev

on C

ount

y C

ounc

il ha

s a

very

libe

ral p

ositi

on o

n re

-use

: its

“co

pyrig

ht

prot

ecte

d” m

ater

ial m

ay b

e re

prod

uced

fre

e of

cha

rge

in a

ny f

orm

at o

r m

edia

w

ithou

t re

quiri

ng s

peci

fic p

erm

issi

on. (

http

://w

ww

.dev

on.g

ov.u

k/in

dex/

copy

right

.ht

m).

Ham

pshi

re C

ount

y C

ounc

il al

low

s al

l typ

es o

f no

n-co

mm

erci

al r

e-us

e fr

ee o

f ch

arge

un

der

the

term

s of

a g

ener

al li

cenc

e, w

ith c

omm

erci

al r

e-us

e un

der

the

term

s of

sp

ecifi

c lic

ence

s.

(ww

w3.

hant

s.go

v.uk

/fre

edom

ofin

form

atio

n/w

eb-c

opyr

ight

-lice

nce.

htm

).

Som

e of

the

bes

t ex

ampl

es o

f ho

w in

form

atio

n ca

n be

use

d to

em

pow

er c

itize

ns

3.10

are

gene

rate

d by

citi

zens

, not

gov

ernm

ent.

The

dem

ocra

tic a

ctiv

ist

grou

p M

ySoc

iety

has

pro

duce

d a

num

ber

of o

nlin

e se

rvic

es w

hich

reu

se b

asic

pub

lic

info

rmat

ion

– su

ch a

s th

e na

me

of a

n el

ecte

d re

pres

enta

tive,

the

ir co

ntac

t de

tails

, th

e em

ail a

ddre

ss u

sed

by a

cou

ncil

to r

epor

t br

oken

thi

ngs

on t

he s

tree

t or

how

to

fin

d ot

her

loca

l gro

ups.

53

Acc

ess

to in

form

atio

n

FixM

yStr

eet.

com

– h

as r

ecei

ved

20,0

00 r

epor

ts o

f st

reet

pro

blem

s th

at it

has

fed

th

roug

h to

cou

ncils

. The

site

invi

tes

you

to t

ake

and

uplo

ad p

hoto

s an

d hi

ghlig

ht

exam

ples

of

graf

fiti,

vand

alis

m, b

roke

n pa

ving

sla

bs o

r fly

-tip

ping

and

the

web

te

am t

hen

mak

e th

e co

mpl

aint

to

your

cou

ncil

on y

our

beha

lf. T

hey

mon

itor

prog

ress

and

rep

ort

back

.

Wri

teTo

Them

.co

m –

sen

t 17

5,00

0 m

essa

ges

to r

epre

sent

ativ

es in

200

7 by

pr

ovid

ing

a si

mpl

e w

ay t

o se

nd m

essa

ges

onlin

e –

just

ent

er y

our

post

cod

e, s

elec

t yo

ur C

ounc

illor

, Mem

ber

of P

arlia

men

t (M

P) e

tc a

nd s

end

your

mes

sage

.

They

wo

rkfo

ryo

u.c

om

– a

naly

ses

and

publ

ishe

s th

e pa

rliam

enta

ry a

ctiv

ity o

f yo

ur

MP,

incl

udin

g vo

tes,

spe

eche

s an

d qu

estio

ns, a

nd c

ompa

res

them

to

othe

rs.

Info

rmat

ion

on

line

is n

ot

eno

ug

hTh

ere

is a

str

ong

corr

elat

ion

betw

een

thos

e w

ho a

re s

ocia

lly e

xclu

ded

and

thos

e 3.

11 w

ho a

re d

igita

lly e

xclu

ded.

For

exa

mpl

e, it

is e

stim

ated

tha

t 15

per

cen

t of

the

ad

ult

popu

latio

n (m

ore

than

six

mill

ion

peop

le) s

uffe

r so

cial

exc

lusi

on a

nd a

re a

lso

unab

le t

o us

e th

e In

tern

et.50

The

Gov

ernm

ent

rece

ntly

ann

ounc

ed t

hat

it w

ould

sup

port

a n

etw

ork

of d

igita

l 3.

12 in

clus

ion

advi

sers

who

will

wor

k di

rect

ly w

ith in

divi

dual

loca

l aut

horit

ies

and

thei

r pa

rtne

rs.

A f

orth

com

ing

cros

s-go

vern

men

t 3.

13

Dig

ital

Eq

ual

ity

Act

ion

Pla

n w

ill a

im t

o en

sure

th

at lo

cal c

omm

uniti

es a

nd a

ll se

ctio

ns o

f ou

r so

ciet

y ca

n en

joy

equa

lly t

he f

ull

rang

e of

ben

efits

tha

t di

gita

l tec

hnol

ogie

s ca

n br

ing.

Som

e pe

ople

, inc

ludi

ng t

hose

who

are

web

-lite

rate

and

hav

e ac

cess

to

the

web

, 3.

14 pr

efer

to

rece

ive

info

rmat

ion

and

part

icip

ate

with

out

goin

g on

line.

51 S

ome

grou

ps

of p

eopl

e re

ly o

n w

ord-

of-m

outh

for

the

ir in

form

atio

n, w

ith a

cen

tral

rol

e gi

ven

to

faith

gro

up le

ader

s or

com

mun

ity le

ader

s. It

is p

artic

ular

ly im

port

ant

that

ac

cess

ible

sup

port

and

adv

ice

is g

iven

to

vuln

erab

le g

roup

s su

ch a

s dr

ug u

sers

and

ro

ugh

slee

pers

.

50

Dig

ital I

nclu

sion

Tea

m (2

007)

The

Dig

ital I

nclu

sion

Lan

dsca

pe in

Eng

land

: Del

iver

ing

Soci

al Im

pact

th

roug

h In

form

atio

n an

d C

omm

unic

atio

ns T

echn

olog

ies,

Lon

don:

Dig

ital I

nclu

sion

Tea

m.

51

Dut

ton,

W a

nd H

elsp

er, E

J (2

007)

The

Inte

rnet

in B

ritai

n: 2

007,

Oxf

ord:

Uni

vers

ity o

f O

xfor

d.

Com

mun

ities

in c

ontr

ol: r

eal p

eopl

e, r

eal p

ower

54

Ther

efor

e, t

he p

refe

renc

es a

nd n

eeds

of

diff

eren

t gr

oups

in s

ocie

ty n

eed

to b

e 3.

15 co

nsid

ered

. For

exa

mpl

e, t

he o

nlin

e w

orld

is p

redo

min

antly

a y

oung

dom

ain.

For

al

l the

tal

k of

‘silv

er s

urfe

rs’,

Inte

rnet

usa

ge d

ecre

ases

with

age

, with

71

per

cent

of

tho

se a

ged

65 a

nd o

ver

neve

r ha

ving

use

d th

e In

tern

et, c

ompa

red

with

fou

r pe

r ce

nt o

f 16

-24

year

old

s.52

Old

er p

eopl

e ar

e lik

ely

to u

se d

iffer

ent

Inte

rnet

se

rvic

es: t

hey

are

mor

e lik

ely

to u

se e

-gov

ernm

ent

serv

ices

tha

n st

uden

ts.53

A r

ange

of

met

hods

will

the

refo

re b

e ne

cess

ary,

usi

ng t

he m

edia

tha

t di

ffer

ent

3.16

peop

le p

refe

r, an

d de

liver

ed w

here

the

y ca

n ea

sily

acc

ess

it, in

clud

ing

thro

ugh

libra

ries.

Man

y lo

cal a

utho

ritie

s ar

e al

read

y pr

ovid

ing

info

rmat

ion

in in

nova

tive

way

s in

clud

ing

key

fact

s ca

rds

and

frid

ge m

agne

ts.

This

typ

e of

info

rmat

ion

enab

les

peop

le t

o m

ake

info

rmed

dec

isio

ns, f

rom

fin

ding

3.

17 su

itabl

e ch

ildca

re t

o de

cidi

ng w

hich

can

dida

te t

o vo

te f

or in

an

elec

tion,

hol

ding

th

eir

loca

l rep

rese

ntat

ive

to a

ccou

nt a

nd m

akin

g th

e m

ost

of li

ving

in t

heir

area

.

Mak

ing

pro

gre

ss o

n p

rovi

din

g lo

cal i

nfo

rmat

ion

Com

mun

ities

and

Loc

al G

over

nmen

t ha

s pl

ayed

a s

igni

fican

t ro

le a

cros

s 3.

18 go

vern

men

t an

d w

ith lo

cal a

utho

ritie

s to

dev

elop

an

IT n

etw

ork

calle

d G

ove

rnm

ent

Co

nn

ect.

Eng

lish

and

Wel

sh lo

cal a

utho

ritie

s ca

n sh

are

info

rmat

ion

secu

rely

bet

wee

n th

emse

lves

and

with

cen

tral

gov

ernm

ent

usin

g G

over

nmen

t C

onne

ct.

In t

he

3.19

G

over

nanc

e of

Brit

ain

Gre

en P

aper

, pub

lishe

d in

Jul

y 20

07, t

he G

over

nmen

t pr

opos

ed t

o w

ork

with

loca

l aut

horit

ies

and

publ

ic s

ervi

ce p

rovi

ders

in E

ngla

nd t

o en

sure

tha

t th

ere

is w

ides

prea

d us

e of

loca

l rea

l-tim

e da

ta.54

Thi

s w

ould

pro

vide

co

mm

uniti

es w

ith r

egul

ar a

nd a

cces

sibl

e in

form

atio

n on

loca

l ser

vice

s, h

elpi

ng

citiz

ens

judg

e th

eir

effe

ctiv

enes

s an

d th

e pe

rfor

man

ce o

f se

rvic

e pr

ovid

ers.

Thro

ugh

3.20

N

HS

Ch

oic

es, d

ata

are

publ

ishe

d to

ena

ble

peop

le t

o m

ake

info

rmed

ch

oice

s ab

out

thei

r ca

re.55

Som

e of

thi

s in

form

atio

n is

pro

vide

d by

pat

ient

s th

emse

lves

and

info

rms

peop

le a

bout

the

qua

lity

of c

are

in t

heir

loca

l are

a. T

his

52

Col

ville

, R (2

008)

Pol

itics

, Pol

icy

and

the

Inte

rnet

, Lon

don:

Cen

tre

for

Polic

y St

udie

s.53

D

utto

n, W

and

Hel

sper

, E J

(200

7) T

he In

tern

et in

Brit

ain:

200

7, O

xfor

d: U

nive

rsity

of

Oxf

ord.

54

Min

istr

y of

Jus

tice

(200

7) T

he G

over

nanc

e of

Brit

ain;

Lon

don:

Min

istr

y of

Jus

tice

55

See

http

://w

ww

.nhs

.uk/

scor

ecar

d/Pa

ges/

Scor

ecar

dWel

com

e.as

px

55

Acc

ess

to in

form

atio

n

incl

udes

dat

a on

the

out

com

es o

f su

rger

y an

d ot

her

med

ical

inte

rven

tions

and

the

le

vels

of

patie

nt s

atis

fact

ion

with

hos

pita

ls a

nd o

ther

clin

ics.

Info

rmat

ion

is a

lso

prov

ided

loca

lly t

hrou

gh ‘i

nfor

mat

ion

pres

crip

tions

’ for

peo

ple

with

long

-ter

m

cond

ition

s to

em

pow

er p

eopl

e to

man

age

thei

r ca

re m

ore

effe

ctiv

ely,

and

to

help

th

em s

tay

mor

e in

depe

nden

t an

d to

fee

l mor

e in

con

trol

.

In

3.21

ed

uca

tio

n, M

inis

ters

hav

e m

ade

clea

r th

eir

expe

ctat

ion

that

all

seco

ndar

y sc

hool

s by

201

0, a

nd a

ll pr

imar

y sc

hool

s by

201

2, w

ill r

epor

t on

line

to p

aren

ts o

n th

eir

child

’s at

tend

ance

, beh

avio

ur a

nd a

ttai

nmen

t, a

nd s

peci

al n

eeds

. Evi

denc

e un

derli

nes

the

posi

tive

effe

cts

of p

aren

ts b

eing

invo

lved

and

info

rmed

, and

sc

hool

s al

read

y se

e th

e be

nefit

s of

gre

ater

eng

agem

ent

with

par

ents

.

Loui

se C

asey

’s 3.

22

Crim

e an

d co

mm

uniti

es r

evie

w f

ound

tha

t th

e pu

blic

wer

e ve

ry

clea

r ab

out

the

info

rmat

ion

they

wan

t on

cri

me.

56 P

eopl

e w

ant

regu

lar

info

rmat

ion

on c

rimes

com

mitt

ed a

nd p

unis

hmen

t se

rved

in t

heir

loca

l are

a. T

hey

wan

t to

hav

e na

med

con

tact

s w

ith c

lear

info

rmat

ion

abou

t w

ho is

res

pons

ible

for

w

hat

loca

lly, a

nd h

ow t

o co

ntac

t th

em in

bot

h em

erge

ncy

and

non-

emer

genc

y si

tuat

ions

.

The

Gov

ernm

ent

prop

oses

to

mee

t th

ese

expe

ctat

ions

thr

ough

the

3.23

n

ew P

olic

ing

Pl

edg

e. T

he c

onte

nt o

f th

e pr

opos

ed P

olic

ing

Pled

ge w

ill b

e se

t ou

t in

the

Pol

icin

g G

reen

Pap

er. I

t w

ill in

clud

e a

natio

nal e

lem

ent

whi

ch w

ill s

et o

ut w

hat

each

for

ce

in E

ngla

nd a

nd W

ales

will

del

iver

for

the

pub

lic, s

uch

as k

eepi

ng p

eopl

e in

form

ed

abou

t th

e pr

ogre

ss o

f th

eir

inqu

iries

, plu

s a

loca

l ele

men

t w

here

loca

l prio

ritie

s ca

n be

set

in e

ach

area

, agr

eed

by p

eopl

e in

the

nei

ghbo

urho

od. T

he lo

cal e

lem

ent

will

al

so g

ive

the

publ

ic a

way

to

hold

Nei

ghbo

urho

od P

olic

ing

Team

s to

acc

ount

for

ta

cklin

g th

eir

loca

l prio

ritie

s. T

he p

olic

e w

ill p

rovi

de r

egul

ar f

eedb

ack

to p

eopl

e ab

out

wha

t ac

tions

are

bei

ng t

aken

and

wha

t ha

ppen

ed a

s a

resu

lt.

Kee

ping

peo

ple

info

rmed

of

wha

t is

bei

ng d

one

to d

eal w

ith t

heir

prob

lem

s an

d 3.

24 te

lling

the

m a

bout

pro

gres

s pl

ays

a ve

ry im

port

ant

role

in m

akin

g th

em f

eel s

afer

. Fr

om J

uly

2008

mo

nth

ly c

rim

e in

form

atio

n a

bo

ut

leve

ls a

nd

typ

es o

f cr

ime

will

be

mad

e av

aila

ble

. The

Gov

ernm

ent

is a

lso

cons

ider

ing

how

crim

e m

appi

ng c

an b

e us

ed s

o th

at t

he p

ublic

can

com

pare

leve

ls o

f cr

ime

and

perf

orm

ance

in t

heir

area

with

oth

er s

imila

r ar

eas.

56

Cab

inet

Off

ice

(200

8) E

ngag

ing

Com

mun

ities

in F

ight

ing

Crim

e: A

Rev

iew

by

Loui

se C

asey

, Lon

don:

C

abin

et O

ffic

e.

Com

mun

ities

in c

ontr

ol: r

eal p

eopl

e, r

eal p

ower

56

Mo

vin

g f

orw

ard

We

wan

t 3.

25

info

rmat

ion

on

ser

vice

s to

be

tru

ly lo

cal –

ava

ilabl

e at

loca

l ne

ighb

ourh

ood

leve

l – s

o pe

ople

can

see

wha

t is

hap

peni

ng in

the

ir ow

n ar

ea. F

or

exam

ple

coun

cil-w

ide

crim

e st

atis

tics

can

hide

mar

ked

diff

eren

ces

in p

artic

ular

ar

eas;

for

the

info

rmat

ion

to b

e us

eful

to

a co

mm

unity

gro

up it

nee

ds t

o be

as

loca

l as

poss

ible

. The

Off

ice

of N

atio

nal S

tatis

tics

‘Nei

ghbo

urho

od S

tatis

tics’

w

ebsi

te a

lread

y pr

ovid

es a

lot

of in

form

atio

n of

thi

s ty

pe.

The

3.26

Lo

cal A

rea

Ag

reem

ent

(LA

A)

offe

rs a

n op

port

unity

for

loca

l aut

horit

ies

and

thei

r pa

rtne

rs t

o pr

esen

t cl

early

to

loca

l citi

zens

how

the

y ar

e go

ing

to t

ackl

e th

e m

ajor

prio

ritie

s fo

r th

eir

area

, and

the

ir co

ntrib

utio

n to

nat

iona

l iss

ues

whi

ch

affe

ct e

very

one,

suc

h as

clim

ate

chan

ge.

Com

mun

ities

and

Loc

al G

over

nmen

t ha

s re

cent

ly la

unch

ed t

he c

ross

-gov

ernm

ent

3.27

Dat

a In

terc

han

ge

Hu

b w

hich

giv

es lo

cal a

utho

ritie

s ac

cess

to

the

mos

t up

-to-

date

info

rmat

ion

on N

atio

nal I

ndic

ator

s57 a

nd t

hrou

gh t

hat,

the

cha

nce

to

com

pare

loca

l per

form

ance

aga

inst

LA

A t

arge

ts. T

his

will

allo

w lo

cal a

utho

ritie

s to

be

nchm

ark

thei

r pe

rfor

man

ce a

gain

st s

imila

r au

thor

ities

els

ewhe

re in

the

cou

ntry

. Re

port

ing

of t

he C

ompr

ehen

sive

Are

a A

sses

smen

t –

the

mai

n in

dica

tion

of lo

cal

perf

orm

ance

– w

ill e

nabl

e ci

tizen

s to

com

pare

the

per

form

ance

of

all a

reas

ag

ains

t al

l the

Nat

iona

l Ind

icat

ors.

57

Indi

cato

rs c

over

a w

ide

rang

e of

nat

iona

l prio

ritie

s, s

uch

as p

upil

achi

evem

ent

in s

choo

ls a

nd n

umbe

rs

of n

ew h

omes

. The

new

set

of

198

Nat

iona

l Ind

icat

ors

was

ann

ounc

ed a

s pa

rt o

f th

e C

ompr

ehen

sive

Sp

endi

ng R

evie

w 2

007

and

cam

e in

to f

orce

on

1 A

pril

2008

, rep

laci

ng a

ll pr

evio

us p

erfo

rman

ce

indi

cato

rs in

clud

ing

Best

Val

ue P

erfo

rman

ce In

dica

tors

and

Per

form

ance

Ass

essm

ent

Fram

ewor

k in

dica

tors

.

57

Acc

ess

to in

form

atio

n

Ho

w t

he

Am

eric

an p

ub

lic is

info

rmed

ab

ou

t cr

ime

Whe

n re

side

nts

in m

any

of t

he b

igge

st c

ities

in t

he U

nite

d St

ates

wan

t to

kno

w

wha

t’s r

eally

goi

ng o

n ab

out

crim

e in

the

ir ne

ighb

ourh

ood,

the

y ca

n fin

d al

l the

in

form

atio

n th

ey w

ant

on t

heir

loca

l pol

ice

web

site

.

Polic

e ch

iefs

reg

ular

ly c

olle

ct p

erfo

rman

ce in

form

atio

n fr

om d

iffer

ent

prec

inct

s ac

ross

a g

row

ing

num

ber

of c

ities

incl

udin

g N

ew Y

ork,

Los

Ang

eles

and

Bal

timor

e so

tha

t th

ey k

now

whe

re c

rime

is r

isin

g an

d fa

lling

.

They

use

the

dat

a to

cha

lleng

e lo

cal p

olic

e co

mm

ande

rs w

here

crim

e ap

pear

s to

be

risin

g. T

hey

also

use

the

info

rmat

ion

to k

eep

the

May

or in

form

ed.

But

the

data

are

not

kep

t w

ithin

city

circ

les

– th

ey a

re a

ll m

ade

publ

ic e

ach

wee

k on

th

e In

tern

et.

The

proc

ess

was

firs

t de

velo

ped

as p

art

of N

ew Y

ork’

s dr

ive

to c

ut c

rime

in t

he

1990

s, w

hich

has

see

n th

e nu

mbe

r of

mur

ders

fal

l fro

m 2

,262

in 1

990

to 4

96 la

st

year

.

Now

vis

itors

to

the

New

Yor

k Po

lice

Dep

artm

ent’s

Com

pSta

t w

ebsi

te c

an s

ee f

igur

es

upda

ted

ever

y w

eek

for

the

city

as

a w

hole

and

for

the

ir ow

n lo

cal p

reci

nct.

The

data

sho

w h

ow t

he n

umbe

r of

bur

glar

ies,

rob

berie

s an

d m

urde

rs h

as c

hang

ed

over

the

pas

t ye

ar a

s w

ell a

s w

hat’s

hap

pene

d so

far

thi

s ye

ar.

Balti

mor

e C

ity’s

polic

e de

part

men

t pu

blis

hes

sim

ilar

data

in it

s C

itiSt

at p

rogr

amm

e,

as w

ell a

s an

inte

ract

ive

crim

e m

ap w

hich

allo

ws

peop

le t

o se

e av

erag

e cr

ime

stat

istic

s fo

r th

e la

st t

hree

yea

rs, f

or a

n ar

ea c

over

ing

a ra

dius

of

1/2

mile

fro

m t

heir

hom

e. L

os A

ngel

es a

lso

publ

ishe

s m

onth

ly d

ata

on g

ang-

rela

ted

crim

es.

ww

w.n

yc.g

ov/

htm

l/n

ypd

/htm

l/cr

ime_

pre

ven

tio

n/c

rim

e_st

atis

tics

.sh

tm

Com

mun

ities

and

Loc

al G

over

nmen

t is

als

o lo

okin

g at

how

to

open

up

furt

her

3.28

elem

ents

of

the

Plac

es D

atab

ase,

a m

ajor

rep

osito

ry o

f in

form

atio

n ab

out

com

mun

ities

. Thi

s w

ill h

elp

peop

le b

ette

r un

ders

tand

the

tre

nds

and

chal

leng

es in

th

eir

loca

l are

a. W

e w

ill u

se f

eedb

ack

from

use

rs o

f th

e si

te t

o im

prov

e an

d ta

ilor

Com

mun

ities

in c

ontr

ol: r

eal p

eopl

e, r

eal p

ower

58

the

data

base

to

prov

ide

the

info

rmat

ion

that

citi

zens

wan

t, in

a w

ay t

hey

wan

t to

vi

ew it

. We

will

laun

ch t

he n

ew p

ublic

fac

ing

Plac

es D

atab

ase

in a

utum

n 20

08.

In a

dditi

on t

o th

is, t

here

is a

hug

e am

ount

of

info

rmat

ion

colle

cted

loca

lly b

y 3.

29 au

thor

ities

the

mse

lves

. Thi

s in

form

atio

n co

uld

be o

f gr

eat

inte

rest

to

peop

le if

th

ey c

ould

acc

ess

it. H

owev

er, c

urre

ntly

the

re is

big

var

iatio

n be

twee

n au

thor

ities

in

how

muc

h of

thi

s in

form

atio

n th

ey m

ake

avai

labl

e an

d in

its

qual

ity,

acce

ssib

ility

and

use

fuln

ess

to c

itize

ns, i

nclu

ding

tho

se w

ith d

isab

ilitie

s an

d sp

ecia

l ne

eds.

We

wan

t lo

cal a

utho

ritie

s to

pub

lish

this

info

rmat

ion

as s

oon

as t

hey

have

ac

cess

to

it th

emse

lves

. We

will

wor

k w

ith t

he L

ocal

Gov

ernm

ent

Ass

ocia

tion

(LG

A) a

nd t

he Im

prov

emen

t an

d D

evel

opm

ent

Age

ncy

(IDeA

) to

sup

po

rt lo

cal

auth

ori

ties

in m

akin

g in

form

atio

n t

hey

ho

ld m

ore

rea

dily

ava

ilab

le. W

e w

ill a

lso

wor

k w

ith lo

cal a

utho

ritie

s to

pilo

t in

no

vati

ve a

pp

roac

hes

to

sh

arin

g

info

rmat

ion

, wit

h c

itiz

ens,

co

mm

un

ity

gro

up

s an

d w

ith

th

ird

par

ties

like

M

ySoc

iety

and

oth

ers,

to

cons

olid

ate,

reu

se a

nd r

epub

lish

loca

l inf

orm

atio

n.

Scre

enre

ader

.net

– a

gat

eway

to

ind

epen

den

ce f

or

the

blin

d

and

par

tial

ly s

igh

ted

Scre

enre

ader

.net

sup

plie

s a

free

too

l to

enab

le t

he b

lind

and

part

ially

sig

hted

w

ithou

t fin

anci

al r

esou

rces

to

mak

e a

com

pute

r ta

lk f

or t

hem

, allo

win

g th

e us

er t

o he

ar e

xact

ly w

hat’s

on

the

scre

en, t

o ac

cess

the

Inte

rnet

, to

writ

e em

ails

and

lett

ers,

or

sea

rch

for

a jo

b. T

his

inva

luab

le t

ool i

s ca

lled

‘Thu

nder

’ Scr

eenr

eade

r.net

and

was

fo

unde

d by

blin

d pe

ople

(Rog

er a

nd M

arga

ret

Wils

on-H

inds

) for

blin

d us

ers.

The

tech

nolo

gy u

sed

is n

ot n

ew b

ut, b

ecau

se it

ten

ds t

o be

exp

ensi

ve

(£50

0-£1

,100

), m

ost

blin

d an

d vi

sual

ly im

paire

d pe

ople

stil

l fin

d th

emse

lves

bar

red

from

pro

duct

ive

use

of c

ompu

ters

. Scr

eenr

eade

r.net

is u

niqu

e in

pro

vidi

ng t

his

tech

nolo

gy f

or f

ree.

Mor

e th

an 1

00,0

00 b

lind

peop

le h

ave

dow

nloa

ded

Thun

der

from

the

site

in t

he

last

18

mon

ths

and

over

20,

000

have

bec

ome

‘reg

iste

red

user

s’. S

cree

nrea

der.n

et’s

obje

ctiv

e is

to

diss

emin

ate

the

tech

nolo

gy a

s fa

r as

pos

sibl

e –

as it

s co

nstit

utio

n st

ates

: “m

ake

this

uni

vers

ally

ava

ilabl

e to

all

that

nee

d it”

.

Scre

enre

ader

.net

vie

ws

the

talk

ing

com

pute

r as

the

“ne

w B

raill

e”, t

he g

atew

ay t

o re

adin

g, w

ritin

g, le

arni

ng a

nd in

depe

nden

ce f

or b

lind

peop

le.

ww

w.s

cree

nrea

der.n

et

59

Acc

ess

to in

form

atio

n

Thos

e in

nee

d of

sup

port

in o

ur s

ocie

ty c

an e

xper

ienc

e pa

rtic

ular

cha

lleng

es in

3.

30 fin

ding

info

rmat

ion

abou

t th

e se

rvic

es t

hey

are

entit

led

to. A

s pa

rt o

f ou

r pi

lots

of

inno

vativ

e ap

proa

ches

to

shar

ing

info

rmat

ion

we

will

exp

lore

way

s of

st

reng

then

ing

info

rmat

ion

prov

isio

n fo

r vu

lner

able

and

soc

ially

exc

lude

d pe

ople

th

roug

h C

har

ters

fo

r In

dep

end

ent

Livi

ng

. The

se c

hart

ers

will

pro

vide

a c

lear

an

d ac

cess

ible

sta

tem

ent

of t

he s

tand

ards

ser

vice

use

rs c

an e

xpec

t. T

hey

will

als

o pr

ovid

e in

form

atio

n on

the

per

form

ance

of

serv

ices

in m

eetin

g th

ese

stan

dard

s.

And

it is

not

just

loca

l aut

horit

ies

who

hol

d in

form

atio

n th

at is

of

inte

rest

to

3.31

citiz

ens.

The

new

ind

epen

den

t so

cial

ho

usi

ng

reg

ula

tor,

the

Ten

ant

Serv

ices

A

utho

rity58

will

ens

ure

that

info

rmat

ion

is a

vaila

ble

to e

nabl

e so

cial

ten

ants

to

com

pare

the

per

form

ance

of

prov

ider

s of

soc

ial h

ousi

ng in

clud

ing

hous

ing

asso

ciat

ions

and

, in

futu

re, l

ocal

aut

horit

ies.

Co

mm

un

ity

med

iaTh

e m

ains

trea

m m

edia

– n

atio

nal,

loca

l, pr

int,

bro

adca

st a

nd o

nlin

e –

has

an

3.32

enor

mou

s in

fluen

ce o

ver

peop

le’s

attit

udes

tow

ards

the

pol

itica

l sys

tem

, tow

ards

po

litic

ians

and

tow

ards

pol

itica

l ins

titut

ions

and

is a

key

sou

rce

of in

form

atio

n ab

out

the

big

issu

es in

a lo

cal a

rea.

Joh

n Ll

oyd

has

gone

as

far

as t

o su

gges

t th

at:

“The

med

ia in

the

tw

enty

-firs

t ce

ntur

y, a

re in

Brit

ain

at t

he h

eigh

t of

the

ir po

wer

s –

a po

sitio

n sh

ared

by

thei

r co

unte

rpar

ts in

no

othe

r co

untr

y, e

ven

the

US…

Not

hing

–

not

relig

ious

bel

ief,

not

pol

itica

l deb

ate

and

argu

men

t, n

ot e

ven

conv

ersa

tion

with

fr

iend

s an

d fa

mily

– p

osse

sses

the

com

man

d ov

er m

ass

atte

ntio

n th

at t

he m

edia

ha

ve t

aken

as

thei

r ow

n. T

heir

them

es d

omin

ate

publ

ic a

nd p

rivat

e liv

es. T

heir

defin

ition

s of

wha

t is

rig

ht o

r w

rong

, tru

e or

fal

se, i

mpo

se t

hem

selv

es o

n po

litic

s an

d on

the

pub

lic d

omai

n. T

heir

narr

ativ

es c

onst

ruct

the

wor

ld w

e do

n’t

imm

edia

tely

exp

erie

nce

– w

hich

for

nea

rly a

ll of

us,

is m

ost

of t

he w

orld

.”59

The

Gov

ernm

ent

reco

gnis

es t

he im

port

ance

of

a ra

nge

of m

edia

out

lets

, lik

e 3.

33 co

mm

unity

rad

io a

nd t

elev

isio

n st

atio

ns a

nd lo

cal w

ebsi

tes,

as

a w

ay o

f pr

omot

ing

alte

rnat

ive

info

rmat

ion

for

disc

ussi

on a

nd d

ebat

e, a

nd e

nabl

ing

citiz

ens

to m

ake

choi

ces

abou

t w

here

to

get

info

rmat

ion

on t

heir

neig

hbou

rhoo

ds. T

he

58

The

esta

blis

hmen

t of

the

Ten

ant

Serv

ices

Aut

horit

y is

sub

ject

to

legi

slat

ion.

The

Ten

ant

Serv

ices

A

utho

rity

will

be

crea

ted

by t

he H

ousi

ng a

nd R

egen

erat

ion

Bill

whi

ch h

as n

ot a

t th

e tim

e of

pu

blic

atio

n, r

ecei

ved

Roya

l Ass

ent.

59

Lloy

d, J

(200

4) W

hat

the

med

ia a

re d

oing

to

our

polit

ics,

Con

stab

le.

Com

mun

ities

in c

ontr

ol: r

eal p

eopl

e, r

eal p

ower

60

Gov

ernm

ent

will

wor

k w

ith m

ains

trea

m b

road

cast

ers

and

Ofc

om t

o en

cour

age

new

opp

ortu

nitie

s fo

r th

is s

ecto

r to

dev

elop

.

Sup

po

rtin

g in

no

vati

on

We

wan

t to

sup

port

inno

vatio

n in

the

use

of

new

tec

hnol

ogie

s. T

his

coul

d be

in

3.34

the

form

of

activ

e de

bate

and

del

iber

ativ

e en

gage

men

t w

ith g

over

nmen

t or

in

no

vati

on

in c

om

mu

nit

y an

d s

oci

al m

edia

. We

will

wor

k cl

osel

y w

ith t

he

Off

ice

of t

he T

hird

Sec

tor,

Cab

inet

Off

ice,

the

Min

istr

y of

Jus

tice,

Dep

artm

ent

for

Inno

vatio

n, U

nive

rsiti

es a

nd S

kills

and

oth

er p

artn

ers

to e

xplo

re w

ays

of d

oing

th

is. W

e w

ill a

lso

prov

ide

fund

ing

for

med

ia a

nd t

echn

olog

y th

roug

h th

e Em

pow

erm

ent

Fund

.

Mo

bili

sin

g v

olu

nte

ers

to r

esp

on

d t

o s

um

mer

flo

od

s

Com

mun

ity S

ervi

ce V

olun

teer

s (C

SV) i

s th

e U

K’s

larg

est

volu

ntee

ring

and

trai

ning

or

gani

satio

n. It

run

s 36

BBC

Act

ion

Des

ks

acro

ss E

ngla

nd, l

inke

d to

the

BBC

and

re

achi

ng in

to 1

0 m

illio

n ho

mes

. Thi

s ne

twor

k w

as p

artic

ular

ly u

sefu

l dur

ing

the

2007

sum

mer

flo

ods.

CSV

res

pond

ed t

o th

e cr

isis

in S

outh

Yo

rksh

ire t

hrou

gh t

he C

SV G

ood

Nei

ghbo

ur A

ppea

l, ru

n in

par

tner

ship

with

loca

l BBC

Rad

io p

artn

ers,

BBC

Rad

io S

heff

ield

. BBC

Rad

io S

heff

ield

’s C

SV

Act

ion

Des

k br

oadc

ast

on-a

ir ap

peal

s fo

r lis

tene

rs t

o do

nate

ess

entia

l ite

ms

of

hous

ehol

d eq

uipm

ent

and

furn

iture

to

peop

le w

hose

hom

es a

nd p

osse

ssio

ns h

ad

been

des

troy

ed. C

SV a

lso

appe

aled

for

vol

unte

ers

to a

ssis

t w

ith t

he c

olle

ctio

n an

d di

strib

utio

n of

don

ated

item

s as

wel

l as

the

phys

ical

cle

an-u

p of

flo

od a

reas

.

BBC

Rad

io S

heff

ield

bro

adca

st 2

4 ho

urs

a da

y fo

r te

n da

ys d

urin

g th

e ap

peal

, with

C

SV’s

Act

ion

Man

ager

And

y K

ersh

aw m

anag

ing

both

the

ir ou

trea

ch e

ffor

ts a

s w

ell

as b

eing

the

voi

ce o

f th

e ap

peal

on

air.

At

its p

eak,

the

Act

ion

Des

k A

ppea

l was

ge

nera

ting

200

calls

an

hour

and

400

–500

em

ails

a d

ay f

rom

peo

ple

offe

ring

item

s an

d su

ppor

t, a

nd r

ecru

ited

over

250

vol

unte

ers.

ww

w.c

sv.o

rg.u

k

61

Acc

ess

to in

form

atio

n

Gov

ernm

ent

will

pilo

t a

‘3.

35

Dig

ital

Men

tor’

sch

eme

in d

epriv

ed a

reas

. The

se

men

tors

will

sup

port

gro

ups

to d

evel

op w

ebsi

tes

and

podc

asts

, to

use

digi

tal

phot

ogra

phy

and

onlin

e pu

blis

hing

too

ls, t

o de

velo

p sh

ort

film

s an

d to

impr

ove

gene

ral m

edia

lite

racy

. The

Dig

ital M

ento

rs w

ill a

lso

crea

te li

nks

with

com

mun

ity

and

loca

l bro

adca

ster

s as

par

t of

the

ir ca

paci

ty b

uild

ing,

to

enab

le t

hose

who

w

ant

to d

evel

op c

aree

rs in

the

med

ia t

o do

so.

Dep

endi

ng o

n th

e su

cces

s of

the

se

pilo

ts, t

his

sche

me

coul

d be

rol

led

out

to d

epriv

ed a

reas

acr

oss

Engl

and.

The

Dep

artm

ent

for

Chi

ldre

n, S

choo

ls a

nd F

amili

es is

sup

port

ing

a Yo

uth

Med

ia

3.36

Fund

, kno

wn

as M

edia

box,

to

help

you

ng p

eopl

e ha

ve a

pos

itive

voi

ce in

the

m

edia

. It

offe

rs d

isad

vant

aged

13-

19 y

ear

olds

the

cha

nce

to d

evel

op a

nd

prod

uce

crea

tive

med

ia p

roje

cts

abou

t is

sues

tha

t ar

e im

port

ant

to t

hem

, usi

ng

film

, prin

t, t

elev

isio

n, r

adio

or

onlin

e pl

atfo

rms.

Ove

r 7,

000

youn

g pe

ople

hav

e be

en f

unde

d so

far

.

Sinc

e le

gisl

atio

n in

200

4 pr

ovid

ing

for

the

licen

sing

of

com

mun

ity r

adio

, Ofc

om

3.37

has

awar

ded

som

e 17

0 co

mm

un

ity

rad

io li

cen

ces

and

arou

nd 1

00 s

tatio

ns a

re

now

on-

air.

The

Dep

artm

ent

for

Cul

ture

, Med

ia a

nd S

port

pro

vide

s so

me

core

fu

ndin

g vi

a O

fcom

. We

belie

ve t

hat

com

mun

ity r

adio

can

hav

e a

uniq

ue r

ole

in

wor

king

with

in c

omm

uniti

es t

o bu

ild s

ocia

l coh

esio

n an

d em

pow

erm

ent

and

draw

on

a ra

nge

of f

undi

ng s

ourc

es t

o de

liver

soc

ial b

enef

its.

Bene

fits

also

incl

ude

prov

idin

g lo

cal e

duca

tion,

tra

inin

g an

d vo

lunt

eerin

g 3.

38 op

port

uniti

es –

incl

udin

g fo

r th

e hu

ndre

ds o

f m

edia

pro

fess

iona

ls w

ho g

ive

up

thei

r tim

e to

men

tor

loca

l com

mun

ity g

roup

s th

roug

h pr

ogra

mm

es s

uch

as t

hat

orga

nise

d by

the

Med

ia T

rust

. In

addi

tion,

soc

ial m

edia

can

be

an e

ntry

poi

nt f

or

peop

le t

o be

com

e ac

tive

citiz

ens,

esp

ecia

lly f

or y

oung

peo

ple,

pro

vidi

ng t

hem

w

ith w

ays

to c

reat

e th

eir

own

stor

ies

and

cont

ent

abou

t an

ythi

ng t

hat

inte

rest

s th

em, r

angi

ng f

rom

dai

ly b

logs

to

onlin

e di

scus

sion

s ab

out

rais

ing

child

ren.

Com

mun

ities

in c

ontr

ol: r

eal p

eopl

e, r

eal p

ower

62

Ref

ug

ee B

en b

road

cast

s to

Bra

dfo

rd

Ben

Mus

sanz

i bro

adca

sts

regu

larly

on

Brad

ford

’s co

mm

unity

rad

io s

tatio

n, B

CB

106.

6fm

.

Six

year

s ag

o, B

en f

led

the

Dem

ocra

tic R

epub

lic o

f C

ongo

. Des

pite

his

qua

lific

atio

ns a

nd e

xper

ienc

e,

Ben

foun

d it

impo

ssib

le a

s a

refu

gee

with

poo

r En

glis

h to

fin

d a

job.

A c

hanc

e en

coun

ter

with

Mar

y D

owso

n, t

he B

CB

Dire

ctor

, ope

ned

Ben’

s ho

rizon

s to

com

mun

ity

radi

o an

d a

host

of

new

pro

duct

ion

and

pres

enta

tion

skill

s.

Ben

has

been

vol

unte

erin

g w

ith B

CB

for

over

fou

r ye

ars,

bro

adca

stin

g a

Fren

ch

lang

uage

pro

gram

me

calle

d A

fric

a on

Air.

Mor

e re

cent

ly h

e st

arte

d a

mon

thly

En

glis

h la

ngua

ge p

rogr

amm

e, P

eace

Mus

ic.

“Not

onl

y w

as I

givi

ng a

voi

ce t

o m

y co

mm

unity

, but

thr

ough

pre

sent

ing

Afr

ica

on

Air

and

late

r Pe

ace

Mus

ic, I

was

abl

e ex

pres

s m

y fe

elin

gs, d

eep

feel

ings

tha

t ha

d be

en c

ause

d by

the

tra

uma

of w

ar,”

sai

d Be

n. “

I rec

ogni

se n

ow t

hat

the

radi

o sh

ow

was

the

sta

rt o

f m

e de

alin

g w

ith t

his

trau

ma.

”

The

mul

ti-aw

ard

win

ning

sta

tion

is a

lso

avai

labl

e on

line.

It b

road

cast

s 24

hou

rs a

day

w

ith a

mix

of

mus

ic, l

ocal

new

s, s

port

and

com

mun

ity p

rogr

amm

ing.

Fun

ding

com

es

from

the

Bra

dfor

d C

ity C

ounc

il, g

over

nmen

t, c

harit

ies

and

the

Euro

pean

Uni

on.

As

a m

embe

rshi

p or

gani

satio

n, it

enc

oura

ges

peop

le t

o be

invo

lved

in t

he li

fe o

f th

e st

atio

n. T

here

are

als

o tr

aini

ng w

orks

hops

to

help

peo

ple

lear

n th

e ba

sics

of

broa

dcas

ting.

ww

w.b

cbra

dio.

co.u

k

Go

to t

he p

eopl

e. L

ive

with

th

em. L

earn

fro

m t

hem

. Lo

ve t

hem

.

Star

t w

ith w

hat

they

kno

w.

Build

with

wha

t th

ey h

ave.

But

with

the

bes

t le

ader

s,

whe

n th

e w

ork

is d

one,

th

e ta

sk a

ccom

plis

hed,

the

pe

ople

will

say

“W

e ha

ve d

one

this

ou

rsel

ves”

.

Lao

Tzu

(600

– 5

31 B

C)

Ch

ines

e Ta

ois

t p

hilo

sop

her

Ch

apte

r 4

Hav

ing

an in

fluen

ce

Com

mun

ities

in c

ontr

ol: r

eal p

eopl

e, r

eal p

ower

64

Hav

ing

an

infl

uen

ceH

ow d

o I h

ave

my

say

and

influ

ence

the

de

cisi

ons

bein

g m

ade

on m

y be

half,

bot

h by

el

ecte

d an

d ap

poin

ted

peop

le?

This

cha

pter

exp

lain

s ho

w w

e w

ill g

ive

peop

le n

ew r

ight

s to

pet

ition

for

act

ion

4.1

from

the

ir re

pres

enta

tives

and

pub

lic o

ffic

ials

and

how

we

will

enc

oura

ge h

ighe

r tu

rnou

ts in

ele

ctio

ns, i

nclu

ding

thr

ough

vot

ing

ince

ntiv

es.

Peti

tio

n p

ow

erBr

itain

has

a lo

ng-s

tand

ing

trad

ition

of

petit

ioni

ng t

o ex

pres

s a

colle

ctiv

e vi

ew a

nd

4.2

put

pres

sure

on

thos

e in

pow

er. F

or e

xam

ple,

the

Cha

rtis

ts d

eman

ded

grea

ter

dem

ocra

cy in

the

184

0s, i

nclu

ding

dem

andi

ng a

n en

d to

rot

ten

boro

ughs

, pa

ymen

t fo

r M

Ps, v

otes

for

wor

king

men

and

ann

ual p

arlia

men

ts. T

hey

orga

nise

d a

petit

ion

in s

uppo

rt o

f th

eir

dem

ands

whi

ch w

as s

igne

d by

six

mill

ion

peop

le, o

ut

of a

pop

ulat

ion

of u

nder

20

mill

ion.

Ten

s of

tho

usan

ds o

f pe

ople

sig

ned

petit

ions

as

par

t of

the

cam

paig

n to

abo

lish

the

tran

satla

ntic

sla

ve t

rade

.

Ther

e is

a lo

ng-e

stab

lishe

d tr

aditi

on o

f m

embe

rs o

f th

e pu

blic

pre

sent

ing

petit

ions

4.

3 at

the

doo

r of

No.

10

Dow

ning

Str

eet.

Sin

ce it

s la

unch

in N

ovem

ber

2006

, the

e-

Petit

ions

site

has

pro

ved

to b

e a

high

ly p

opul

ar in

nova

tion,

hel

ping

peo

ple

com

mun

icat

e w

ith t

he G

over

nmen

t an

d w

ith t

he P

rime

Min

iste

r’s o

ffic

e. T

here

ha

ve b

een

mor

e th

an e

ight

mill

ion

sign

atur

es, o

rigin

atin

g fr

om m

ore

than

fou

r m

illio

n di

ffer

ent

emai

l add

ress

es. T

he s

oftw

are

behi

nd t

he s

yste

m is

als

o av

aila

ble

free

for

any

one

to u

se.

We

are

not

prop

osin

g go

vern

men

t by

pet

ition

s, n

or a

re w

e su

gges

ting

that

the

4.

4 ro

le o

f el

ecte

d re

pres

enta

tives

in t

akin

g di

ffic

ult

deci

sion

s sh

ould

be

unde

rmin

ed.

But,

we

do b

elie

ve t

hat

stro

nger

pet

ition

pow

ers

will

ena

ble

mor

e pe

ople

to

have

th

eir

voic

e he

ard

and

help

ele

cted

rep

rese

ntat

ives

do

thei

r jo

bs b

ette

r.

Ch

apte

r 4

65

Hav

ing

an in

fluen

ce

Infl

uen

cin

g t

he

nat

ion

al a

gen

da

The

Scot

tish

Parli

amen

t su

cces

sful

ly a

llow

s in

divi

dual

s, c

omm

unity

gro

ups

and

4.5

orga

nisa

tions

to

have

pet

ition

s on

issu

es o

f pu

blic

con

cern

con

side

red

by a

st

andi

ng c

omm

ittee

. The

y ca

n de

cide

whe

ther

an

issu

e ra

ised

by

petit

ion

shou

ld

be c

onsi

dere

d in

a S

cott

ish

parli

amen

tary

deb

ate.

For

the

UK

, the

Hou

se o

f C

omm

ons

Proc

edur

e C

omm

ittee

has

look

ed a

t th

e 4.

6 Sc

ottis

h pa

rliam

ent

syst

em a

nd a

t ot

her

mod

els

in p

ropo

sing

ref

orm

s to

the

pe

titio

ning

sys

tem

at

Wes

tmin

ster

. The

Com

mitt

ee h

as n

ow p

ublis

hed

a re

port

pr

opos

ing

a sy

stem

of

e-pe

titio

ning

, whi

ch c

ould

res

ult

in a

par

liam

enta

ry d

ebat

e or

Sel

ect

Com

mitt

ee in

quiry

. It

is u

ltim

atel

y a

mat

ter

for

Parli

amen

t ho

w it

tak

es

this

for

war

d, b

ut t

he G

over

nmen

t w

elco

mes

the

wor

k do

ne b

y th

e C

omm

ittee

w

hich

has

the

obj

ectiv

e of

re-

enga

ging

peo

ple

with

pol

itics

and

Par

liam

ent.

The

G

over

nmen

t w

ill r

espo

nd t

o th

e C

omm

ittee

’s re

com

men

datio

ns in

due

cou

rse.

The

Min

istr

y of

Jus

tice

disc

ussi

on p

aper

, 4.

7 A

nat

iona

l fra

mew

ork

for

grea

ter

citiz

en

enga

gem

ent,

whi

ch is

pub

lishe

d al

ongs

ide

this

Whi

te P

aper

, als

o w

elco

mes

the

pr

opos

ed e

-pet

ition

sch

eme

for

Parli

amen

t an

d lo

oks

forw

ard

to im

plem

enta

tion.

Mak

ing

th

ing

s h

app

en lo

cally

Man

y lo

cal a

utho

ritie

s ha

ndle

pet

ition

s ve

ry w

ell.

How

ever

, res

earc

h fo

r th

e Lo

cal

4.8

Gov

ernm

ent

Ass

ocia

tion

(LG

A) s

ugge

sts

that

few

er t

han

a th

ird o

f co

unci

ls

guar

ante

e a

resp

onse

to

petit

ions

.60 O

ur o

wn

rese

arch

sug

gest

s th

at t

he n

umbe

r of

cou

ncils

who

mak

e de

tails

of

thei

r pe

titio

ns s

chem

e av

aila

ble

to t

he p

ublic

is

even

sm

alle

r.

We

will

intr

oduc

e a

4.9

new

du

ty o

n lo

cal c

ou

nci

ls t

o r

esp

on

d t

o a

ll p

etit

ion

s,

incl

ud

ing

ele

ctro

nic

pet

itio

ns,

rel

atin

g t

o lo

cal a

uth

ori

ty f

un

ctio

ns

or

oth

er

pu

blic

ser

vice

s w

her

e th

e co

un

cil s

har

es d

eliv

ery

resp

on

sib

iliti

es. P

etiti

ons

coul

d ca

ll fo

r ac

tion

– to

dea

l with

em

pty

prop

ertie

s, t

o tr

ansf

er t

he o

wne

rshi

p of

a

build

ing

to t

he c

omm

unity

, to

calm

tra

ffic

in a

n ac

cide

nt b

lack

spot

, or

to r

eque

st

refu

se c

olle

ctio

n on

a c

erta

in d

ay, g

ates

at

the

end

of t

he p

assa

ges

behi

nd h

ouse

s,

a ne

w s

choo

l cro

ssin

g, o

r ne

w s

tree

t lig

hts

in a

dar

k co

rner

of

an e

stat

e. T

hey

coul

d al

so c

all f

or p

artic

ipat

ory

budg

etin

g or

a lo

cal r

efer

endu

m t

hus

givi

ng t

he

initi

ativ

e to

the

citi

zen.

60

Loca

l Gov

ernm

ent

Ass

ocia

tion

rapi

d su

rvey

of

102

mem

ber

auth

oriti

es, 2

007.

Com

mun

ities

in c

ontr

ol: r

eal p

eopl

e, r

eal p

ower

66

Resp

ondi

ng t

o a

petit

ion

shou

ld n

ot b

e a

‘tic

kbox

’ exe

rcis

e. If

the

cou

ncil’

s 4.

10 ov

ervi

ew a

nd s

crut

iny

com

mitt

ee d

ecid

es t

he r

espo

nse

is n

ot a

dequ

ate

or

subs

tant

ive,

pet

ition

ers

will

be

able

to

secu

re a

deb

ate

of t

he f

ull c

ounc

il. In

any

ev

ent,

if f

ive

per

cent

of

the

loca

l pop

ulat

ion

sign

a p

etiti

on, t

here

will

hav

e to

be

a fu

ll co

unci

l deb

ate.

Loc

al a

utho

ritie

s w

ill b

e ab

le t

o se

t lo

wer

thr

esho

lds.

A f

ew is

sues

, for

exa

mpl

e pl

anni

ng, w

ill n

eed

to b

e de

alt

with

diff

eren

tly t

o re

flect

4.

11 ex

istin

g ro

bust

sta

tuto

ry p

roce

sses

for

pub

lic p

artic

ipat

ion

and

cons

ulta

tion.

Pe

titio

ns a

re a

lread

y us

ed e

xten

sive

ly b

y lo

cal c

omm

uniti

es t

o ex

pres

s th

eir

view

s on

pla

nnin

g m

atte

rs. L

ocal

pla

nnin

g au

thor

ities

are

alre

ady

lega

lly r

equi

red

to

addr

ess

repr

esen

tatio

ns, i

nclu

ding

pet

ition

s, b

y ta

king

rel

evan

t co

mm

ents

into

ac

coun

t an

d by

mak

ing

thei

r de

cisi

on a

nd t

he r

easo

ns f

or it

pub

lic.

Co

un

cils

will

als

o a

ct a

s co

mm

un

ity

advo

cate

s4.

12

, for

exa

mpl

e fo

r pe

titio

ns

rela

ted

to t

he P

rimar

y C

are

Trus

t on

sub

ject

s su

ch a

s th

e le

vel o

f pr

ovis

ion

of

com

mun

ity s

ervi

ces.

We

will

wor

k w

ith o

ur lo

cal p

artn

ers

to d

evis

e a

syst

em

whi

ch w

ill w

ork

in p

ract

ice

and

whi

ch is

cap

able

of

enga

ging

the

pub

lic in

a

mea

ning

ful w

ay.

We

wan

t to

em

pow

er t

he p

ublic

to

use

petit

ions

in o

ther

pub

lic s

ervi

ces.

The

4.

13 C

hief

Insp

ecto

r of

Edu

catio

n, C

hild

ren’

s Se

rvic

es a

nd S

kills

has

ann

ounc

ed t

hat

in

the

futu

re t

he t

imin

g of

insp

ectio

ns w

ill b

e de

term

ined

by

an a

nnua

l ris

k as

sess

men

t w

hich

will

be

info

rmed

by

a ra

nge

of e

vide

nce

incl

udin

g th

e vi

ews

of

pare

nts

obta

ined

thr

ough

sur

veys

or

from

com

plai

nts.

Thi

s w

ill in

clud

e is

sues

ra

ised

thr

ough

pet

ition

s.

We

will

wor

k w

ith k

ey in

spec

tora

tes

to e

ncou

rage

the

m t

o co

nsid

er p

etiti

ons

as

4.14

impo

rtan

t pi

eces

of

evid

ence

to

dete

rmin

e w

hen

insp

ectio

ns m

ust

take

pla

ce, f

or

exam

ple

if an

old

peo

ple’

s ca

re h

ome

is n

ot u

p to

an

acce

ptab

le s

tand

ard

or a

w

orkp

lace

is f

elt

to b

e un

safe

.

67

Hav

ing

an in

fluen

ce

Co

un

cillo

r C

all f

or

Act

ion

We

intr

oduc

ed a

new

pow

er f

or c

ounc

illor

s in

the

Loc

al G

over

nmen

t an

d Pu

blic

4.

15 In

volv

emen

t in

Hea

lth A

ct 2

007

calle

d th

e C

ounc

illor

Cal

l for

Act

ion.

Thi

s em

pow

ers

coun

cillo

rs t

o re

quire

ove

rvie

w a

nd s

crut

iny

com

mitt

ees

to c

onsi

der

issu

es o

f lo

cal c

once

rn. W

e w

ill w

ork

with

the

Loc

al G

over

nmen

t A

ssoc

iatio

n (L

GA

) to

issu

e gu

idan

ce la

ter

this

yea

r to

sup

port

cou

ncill

ors

in e

xerc

isin

g th

ese

pow

ers.

A C

ounc

illor

Cal

l for

Act

ion

also

exi

sts

in t

he P

olic

e an

d Ju

stic

e A

ct 2

006

to r

aise

crim

e an

d di

sord

er is

sues

suc

h as

gan

gs a

nd g

uns.

The

Hom

e O

ffic

e w

ill

be c

onsu

lting

on

how

a C

ounc

illor

Cal

l for

Act

ion

mig

ht a

dd v

alue

as

part

of

the

broa

der

loca

l acc

ount

abili

ty a

rran

gem

ents

for

crim

e an

d di

sord

er in

the

upc

omin

g Po

licin

g G

reen

Pap

er. C

onsi

dera

tion

of t

he c

rime

and

diso

rder

Cou

ncill

or C

all f

or

Act

ion

will

be

take

n fo

rwar

d in

ligh

t of

the

res

ults

of

that

con

sulta

tion

with

a v

iew

to

gui

danc

e by

the

end

of

the

year

.

Part

icip

ato

ry b

ud

get

ing

Part

icip

ator

y bu

dget

ing

invo

lves

peo

ple

in m

akin

g de

cisi

ons

abou

t ho

w s

ectio

ns

4.16

of lo

cal p

ublic

bud

gets

are

allo

cate

d an

d in

vest

ed. O

rigin

atin

g am

ong

the

poor

est

com

mun

ities

in P

orto

Ale

gre,

Bra

zil i

n 19

89, t

he s

yste

m h

as b

een

used

in 3

00

citie

s w

ith 1

2 m

illio

n pe

ople

. The

Gov

ernm

ent

curr

ently

sup

port

s th

e Pa

rtic

ipat

ory

Budg

etin

g U

nit,

a p

roje

ct o

f th

e C

hurc

h A

ctio

n G

roup

on

Pove

rty,

to

enco

urag

e th

e sp

read

of

part

icip

ator

y bu

dget

ing

in E

ngla

nd.

Part

icip

ator

y bu

dget

ing

help

s to

dev

elop

the

ski

lls, e

xper

ienc

e an

d co

nfid

ence

of

4.17

thos

e in

volv

ed. I

t he

lps

to b

ring

peop

le t

oget

her

acro

ss d

ivid

es o

f ra

ce, a

ge, c

lass

an

d ba

ckgr

ound

to

build

a s

tron

ger

com

mun

ity a

nd e

ngen

ders

gre

ater

un

ders

tand

ing

of t

he c

ompl

exiti

es o

f lo

cal c

ounc

ils’ d

ecis

ion-

mak

ing,

incl

udin

g co

mpr

omis

es a

nd t

rade

-off

s. T

he d

ecis

ions

tak

en c

an b

e be

tter

tai

lore

d to

loca

l ne

eds

beca

use

loca

l com

mun

ity v

iew

s ar

e bu

ilt in

to t

he p

roce

ss f

rom

the

sta

rt,

and

the

proc

ess

enab

les

loca

l cou

ncill

ors

to a

dopt

a p

ositi

on o

f st

rong

com

mun

ity

lead

ersh

ip.61

It is

impo

rtan

t th

at s

ocia

lly e

xclu

ded

grou

ps a

re n

ot m

argi

nalis

ed in

th

e de

velo

pmen

t of

the

se a

ppro

ache

s an

d th

at t

heir

incl

usio

n he

lps

to in

form

and

ba

lanc

e co

mm

unity

dec

isio

n-m

akin

g.

61

Lava

n, K

(200

7) P

artic

ipat

ory

Budg

etin

g in

the

UK

: An

Eval

uatio

n fr

om a

Pra

ctiti

oner

Per

spec

tive,

M

anch

este

r: P

B U

nit.

Com

mun

ities

in c

ontr

ol: r

eal p

eopl

e, r

eal p

ower

68

Ther

e ar

e 22

loca

l aut

horit

y pa

rtic

ipat

ory

budg

etin

g pi

lots

cur

rent

ly o

pera

ting

in

4.18

Engl

and,

with

mor

e pl

anne

d by

the

end

of

the

year

. We

wan

t to

enc

oura

ge a

ll lo

cal a

utho

ritie

s to

fol

low

the

exa

mpl

e of

pio

neer

ing

loca

l aut

horit

ies

such

as

Sund

erla

nd a

nd B

radf

ord

so t

hat

part

icip

ator

y bu

dget

ing

is u

sed

in e

very

loca

l au

thor

ity a

rea

by 2

012.

We

will

sho

rtly

pub

lish

a N

atio

nal

Str

ateg

y o

n

par

tici

pat

ory

bu

dg

etin

g, w

hich

will

set

out

how

thi

s as

pira

tion

will

be

achi

eved

.

The

Dep

artm

ent

for

Chi

ldre

n, S

choo

ls a

nd F

amili

es (D

CSF

) has

pro

vide

d di

scre

te

4.19

fund

ing

for

youn

g pe

ople

to

cont

rol –

the

You

th O

ppor

tuni

ty F

und

and

the

Yout

h C

apita

l Fun

d. T

hese

fun

ds w

ill e

nabl

e lo

cal a

utho

ritie

s to

dev

elop

new

app

roac

hes

to s

trat

egic

inve

stm

ent

in y

outh

act

iviti

es a

nd f

acili

ties,

par

ticul

arly

in d

epriv

ed

area

s. W

e ar

e w

orki

ng w

ith t

he D

epar

tmen

t of

Hea

lth t

o ex

plor

e ho

w p

artic

ipat

ory

budg

etin

g ca

n be

use

d to

invo

lve

peop

le in

dec

isio

ns a

bout

hea

lth-r

elat

ed

spen

ding

. Add

ition

ally,

loca

l cou

ncill

ors

can

choo

se t

o al

loca

te a

ny d

eleg

ated

bu

dget

s th

roug

h pa

rtic

ipat

ory

budg

etin

g ap

proa

ches

.

The

Hom

e O

ffic

e w

ill s

uppo

rt p

ilotin

g th

e us

e of

par

ticip

ator

y bu

dget

ing

for

loca

l 4.

20 co

mm

unity

saf

ety

budg

ets.

We,

and

oth

er g

over

nmen

t de

part

men

ts, a

re

cons

ider

ing

whe

ther

mon

ey r

ecov

ered

fro

m c

rimin

als

unde

r th

e Pr

ocee

ds o

f C

rime

Act

200

2 sh

ould

be

avai

labl

e to

be

used

in t

his

way

.

69

Hav

ing

an in

fluen

ce

New

cast

le y

ou

ng

ster

s d

ecid

e w

hat

th

ey w

ant

to f

un

d

In N

ewca

stle

mor

e th

an 4

,000

you

ngst

ers

wer

e in

volv

ed in

spe

ndin

g £1

10,0

00 o

f th

e lo

cal

Nei

ghbo

urho

od R

enew

al F

und

from

200

6 to

200

8 in

an

awar

d-w

inni

ng p

artic

ipat

ory

budg

etin

g pi

lot,

br

ande

d lo

cally

as

Ude

cide

. Chi

ldre

n an

d yo

ung

peop

le s

et p

riorit

ies

for

spen

ding

the

mon

ey a

nd p

ut

forw

ard

proj

ect

idea

s.

Am

ong

the

succ

essf

ul p

ropo

sals

was

an

outd

oor

play

are

a fo

r ba

bies

at

a lo

cal c

hild

ren’

s ce

ntre

, new

sa

mba

dru

ms

for

a sp

ecia

l sch

ool a

nd a

pla

y ar

ea a

t a

hom

eles

s fa

mili

es p

roje

ct.

Jam

es, a

pup

il fr

om F

arne

Prim

ary

Scho

ol, s

aid:

“A

dults

pic

k di

ffer

ent,

bor

ing

stuf

f, b

ut U

deci

de

give

s ch

ildre

n a

go a

t sp

endi

ng t

he m

oney

”.Te

ache

r Ro

se W

ilcox

add

ed: “

The

child

ren

mad

e al

l the

dec

isio

ns f

or t

hem

selv

es.

They

’ve

real

ly d

iscu

ssed

the

mer

its o

f th

e id

eas

and

whe

ther

the

y m

et t

he c

riter

ia.”

The

City

Cou

ncil

was

so

impr

esse

d by

the

ir en

thus

iasm

, com

mitm

ent

and

abili

ty t

o m

ake

good

dec

isio

ns t

hat

they

hav

e em

bedd

ed t

his

met

hod

of e

ngag

emen

t w

ithin

th

eir

stru

ctur

es f

or d

eliv

erin

g se

rvic

es f

or c

hild

ren

and

youn

g pe

ople

. So

muc

h so

tha

t w

hen

Chi

ldre

n’s

Serv

ices

wan

ted

to k

now

whi

ch p

roje

cts

bidd

ing

for

thei

r £2

.25m

C

hild

ren’

s Fu

nd w

ould

mak

e a

diff

eren

ce t

o th

e liv

es o

f yo

ung

peop

le, t

hey

aske

d yo

ung

peop

le t

hem

selv

es t

o vo

te.

ww

w.n

ewca

stle

.gov

.uk/

udec

ide#

wha

t

Com

mun

ities

in c

ontr

ol: r

eal p

eopl

e, r

eal p

ower

70

Vo

tin

g in

cen

tive

sM

any

peop

le v

iew

vot

ing

in e

lect

ions

as

one

of t

he d

utie

s of

citi

zens

hip,

and

car

ry

4.21

out

thei

r re

spon

sibi

litie

s ev

ery

polli

ng d

ay. I

ncre

asin

gly,

tho

ugh,

vot

ing

is s

een

as

an a

rcan

e an

d al

ien

proc

ess,

whi

ch d

eter

s m

any

peop

le f

rom

tak

ing

part

. Thi

s is

es

peci

ally

tru

e of

you

ng p

eopl

e, w

ho a

re t

urni

ng t

heir

back

s on

vot

ing

in e

lect

ions

in

rec

ord

num

bers

.62

As

part

of

the

new

dut

y to

pro

mot

e de

moc

racy

tha

t w

e w

ill p

lace

on

loca

l 4.

22 au

thor

ities

, the

y sh

ould

run

info

rmat

ion

cam

paig

ns t

o ex

plai

n th

e pr

oces

ses

and

impl

icat

ions

of

votin

g, e

spec

ially

to

youn

g pe

ople

. Thi

s m

ight

invo

lve

loca

l cou

ncils

fo

rgin

g pa

rtne

rshi

ps w

ith s

choo

ls t

o us

e ci

tizen

ship

edu

catio

n to

adv

ocat

e vo

ting.

Th

e Q

ualit

y Pa

rish

Sche

me

requ

ires

paris

h co

unci

ls t

o pr

omot

e lo

cal d

emoc

racy

as

one

of t

he c

riter

ia f

or a

chie

ving

Qua

lity

stat

us.63

We

will

giv

e lo

cal a

utho

ritie

s4.

23

th

e p

ow

er t

o p

rovi

de

ince

nti

ves

for

voti

ng

in

loca

l go

vern

men

t el

ecti

on

s, f

or e

xam

ple

by e

nter

ing

vote

rs in

to a

priz

e dr

aw.

Votin

g in

cent

ives

sho

uld

not

be c

onst

rued

as

‘pay

ing

for

vote

s’ o

r cr

eate

a m

ajor

ne

w f

inan

cial

bur

den

on c

ounc

ils. I

nste

ad, t

hey

shou

ld b

e vi

ewed

as

an e

ye-

catc

hing

met

hod

to in

crea

se a

war

enes

s an

d en

gage

men

t, e

spec

ially

with

you

ng

peop

le w

ho h

ave

neve

r vo

ted

and

who

mig

ht v

iew

the

pro

cess

with

sus

pici

on.

Stro

ng

er c

om

mu

nit

y g

ove

rnan

ceW

e w

ant

form

al d

emoc

ratic

dec

isio

n-m

akin

g to

be

cond

ucte

d as

loca

lly a

s 4.

24 po

ssib

le, s

o th

at c

itize

ns c

an f

eel t

hat

thei

r lo

cal g

over

nmen

t is

par

t of

the

fab

ric

of c

omm

unity

life

and

tha

t th

eir

view

s ca

n be

hea

rd a

nd a

cted

upo

n by

loca

l co

unci

llors

.

To t

his

end,

we

wan

t to

enc

oura

ge t

he c

reat

ion

of c

ounc

ils a

t th

e m

ost

loca

l lev

el

4.25

whe

re t

hese

are

wan

ted

and

need

ed b

y lo

cal p

eopl

e, s

o th

at c

ounc

ils d

o no

t ju

st

exis

t at

dis

tric

t, c

ount

y or

bor

ough

leve

l. In

big

citi

es, p

eopl

e te

nd t

o id

entif

y w

ith

the

part

of

the

city

the

y liv

e in

. In

conu

rbat

ions

, peo

ple

iden

tify

with

the

ir su

burb

, es

tate

or

neig

hbou

rhoo

d. In

rur

al a

reas

, peo

ple

iden

tify

mos

t st

rong

ly w

ith t

heir

villa

ge o

r ne

ares

t to

wn.

Thi

s ca

n le

ad t

o a

disc

onne

ct b

etw

een

the

plac

e pe

ople

62

Elec

tora

l Com

mis

sion

(200

5) E

lect

ion

2005

: Tur

nout

– H

ow M

any,

Who

and

Why

?, L

ondo

n:

The

Elec

tora

l Com

mis

sion

. 63

A

chie

ving

qua

lity

paris

h st

atus

dem

onst

rate

s th

at a

cou

ncil

has

met

cer

tain

min

imum

sta

ndar

ds

expe

cted

fro

m a

n ef

fect

ive,

rep

rese

ntat

ive

and

activ

e pa

rish

coun

cil.

71

Hav

ing

an in

fluen

ce

say

they

live

in, a

nd t

he n

ame

of t

he lo

cal a

utho

rity

whi

ch d

eliv

ers

thei

r se

rvic

es

and

colle

cts

thei

r co

unci

l tax

. So

for

exam

ple,

a r

esid

ent

of M

alm

esbu

ry o

r Pe

wse

y,

in W

iltsh

ire is

unl

ikel

y to

say

the

y liv

e in

Ken

net,

eve

n if

that

is t

he n

ame

of t

he

coun

cil w

hich

col

lect

s th

eir

tax

ever

y ye

ar.

Ther

e ar

e al

read

y ab

out

8,90

0 pa

rish

or t

own

coun

cils

in E

ngla

nd, w

ith a

bout

4.

26 70

,000

ele

cted

par

ish

coun

cillo

rs, c

over

ing

roug

hly

90 p

er c

ent

of t

he

geog

raph

ical

are

a of

Eng

land

. The

se p

aris

h an

d to

wn

coun

cils

can

gen

erat

e lo

cal

inco

me

to f

und

thei

r ac

tiviti

es t

hrou

gh a

sup

plem

enta

ry c

harg

e (c

alle

d a

‘pre

cept

’) w

hich

is a

dded

to

the

coun

cil t

ax b

ill f

or t

he r

esid

ents

of

thei

r ar

ea.

In s

ome

area

s, p

aris

h or

tow

n co

unci

ls h

ave

wor

ked

with

loca

l gro

ups

to d

evel

op

4.27

a co

mm

unity

gov

erna

nce

part

ners

hip

mod

el, b

ased

on

the

deve

lopm

ent

of a

co

llect

ive

visi

on a

nd a

ctio

n pl

an. T

his

lend

s its

elf

to m

etho

ds s

uch

as p

artic

ipat

ory

budg

etin

g.

Resi

dent

s in

eve

ry p

art

of E

ngla

nd c

an n

ow s

eek

to e

stab

lish

this

for

m o

f lo

cal

4.28

coun

cil,

incl

udin

g in

maj

or c

ities

suc

h as

Lon

don.

Peo

ple

can

now

als

o ch

oose

to

call

thei

r lo

cal c

ounc

il a

neig

hbou

rhoo

d, c

omm

unity

or

villa

ge c

ounc

il in

stea

d of

a

paris

h or

tow

n co

unci

l if

they

wis

h. T

his

will

hel

p to

avo

id c

onfu

sing

civ

il pa

rish

coun

cils

, whi

ch a

re lo

cal c

ounc

ils, w

ith e

ccle

sias

tical

par

ish

coun

cils

whi

ch a

re

linke

d to

a c

hurc

h. W

e w

ant

to e

ncou

rage

the

cre

atio

n of

mor

e lo

cal c

ounc

ils

espe

cial

ly in

maj

or c

ities

, whe

re t

here

is lo

cal d

eman

d fo

r th

em, a

nd w

here

the

y ca

n be

man

aged

in a

fin

anci

ally

sus

tain

able

way

, whi

ch is

acc

epta

ble

to lo

cal

taxp

ayer

s. W

e in

tend

to

intr

oduc

e a

rig

ht

of

app

eal t

o t

he

Secr

etar

y o

f St

ate

wh

ere

a co

mm

un

ity’

s p

rop

osa

l fo

r a

loca

l co

un

cil i

s d

enie

d b

y th

e lo

cal

auth

ori

ty. W

e w

ill a

lso

wor

k w

ith t

he N

atio

nal A

ssoc

iatio

n of

Loc

al C

ounc

ils t

o en

cour

age

mor

e pa

rish

and

tow

n co

unci

ls t

o be

com

e Q

ualit

y co

unci

ls u

nder

the

ir re

vise

d sc

hem

e.

Sinc

e 19

72, e

very

par

ish

coun

cil h

as b

een

oblig

ed t

o ho

ld a

n an

nual

par

ish

4.29

mee

ting

of it

s el

ecto

rs, a

nd r

esid

ents

hav

e th

e po

wer

to

dem

and

a po

ll of

all

elec

tors

on

any

ques

tion

unde

r di

scus

sion

at

the

mee

ting.

The

pol

l is

then

or

gani

sed

and

held

at

a la

ter

date

. In

the

past

par

ish

polls

hav

e be

en c

ondu

cted

on

que

stio

ns w

hich

are

not

loca

l iss

ues.

We

prop

ose

to m

ake

the

rule

s g

ove

rnin

g p

aris

h p

olls

mo

re a

cces

sib

le a

nd b

ette

r un

ders

tood

and

to

mor

e cl

early

def

ine

thei

r sc

ope.

Thi

s m

ight

lead

to

chan

ges

such

as

exte

ndin

g th

e ho

urs

durin

g w

hich

par

ish

polls

are

con

duct

ed.

Com

mun

ities

in c

ontr

ol: r

eal p

eopl

e, r

eal p

ower

72

Bye-

law

s ca

n be

use

d to

ens

ure

that

ope

n pu

blic

spa

ces

can

be e

njoy

ed b

y al

l. Fo

r 4.

30 ex

ampl

e, lo

cal a

utho

ritie

s ha

ve u

sed

them

to

ban

the

ridin

g of

min

i-mot

orcy

cles

in

publ

ic p

arks

, to

ban

skat

eboa

rdin

g in

inap

prop

riate

are

as a

nd t

o pr

even

t do

gs

ente

ring

child

ren’

s pl

ay a

reas

. In

futu

re, l

ocal

aut

horit

ies,

incl

udin

g in

som

e ca

ses

paris

h co

unci

ls, w

ill b

e ab

le t

o m

ake

cert

ain

bye

-law

s w

ith

ou

t th

e n

eed

fo

r sc

ruti

ny

by

cen

tral

go

vern

men

t. T

his

will

mak

e by

e-la

ws

easi

er t

o un

ders

tand

an

d ex

plor

e, a

llow

ing

loca

l sol

utio

ns f

or lo

cal i

ssue

s.

Nei

gh

bo

urh

oo

d m

anag

emen

tA

roun

d a

quar

ter

of lo

cal a

utho

ritie

s, c

over

ing

near

ly 5

00 n

eigh

bour

hood

s an

d 4.

31 4.

2 m

illio

n pe

ople

, now

ope

rate

a s

yste

m c

alle

d ne

ighb

ourh

ood

man

agem

ent.

Th

is s

eeks

to

link

loca

l ser

vice

s, p

artic

ular

ly e

nviro

nmen

tal s

ervi

ces,

war

deni

ng a

nd

polic

ing,

and

foc

us o

n th

e ne

eds

of a

com

mun

ity. I

n ar

eas

whe

re n

eigh

bour

hood

m

anag

emen

t is

wor

king

, peo

ple

repo

rt a

red

uctio

n in

the

ir pe

rcep

tion

of

prob

lem

s su

ch a

s ca

r cr

ime,

van

dalis

m, g

raff

iti a

nd r

acia

l har

assm

ent;

incr

ease

d sa

tisfa

ctio

n w

ith t

he w

ay d

rugs

, litt

er a

nd n

uisa

nce

are

bein

g ta

ckle

d; a

nd

incr

ease

d sa

tisfa

ctio

n w

ith t

he p

olic

e be

caus

e of

gre

ater

vis

ibili

ty o

f po

lice

offic

ers

and

polic

e co

mm

unity

sup

port

off

icer

s (P

CSO

s).

Sir

Ronn

ie F

lana

gan,

in h

is r

ecen

t re

view

of

polic

ing

4.32

64

, rec

omm

ende

d th

at

neig

hbou

rhoo

d-le

vel p

olic

ing

shou

ld b

e pa

rt o

f w

ider

loca

l aut

horit

y-le

d ne

ighb

ourh

ood

man

agem

ent.

Thi

s w

ould

mea

n lo

cally

-neg

otia

ted

com

mun

ity

safe

ty p

riorit

ies;

sha

red

info

rmat

ion

and

feed

back

for

res

iden

ts; a

nd s

tron

g re

side

nt in

volv

emen

t in

the

dire

ctio

n of

pol

icin

g. (T

his

was

sup

port

ed b

y Lo

uise

C

asey

in h

er r

ecen

t re

view

.)

Both

nei

ghbo

urho

od p

olic

ing

and

a m

ore

inte

grat

ed n

eigh

bour

hood

ser

vice

rel

y 4.

33 he

avily

on

the

activ

e pa

rtic

ipat

ion

of lo

cal c

omm

uniti

es t

o m

ake

them

wor

k. T

he

Hom

e O

ffic

e w

ill t

ake

forw

ard

the

Cas

ey p

ropo

sal t

o su

ppor

t co

mm

unity

gro

ups

to p

lay

a st

rong

er r

ole

in t

ackl

ing

crim

e th

roug

h th

e C

omm

unity

Crim

e Fi

ghte

r pr

ogra

mm

e. It

will

be

an o

ppor

tuni

ty t

o in

crea

se t

he v

isib

ility

and

eff

ectiv

enes

s of

th

e m

any

and

dive

rse

loca

l gro

ups

alre

ady

wor

king

in t

he c

omm

unity

– s

uch

as

Nei

ghbo

urho

od W

atch

– a

nd t

o ex

tend

invo

lvem

ent

into

new

are

as a

nd in

clud

e ne

w c

itize

ns.

64

Flan

agan

, R (2

008)

The

Rev

iew

of

Polic

ing:

Fin

al R

epor

t, L

ondo

n: H

ome

Off

ice.

73

Hav

ing

an in

fluen

ce

Ther

e ar

e pl

enty

of e

xam

ples

of t

his

arou

nd th

e co

untr

y. In

Der

wen

tsid

e,

4.34

C

ount

y D

urha

m, t

he p

olic

e an

d ot

her

agen

cies

laun

ched

a c

ampa

ign

to t

ackl

e un

dera

ge

drin

king

and

ant

i-soc

ial b

ehav

iour

. The

initi

ativ

e re

duce

d th

e am

ount

of

alco

hol

seiz

ed b

y 85

per

cen

t to

just

18

seiz

ures

a m

onth

, with

a re

duct

ion

in a

nti-s

ocia

l be

havi

our.

We

will

tak

e th

is a

ppro

ach

furt

her

with

the

Nat

iona

l Pol

ice

Impr

ovem

ent

Age

ncy

and

the

Regi

onal

Impr

ovem

ent

and

Effic

ienc

y Pa

rtne

rshi

ps.

Stre

ng

then

ing

co

mm

un

ity

voic

esTh

e th

ird s

ecto

r ha

s a

uniq

ue a

bilit

y to

giv

e a

voic

e to

the

com

mun

ity a

nd d

rive

4.35

chan

ge, m

ost

pow

erfu

lly w

here

thi

rd s

ecto

r or

gani

satio

ns w

ork

toge

ther

. We

reco

gnis

e th

at in

clus

ive

part

icip

ativ

e st

ruct

ures

for

thi

rd s

ecto

r or

gani

satio

ns a

re

impo

rtan

t in

ens

urin

g th

at t

he s

ecto

r ha

s a

cons

iste

nt, e

ffec

tive

and

acco

unta

ble

voic

e in

loca

l dec

isio

n-m

akin

g.

This

ess

entia

l rol

e is

refle

cted

in s

tatu

tory

gui

danc

e fo

r lo

cal a

utho

ritie

s. W

e ha

ve

4.36

wor

ked

clos

ely

with

thi

rd s

ecto

r um

brel

la g

roup

s to

dev

elop

‘Prin

cipl

es o

f Re

pres

enta

tion’

for

thi

rd s

ecto

r or

gani

satio

ns o

n Lo

cal S

trat

egic

Par

tner

ship

s (L

SPs)

. Th

ese

prin

cipl

es w

ill h

elp

the

sect

or t

o or

gani

se it

s in

volv

emen

t in

LSP

s an

d he

lp

LSPs

dec

ide

how

the

y m

ight

bes

t su

ppor

t th

is in

volv

emen

t in

a s

usta

ined

way

.

Eng

agin

g p

eop

le in

dev

elo

pin

g a

nd

co

mm

issi

on

ing

ser

vice

sU

nder

stan

ding

the

nee

ds o

f ci

tizen

s, c

usto

mer

s an

d us

ers

of s

ervi

ces

is

4.37

fund

amen

tal.

In t

he w

ords

of

one

loca

l gov

ernm

ent

offic

er “

If w

e re

ally

wan

t to

pu

t ou

r cu

stom

ers

first

, the

n w

e ne

ed t

o ge

t to

kno

w t

hem

bet

ter”

. Su

ch w

ork,

so

met

imes

cal

led

Cus

tom

er In

sigh

t, in

clud

es b

ette

r m

easu

rem

ent

of s

atis

fact

ion;

se

rvic

e de

sign

with

the

invo

lvem

ent

of u

sers

and

cus

tom

ers;

and

the

iden

tific

atio

n of

diff

eren

t gr

oups

of

serv

ice

user

s w

ith d

iffer

ent

need

s.

Thro

ugh

the

new

‘dut

y to

invo

lve’

pla

ced

on lo

cal a

utho

ritie

s in

Eng

land

, cou

ncils

4.

38 sh

ould

incl

ude

peop

le in

dev

elop

ing

and

com

mis

sion

ing

loca

l goo

ds a

nd s

ervi

ces.

In

volv

ing

loca

l com

mun

ities

will

ens

ure

bett

er d

ecis

ions

and

impr

oved

val

ue-f

or-

mon

ey. P

artic

ular

eff

orts

sho

uld

be m

ade

to e

ngag

e vu

lner

able

gro

ups,

who

are

of

ten

the

mos

t de

pend

ent

on s

ervi

ces.

Diff

eren

t fe

atur

es in

clud

e:

peop

le t

akin

g pa

rt in

com

mis

sion

ing

serv

ices

, thr

ough

nei

ghbo

urho

od

cont

ract

s, p

artic

ipat

ory

budg

etin

g an

d ne

ighb

ourh

ood

man

agem

ent

Com

mun

ities

in c

ontr

ol: r

eal p

eopl

e, r

eal p

ower

74

dire

ct p

aym

ents

and

indi

vidu

al b

udge

ts f

or s

ervi

ce u

sers

so

they

can

dec

ide

for

them

selv

es w

hat

serv

ices

bes

t m

eet

thei

r ne

eds

and

man

age

them

pass

ing

the

deliv

ery

and

owne

rshi

p of

ser

vice

s to

peo

ple

thro

ugh

soci

al

ente

rpris

es a

nd c

oope

rativ

es

The

wor

k of

the

4.

39

Reg

ion

al Im

pro

vem

ent

and

Eff

icie

ncy

Par

tner

ship

s (R

IEPs

) an

d th

e R

egio

nal

Em

po

wer

men

t Pa

rtn

ersh

ips

(REP

s) c

an s

uppo

rt lo

cal

auth

oriti

es in

invo

lvin

g pe

ople

in im

prov

ing

serv

ices

and

influ

enci

ng lo

cal

deci

sion

s. W

e w

ill e

ncou

rage

gre

ater

col

labo

ratio

n be

twee

n th

em t

o pr

iorit

ise

empo

wer

men

t an

d en

gage

men

t w

ithin

the

RIE

P pr

ogra

mm

es, a

nd t

o en

sure

em

pow

erm

ent

is t

aken

acc

ount

of

in im

prov

emen

t an

d ef

ficie

ncy

wor

k. T

his

will

al

so in

volv

e th

e C

omm

unity

Dev

elop

men

t Fo

unda

tion.

Wor

king

with

the

Loc

al G

over

nmen

t A

ssoc

iatio

n (L

GA

) and

the

RIE

Ps, w

e w

ill a

sk

4.40

that

em

pow

erm

ent

is e

mbe

dded

in p

roje

cts

supp

orte

d by

the

£11

5m c

apita

l fun

d fo

r ef

ficie

ncy

and

tran

sfor

mat

ion

of lo

cal s

ervi

ces.

Sch

oo

l e-A

dm

issi

on

s –

Lon

do

n B

oro

ug

h o

f H

ackn

ey

Des

pite

bei

ng o

ne o

f Lo

ndon

’s m

ost

depr

ived

are

as, w

ithou

t w

ides

prea

d ho

me

broa

dban

d ac

cess

, Hac

kney

has

repo

rted

85

per

cen

t of

par

ents

and

car

ers

appl

ying

on

line

for

seco

ndar

y sc

hool

pla

ces

in 2

008.

Th

is f

igur

e is

sig

nific

antly

hig

her

than

the

na

tiona

l ave

rage

.

The

reas

on b

ehin

d H

ackn

ey’s

asto

nish

ing

succ

ess

in a

chie

ving

hig

h us

e of

e-a

dmiss

ions

is t

hat

loca

l hea

dtea

cher

s w

ere

clos

ely

invo

lved

in t

he t

echn

olog

y pr

ojec

t. P

aren

ts

com

plet

e th

e ap

plic

atio

n fo

rm a

t a

mee

ting

with

the

prim

ary

head

teac

her

usin

g th

e sc

hool

’s co

mpu

ter

to f

ill o

ut a

nd s

ubm

it th

e fo

rm. S

taff

are

on

hand

to

help

with

any

pr

oble

ms.

Ove

rall,

the

sys

tem

mak

es it

far

eas

ier,

less

str

essf

ul a

nd q

uick

er f

or b

usy

pare

nts

to a

pply

for

a s

choo

l pla

ce f

or t

heir

child

ren.

ww

w.le

arni

ngtr

ust.

co.u

k/sc

hool

s/ad

mis

sion

s_an

d_tr

ansf

ers/

e-ad

mis

sion

s.as

px

75

Hav

ing

an in

fluen

ce

The

Sust

ain

able

Co

mm

un

itie

s A

ct 2

007

The

Sust

aina

ble

Com

mun

ities

Act

200

7 ai

ms

to p

rom

ote

the

econ

omic

, soc

ial o

r 4.

41 en

viro

nmen

tal w

ell-b

eing

of

loca

l are

as, i

nclu

ding

par

ticip

atio

n in

civ

ic a

nd p

oliti

cal

activ

ity. I

t pr

ovid

es a

cha

nnel

for

peo

ple,

thr

ough

the

ir lo

cal a

utho

rity,

to

ask

cent

ral

gove

rnm

ent

to t

ake

actio

n to

pro

mot

e su

stai

nabl

e co

mm

uniti

es. T

he A

ct a

lso

ensu

res

that

com

mun

ities

will

be

bett

er in

form

ed a

bout

pub

lic m

oney

tha

t is

spe

nt

in t

heir

area

. We

are

issu

ing

brie

f gu

idan

ce a

long

side

thi

s W

hite

Pap

er a

bout

how

lo

cal a

utho

ritie

s sh

ould

wor

k w

ith p

anel

s of

loca

l rep

rese

ntat

ives

, inc

ludi

ng m

embe

rs

from

und

er-r

epre

sent

ed g

roup

s, o

n th

e be

st p

ropo

sals

for

cha

nge

in t

heir

area

.

The

crim

inal

just

ice

syst

emW

e w

ant

witn

esse

s an

d th

e vi

ctim

s of

crim

e to

be

able

to

get

info

rmat

ion,

hav

e a

4.42

fair

say,

and

fee

l tha

t th

e sy

stem

is o

n th

eir

side

. The

rev

iew

of

crim

e an

d co

mm

uniti

es b

y Lo

uise

Cas

ey65

fou

nd t

hat

som

e m

embe

rs o

f th

e pu

blic

wer

e fe

arfu

l tha

t if

they

cha

lleng

e cr

ime

or a

nti-s

ocia

l beh

avio

ur b

y re

port

ing

it to

the

po

lice

or g

ivin

g ev

iden

ce in

cou

rt, t

hey

may

be

at r

isk

of h

aras

smen

t. A

Law

Re

form

, Vic

tims

and

Witn

esse

s Bi

ll, p

ropo

sed

in t

he d

raft

legi

slat

ive

prog

ram

me

for

2009

-10

will

str

engt

hen

the

arra

ngem

ents

for

pro

tect

ing

vuln

erab

le a

nd

intim

idat

ed w

itnes

ses.

Tha

t Bi

ll w

ill b

uild

on

the

Crim

inal

Evi

denc

e (W

itnes

s A

nony

mity

) Bill

intr

oduc

ed in

Jul

y, w

hich

see

ks t

o pl

ace

the

use

of a

nony

mou

s ev

iden

ce in

crim

inal

pro

ceed

ings

on

a fir

m s

tatu

tory

foo

ting,

whi

le s

afeg

uard

ing

defe

ndan

ts’ r

ight

to

a fa

ir tr

ial.

Co

mm

un

ity

just

ice

The

Cas

ey r

evie

w a

lso

iden

tifie

d th

e ne

ed f

or a

str

onge

r se

nse

of ‘v

isib

le ju

stic

e’ s

o 4.

43 th

at c

omm

uniti

es f

eel t

hat

the

syst

em is

wor

king

and

crim

inal

s ar

e no

t ‘g

ettin

g aw

ay w

ith it

’.

In 2

004,

the

Gov

ernm

ent

laun

ched

a ‘c

omm

unity

just

ice’

pro

gram

me

with

the

4.

44 ai

m o

f pu

ttin

g th

e co

urt

at t

he h

eart

of

the

com

mun

ity. T

here

is a

dia

logu

e w

ith

the

com

mun

ity o

n th

e im

pact

of

loca

l crim

e an

d an

ti-so

cial

beh

avio

ur, a

nd

repo

rtin

g of

act

ions

tak

en b

y th

e co

urt,

with

peo

ple

havi

ng t

he o

ppor

tuni

ty t

o pr

opos

e pr

ojec

ts f

or p

ayba

ck a

ctiv

ities

. Peo

ple

are

also

enc

oura

ged

to s

erve

as

volu

ntee

rs w

ithin

the

sys

tem

.

65

Cab

inet

Off

ice

(200

8) E

ngag

ing

Com

mun

ities

in F

ight

ing

Crim

e: A

Rev

iew

by

Loui

se C

asey

, Lon

don:

C

abin

et O

ffic

e. A

vaila

ble

from

: ww

w.c

abin

etof

fice.

gov.

uk/c

rime.

aspx

Com

mun

ities

in c

ontr

ol: r

eal p

eopl

e, r

eal p

ower

76

The

first

tw

o co

mm

unity

just

ice

proj

ects

wer

e es

tabl

ishe

d in

Liv

erpo

ol a

nd S

alfo

rd

4.45

in 2

004

and

2005

. Com

mun

ity c

ourt

s ar

e no

w e

stab

lishe

d al

ong

the

prin

cipl

es o

f co

mm

unity

just

ice

in B

irmin

gham

, Bra

dfor

d, H

ull,

Leic

este

r, M

erth

yr T

ydfil

, M

iddl

esbr

ough

, Not

tingh

am, D

evon

and

Cor

nwal

l, an

d th

ree

loca

tions

in L

ondo

n –

Har

inge

y, N

ewha

m a

nd W

ands

wor

th.

The

prin

cipl

e of

com

mun

ity e

ngag

emen

t by

the

cou

rts,

pilo

ted

in t

he c

omm

unity

4.

46 ju

stic

e pr

ojec

ts, h

as p

rove

n so

suc

cess

ful t

hat

it is

now

bei

ng r

olle

d ou

t to

all

Mag

istr

ates

, cou

rts

in E

ngla

nd a

nd W

ales

, lin

king

in w

ith w

ider

eng

agem

ent

wor

k le

d by

nei

ghbo

urho

od p

olic

e te

ams.

77

Hav

ing

an in

fluen

ce

Just

ice

is s

een

to

be

do

ne

at a

No

rth

Liv

erp

oo

l Co

mm

un

ity

Just

ice

Cen

tre

Resi

dent

s in

Nor

th L

iver

pool

wer

e fe

d up

tha

t pr

ostit

utes

wer

e tu

rnin

g a

loca

l st

reet

into

a n

o-go

are

a fo

r fa

mili

es.

They

use

d a

regu

lar

‘Mee

t th

e Ju

dge’

ev

ent

to t

alk

to J

udge

Dav

id F

letc

her,

who

hea

ds t

heir

loca

l com

mun

ity ju

stic

e ce

ntre

.

Nor

th L

iver

pool

Com

mun

ity J

ustic

e C

entr

e br

ings

tog

ethe

r cr

imin

al ju

stic

eag

enci

es a

nd v

olun

tary

org

anis

atio

ns t

o ta

ckle

loca

l crim

e.

Its d

edic

ated

cou

rtro

om, p

resi

ded

over

by

Judg

e Fl

etch

er, h

ears

Mag

istr

ates

’ Cou

rt

and

Yout

h C

ourt

cas

es, a

s w

ell a

s ca

ses

that

wou

ld n

orm

ally

be

sent

to

the

Cro

wn

Cou

rt f

or s

ente

nce.

As

a re

sult

of c

ombi

ned

effo

rts

betw

een

the

cent

re a

nd t

he p

olic

e, p

rost

itute

s an

d ke

rb c

raw

lers

wer

e br

ough

t sw

iftly

to

cour

t.

Judg

e Fl

etch

er d

isqu

alifi

ed s

even

ker

b cr

awle

rs f

rom

driv

ing,

ens

urin

g th

at t

hey

did

not

retu

rn t

o th

e ar

ea, o

r dr

ive

to a

ny o

ther

are

a.

“We

have

com

e to

see

His

Hon

our

Judg

e Fl

etch

er a

s ‘O

ur J

udge

’,” s

aid

one

loca

l re

side

nt. “

He

know

s w

hat

is im

port

ant

to u

s an

d ha

s m

ade

him

self

know

n in

the

co

mm

unity

by

gett

ing

out

and

abou

t m

eetin

g th

e pe

ople

who

live

her

e.”

ww

w.c

omm

unity

just

ice.

gov.

uk/n

orth

liver

pool

Co

mm

un

ity

sen

ten

ces

In p

ollin

g co

nduc

ted

for

Loui

se C

asey

’s Re

view

, 90

per

cent

agr

eed

that

all

4.47

puni

shm

ents

for

crim

e sh

ould

invo

lve

som

e pa

ybac

k to

the

com

mun

ity. O

ver

half

the

peop

le w

ante

d a

say

in t

he t

ype

of w

ork

that

sho

uld

be u

nder

take

n. T

he

Min

istr

y of

Jus

tice

will

wor

k w

ith t

he L

ocal

Gov

ernm

ent

Ass

ocia

tion

(LG

A) a

nd t

he

Ass

ocia

tion

of C

hief

Pol

ice

Off

icer

s to

agr

ee p

ilot

proj

ects

tha

t pr

ovid

e th

e

Com

mun

ities

in c

ontr

ol: r

eal p

eopl

e, r

eal p

ower

78

oppo

rtun

ity f

or c

itize

ns t

o m

eet

with

pol

ice,

pro

batio

n an

d lo

cal c

ounc

ils t

o vo

te

on p

riorit

ies

for

‘com

mun

ity p

ayba

ck’ w

ork

and

loca

l com

mun

ity s

afet

y pr

iorit

ies.

66

Emp

ow

erin

g p

eop

le in

th

e p

lan

nin

g s

yste

mO

ur p

lann

ing

syst

em is

inte

nded

to

help

del

iver

loca

l, re

gion

al a

nd n

atio

nal

4.48

prio

ritie

s, b

alan

cing

indi

vidu

al r

ight

s, c

omm

unity

nee

ds a

nd n

atio

nal i

nter

ests

. It

take

s in

to a

ccou

nt s

ocia

l, en

viro

nmen

tal a

nd e

cono

mic

con

cern

s in

clud

ing

Brita

in’s

stra

tegi

c ec

onom

ic n

eeds

, env

ironm

enta

l cha

lleng

es s

uch

as c

limat

e ch

ange

and

the

nee

ds o

f ou

r ch

angi

ng s

ocie

ty.

A w

ide

rang

e of

pla

nnin

g re

form

s is

tak

ing

plac

e al

ongs

ide

this

Whi

te P

aper

. For

4.

49 ex

ampl

e, a

t lo

cal l

evel

we

have

mad

e it

easi

er f

or p

eopl

e to

get

invo

lved

with

pla

n pr

epar

atio

n by

str

eam

linin

g th

e pr

oces

s.

We

are

also

mov

ing

to a

sys

tem

whe

re d

evel

oper

s m

ake

cont

ribut

ions

to

4.50

infr

astr

uctu

re o

n a

muc

h fa

irer

basi

s. T

his

new

reg

ime

will

be

calle

d th

e C

omm

unity

Infr

astr

uctu

re L

evy

(CIL

). Th

e lo

cal a

utho

rity’

s pr

opos

als

for

how

muc

h de

velo

pers

sho

uld

be c

harg

ed w

ill b

e co

nsul

ted

on. T

his

will

pro

vide

mor

e op

port

uniti

es t

han

are

curr

ently

ava

ilabl

e fo

r lo

cal c

omm

uniti

es t

o ge

t in

volv

ed in

de

cisi

ons

on w

here

to

spen

d m

oney

.

The

curr

ent

plan

ning

obl

igat

ions

sys

tem

(oft

en r

efer

red

to a

s ‘s

ectio

n 10

6’),

whe

re

4.51

deve

lope

rs c

ontr

ibut

e to

loca

l fac

ilitie

s su

ch a

s pl

ay a

reas

, ope

n sp

ace

and

tran

spor

t, w

ill c

ontin

ue a

long

side

CIL

. We

are

expl

orin

g ho

w w

e ca

n gi

ve lo

cal

com

mun

ities

mor

e in

form

atio

n ab

out

wha

t co

ntrib

utio

ns h

ave

been

mad

e, m

ore

oppo

rtun

ity t

o sh

ape

how

the

con

trib

utio

ns a

re u

sed

and

whe

ther

the

loca

l pl

anni

ng a

utho

rity

has

spen

t th

em o

n th

e fa

cilit

ies

that

wer

e or

igin

ally

agr

eed.

Ther

e ar

e m

any

diff

eren

t te

chni

ques

ava

ilabl

e w

hich

hel

p en

gage

the

pub

lic a

nd

4.52

othe

r st

akeh

olde

rs in

gen

erat

ing

idea

s an

d m

akin

g de

cisi

ons

on is

sues

whi

ch

affe

ct t

heir

lives

. One

pop

ular

met

hod

is P

lann

ing

for

Real

:

66

Cab

inet

Off

ice

(200

8) E

ngag

ing

Com

mun

ities

in F

ight

ing

Crim

e: A

Rev

iew

by

Loui

se C

asey

, Lo

ndon

: Cab

inet

Off

ice.

79

Hav

ing

an in

fluen

ce

Plan

nin

g f

or

Rea

l in

volv

es t

he

com

mu

nit

y in

Sw

ale

Bo

rou

gh

C

ou

nci

l Qu

een

bo

rou

gh

an

d R

ush

end

en

Plan

ning

for

Rea

l was

use

d to

gat

her

the

idea

s an

d vi

ews

from

the

com

mun

ity in

cr

eatin

g a

mas

ter

plan

for

a b

row

nfie

ld s

ite

situ

ated

bet

wee

n Q

ueen

boro

ugh

and

Rush

ende

n on

the

Isle

of

Shep

pey.

C

omm

unity

eng

agem

ent

has

been

key

to

the

rege

nera

tion

on t

he is

land

whi

ch is

pa

rt o

f th

e Th

ames

Gat

eway

Pro

gram

me.

A s

erie

s of

par

ticip

ator

y co

nsul

tatio

n ev

ents

prov

ided

loca

l res

iden

ts w

ith in

form

atio

n on

how

the

are

a w

ould

cha

nge

but

mos

t im

port

antly

the

Pla

nnin

g fo

r Re

al p

roce

ss

gave

peo

ple

the

oppo

rtun

ity t

o ge

nuin

ely

shap

e el

emen

ts o

f th

e m

aste

r pl

an.

Loca

l sch

ool c

hild

ren

part

icip

ated

by

help

ing

to m

ake

a la

rge

3D m

odel

of

Que

enbo

roug

h an

d Ru

shen

den.

Thi

rty

per

cent

of

the

loca

l pop

ulat

ion

wer

e co

nsul

ted,

whi

ch g

ener

ated

mor

e th

an 5

,000

sug

gest

ions

.

Follo

win

g th

e en

thus

iasm

cre

ated

by

Plan

ning

for

Rea

l, re

side

nts

and

loca

l par

tner

s ha

ve g

one

on t

o se

t up

the

Com

mun

ity a

nd S

kills

Gro

up, i

ntro

duce

d a

com

mun

ity

new

slet

ter

and

have

est

ablis

hed

a de

dica

ted

web

site

(ww

w.q

rreg

en.c

o.uk

/).

Nei

ghbo

urho

od In

itiat

ives

Fou

ndat

ion,

019

52 5

90 7

77 (w

ww

.nif.

co.u

k).

Plan

ning

for

Rea

l is

a re

gist

ered

tra

dem

ark

of t

he N

eigh

bour

hood

Initi

ativ

e Fo

unda

tion.

Com

mun

ities

in c

ontr

ol: r

eal p

eopl

e, r

eal p

ower

80

As

wel

l as

impr

ovin

g th

e pl

anni

ng s

yste

m it

self,

we

wan

t to

off

er m

ore

supp

ort

to

4.53

indi

vidu

als

and

com

mun

ities

tak

ing

part

. We

are

prov

idin

g £3

.2m

in 2

008/

09 t

o

incr

ease

su

pp

ort

fo

r Pl

ann

ing

Aid

, with

a p

artic

ular

foc

us o

n se

curin

g co

nstr

uctiv

e in

put

into

loca

l and

reg

iona

l pla

ns, w

orki

ng in

par

tner

ship

s ac

ross

the

se

ctor

, and

tar

getin

g ha

rd t

o re

ach

grou

ps. W

e w

ill a

lso

cont

ribut

e up

to

£1.5

m

ove

r th

ree

year

s to

th

e n

ew E

mp

ow

erm

ent

Fun

d f

or o

rgan

isat

ions

invo

lved

in

com

mun

ity e

ngag

emen

t in

pla

nnin

g.

In a

dditi

on t

o th

is s

uppo

rt, w

e w

ill b

e al

loca

ting

up t

o 4.

54

£4m

ove

r th

ree

year

s to

lo

cal p

lan

nin

g a

uth

ori

ties

in E

ng

lan

d t

o pr

omot

e co

mm

unity

par

ticip

atio

n in

pl

anni

ng, w

heth

er a

t in

divi

dual

or

grou

p le

vel.

To d

evel

op s

kills

in c

omm

unity

eng

agem

ent,

we

will

wor

k w

ith t

he R

oyal

Tow

n 4.

55 Pl

anni

ng In

stitu

te o

n th

e co

mm

un

ity

pla

nn

ing

co

nte

nt

of t

heir

educ

atio

n an

d lif

elon

g-le

arni

ng p

rogr

amm

es. W

e w

ill a

lso

wor

k w

ith t

he P

lann

ing

Adv

isor

y Se

rvic

e to

ens

ure

prof

essi

onal

s ha

ve a

cces

s to

app

ropr

iate

goo

d pr

actic

e an

d in

form

atio

n. It

is im

port

ant

for

plan

ners

to

deve

lop

stro

nger

ski

lls in

co

mm

unic

atin

g th

e pu

rpos

e be

hind

loca

l and

reg

iona

l pla

ns, a

nd h

ow a

nd w

hen

com

mun

ities

can

influ

ence

the

m.

We

will

als

o 4.

56

exte

nd

th

e p

lan

nin

g b

urs

ary

sch

eme

by £

1m b

etw

een

2009

and

20

11; t

his

will

brin

g an

othe

r 45

pla

nner

s a

year

into

the

sys

tem

and

hel

p ea

se

staf

fing

pres

sure

s so

tha

t m

ore

time

can

be s

pent

wor

king

mor

e di

rect

ly a

nd

proa

ctiv

ely

with

com

mun

ities

.

Emp

ow

erin

g t

enan

tsTe

nant

s gr

oups

hav

e ca

mpa

igne

d ov

er m

any

deca

des

to b

e in

volv

ed in

dec

isio

ns

4.57

abou

t th

eir

hom

es, n

otab

ly f

air

leve

ls o

f re

nt a

nd d

ecen

t st

anda

rds

of r

epai

r. To

day,

one

in f

ive

peop

le e

ngag

ed in

civ

ic a

ctiv

ism

is a

mem

ber

of a

ten

ants

’ gr

oup

or c

omm

ittee

: pos

sibl

y as

man

y as

thr

ee-q

uart

ers

of a

mill

ion

peop

le.67

The

G

over

nmen

t is

on

the

side

of

tena

nts

in s

ocia

l hou

sing

who

wan

t to

hav

e a

dire

ct

influ

ence

and

say

ove

r th

e ru

nnin

g of

the

ir ho

mes

, est

ates

and

nei

ghbo

urho

ods.

Tena

nt M

anag

emen

t O

rgan

isat

ions

(TM

Os)

hav

e su

cces

sful

ly m

anag

ed s

ocia

l 4.

58 ho

usin

g es

tate

s fo

r m

any

year

s. In

man

y pl

aces

the

y ar

e id

eally

pla

ced

to u

se t

heir

skill

s, e

xper

ienc

e an

d co

mm

unity

root

s to

influ

ence

and

del

iver

oth

er n

eigh

bour

hood

67

Base

d on

ana

lysi

s of

Citi

zens

hip

Surv

ey d

ata

(Apr

il to

Dec

embe

r 20

07).

81

Hav

ing

an in

fluen

ce

serv

ices

. We

wan

t to

enc

oura

ge t

hose

TM

Os

that

wis

h to

do

this

by

off

erin

g s

up

po

rt f

rom

nei

gh

bo

urh

oo

d m

anag

emen

t sp

ecia

lists

and

de

velo

ping

a p

ract

ical

too

lkit

to a

ssis

t th

em.

For

the

first

tim

e 4.

59

a si

ng

le b

od

y –

the

Ten

ant

Serv

ices

Au

tho

rity

68 –

will

be

resp

onsi

ble

for

prot

ectin

g al

l soc

ial t

enan

ts in

all

form

s of

soc

ial h

ousi

ng. T

he

Tena

nt S

ervi

ces

Aut

horit

y ai

ms

to p

ut s

ocia

l ten

ants

at

the

hear

t of

reg

ulat

ion.

It

will

hav

e ob

ject

ives

to

ensu

re p

rote

ctio

n an

d ch

oice

for

ten

ants

and

to

ensu

re

they

are

invo

lved

in t

he m

anag

emen

t of

the

ir ow

n ho

mes

. We

are

also

com

mitt

ed

to e

stab

lishi

ng a

Nat

ion

al T

enan

t V

oic

e, t

o en

sure

ten

ants

hav

e a

pow

erfu

l voi

ce

and

expe

rtis

e at

nat

iona

l lev

el.

In 2

000

the

Gov

ernm

ent

intr

oduc

ed

4.60

Te

nan

t Pa

rtic

ipat

ion

Co

mp

acts

: ag

reem

ents

bet

wee

n co

unci

ls a

nd t

heir

tena

nts

on h

ow t

enan

ts w

ould

be

enga

ged

in d

ecis

ion-

mak

ing

and

how

the

agr

eem

ents

wou

ld b

e re

view

ed. T

he

best

of

thes

e ag

reem

ents

eng

age

loca

l res

iden

ts, e

spec

ially

gro

ups

such

as

youn

g pe

ople

, peo

ple

with

dis

abili

ties

and

peop

le w

ithou

t En

glis

h as

a f

irst

lang

uage

. Th

ey le

ad t

o be

tter

dec

isio

ns a

nd v

alue

for

mon

ey. S

ince

200

0, t

he la

ndsc

ape

of

soci

al h

ousi

ng h

as b

een

tran

sfor

med

, with

mor

e ar

ms-

leng

th m

anag

emen

t or

gani

satio

ns (A

LMO

s) r

espo

nsib

le f

or m

anag

ing

soci

al h

ousi

ng a

nd c

hang

es t

o th

e nu

mbe

r an

d op

erat

ions

of

regi

ster

ed s

ocia

l lan

dlor

ds (R

SLs)

. The

refo

re, w

e w

ill

revi

ew T

enan

t Pa

rtic

ipat

ion

Com

pact

s to

tak

e in

to a

ccou

nt c

hang

es t

o th

e so

cial

ho

usin

g se

ctor

, the

new

‘dut

y to

invo

lve’

on

coun

cils

and

new

arr

ange

men

ts s

uch

as L

ocal

Str

ateg

ic P

artn

ersh

ips

and

neig

hbou

rhoo

d m

anag

emen

t.

We

wan

t te

nant

s to

hav

e 4.

61

mo

re c

ho

ice

and

co

ntr

ol o

ver

wh

ere

they

live

. Our

pr

ogra

mm

e of

‘cho

ice-

base

d le

ttin

gs’ o

ffer

s th

is. W

e w

ill e

xpan

d th

is s

chem

e w

ith

an e

xtra

£2m

unt

il 20

10.

The

Hou

sing

Gre

en p

aper

set

out

our

incr

ease

d am

bitio

n fo

r m

ore

hom

es t

o m

eet

4.62

grow

ing

dem

and.

69 W

e ar

e pr

oduc

ing

a to

olk

it o

n e

mp

ow

erin

g p

eop

le in

the

de

cisi

ons

abou

t ho

usin

g gr

owth

in t

heir

area

.

68

The

esta

blis

hmen

t of

the

Ten

ant

Serv

ices

Aut

horit

y is

sub

ject

to

the

pass

age

of le

gisl

atio

n. T

he T

enan

t Se

rvic

es A

utho

rity

will

be

crea

ted

by t

he H

ousi

ng a

nd R

egen

erat

ion

Bill

whi

ch h

as n

ot, a

t th

e tim

e of

pu

blic

atio

n, r

ecei

ved

Roya

l Ass

ent.

69

Com

mun

ities

and

Loc

al G

over

nmen

t (2

007)

Hom

es f

or t

he F

utur

e: M

ore

Aff

orda

ble,

Mor

e Su

stai

nabl

e –

the

Hou

sing

Gre

en P

aper

. Lon

don:

Com

mun

ities

and

Loc

al G

over

nmen

t

Com

mun

ities

in c

ontr

ol: r

eal p

eopl

e, r

eal p

ower

82

We

supp

ort

the

spre

ad o

f st

rong

, via

ble,

wel

l man

aged

, fin

anci

ally

rob

ust

and

4.63

dem

ocra

tical

ly a

ccou

ntab

le h

ou

sin

g c

oo

per

ativ

es, w

here

hom

es a

re o

wne

d by

re

side

nts

in m

utua

l org

anis

atio

ns, r

oote

d in

the

prin

cipl

es o

f de

moc

racy

. Bei

ng a

m

embe

r of

a h

ousi

ng c

oope

rativ

e ca

n le

ad t

o ot

her

form

s of

eng

agem

ent.

For

ex

ampl

e 10

per

cen

t of

ten

ants

livi

ng in

Red

ditc

h C

o-op

erat

ive

Hom

es a

re a

lso

scho

ol g

over

nors

. We

have

sup

port

ed t

he c

all f

or e

vide

nce

from

the

Mut

ualit

y in

H

ousi

ng C

omm

issi

on a

nd w

ill b

e co

nsid

erin

g th

e fin

ding

s of

the

ir re

port

whi

ch is

ex

plor

ing

how

mut

ual h

ousi

ng s

olut

ions

cou

ld s

ucce

ssfu

lly b

e ex

pand

ed in

En

glan

d on

ce it

is p

ublis

hed.

83

Hav

ing

an in

fluen

ce

Mar

c G

ard

iner

an

d f

ello

w t

enan

ts im

pro

ve t

hei

r to

wer

blo

ck

Mar

c G

ardi

ner c

ould

rem

embe

r the

com

mun

ity ro

om a

t the

bot

tom

of h

is to

wer

blo

ck

as a

hub

of t

he lo

cal c

omm

unity

. The

room

was

use

d fo

r ac

tiviti

es s

uch

as a

ver

y po

pula

r bi

ngo

nigh

t an

d ad

ult

even

ing

clas

ses.

How

ever

, thi

s co

mm

unity

roo

m h

ad

been

clo

sed

dow

n an

d le

ft e

mpt

y so

Mar

c de

cide

d to

get

invo

lved

in t

ryin

g to

get

th

e ro

om o

pen

and

used

aga

in.

Mar

c ha

s be

en a

ctiv

e in

his

com

mun

ity in

Ply

mou

th f

or m

any

year

s. H

e is

cur

rent

ly

the

Cha

ir of

the

are

a’s

New

Dea

l for

Com

mun

ities

(ND

C) P

rogr

amm

e Bo

ard

and

prev

ious

ly s

et u

p an

d ch

aire

d a

resi

dent

s’ g

roup

for

sev

en y

ears

. He

belie

ves

his

past

ex

perie

nces

hav

e he

lped

in w

orki

ng t

owar

ds o

peni

ng t

he c

omm

unity

cen

tre.

The

first

thi

ng M

arc

did

was

to

resu

rrec

t th

e re

side

nts’

gro

up, w

hich

he

was

the

n ke

en t

o op

en u

p to

the

wid

er c

omm

unity

. “I w

as im

pres

sed

with

the

num

ber

of

loca

l peo

ple

who

wer

e up

for

get

ting

invo

lved

,” M

arc

said

abo

ut t

he w

ay t

he

com

mun

ity h

as s

uppo

rted

the

pro

ject

.

Onc

e th

e co

mm

unity

gro

up w

as e

stab

lishe

d, t

hey

spen

t tim

e un

ders

tand

ing

the

chal

leng

es a

nd is

sues

the

y fa

ced

in g

ettin

g th

e co

mm

unity

roo

m r

eope

ned.

The

y m

ade

prog

ress

by

wor

king

with

the

cou

ncil

and

by t

hink

ing

of c

reat

ive

solu

tions

to

prob

lem

s.

Toge

ther

the

y ar

e no

w a

chie

ving

som

e su

cces

s. T

he c

omm

unity

roo

m is

ope

n an

d is

us

ed f

or m

eetin

gs t

o di

scus

s th

e ne

w a

ctiv

ities

the

y w

ill o

ffer

. The

y ha

ve a

lread

y ho

sted

a b

ingo

and

soc

ial n

ight

and

are

org

anis

ing

day

trip

s in

a m

ini b

us b

orro

wed

fr

om t

he lo

cal N

DC

reg

ener

atio

n pr

ojec

t.

It’s

hope

d th

at in

the

fut

ure,

the

com

mun

ity r

oom

will

pla

y ho

st t

o ev

enin

g cl

asse

s,

tabl

e te

nnis

, dar

ts a

nd m

usic

eve

nts

as w

ell a

s be

ing

a hu

b of

act

ivity

in t

he lo

cal

com

mun

ity.

Com

mun

ities

in c

ontr

ol: r

eal p

eopl

e, r

eal p

ower

84

Emp

ow

erin

g o

lder

peo

ple

In a

n ag

eing

soc

iety

it is

par

ticul

arly

impo

rtan

t th

at o

lder

peo

ple

are

activ

ely

4.64

invo

lved

in s

hapi

ng lo

cal s

ervi

ces.

In J

une

2008

the

Dep

artm

ent

of W

ork

and

Pens

ions

laun

ched

a r

evie

w o

f o

lder

peo

ple

’s e

ng

agem

ent

wit

h

Go

vern

men

t.70

Thi

s w

ill e

xam

ine

the

curr

ent

arra

ngem

ents

for

the

eng

agem

ent

of o

lder

peo

ple

and

how

the

se a

rran

gem

ents

info

rm p

olic

y an

d ac

tions

of

gove

rnm

ent

at a

ll le

vels

. The

rev

iew

will

rep

ort

in t

he a

utum

n. In

add

ition

, we

will

be

ref

resh

ing

our

stra

tegy

for

old

er p

eopl

e, O

ppor

tuni

ty A

ge, o

ver

the

com

ing

mon

ths.

71 C

omm

uniti

es a

nd L

ocal

Gov

ernm

ent’s

rec

ent

‘Life

time

Hom

es, L

ifetim

e N

eigh

bour

hood

s’ s

trat

egy

high

light

ed h

ow w

e w

ould

em

pow

er o

lder

peo

ple

to

live

inde

pend

ently

in t

heir

own

hom

es f

or lo

nger

, cre

atin

g m

ore

choi

ce a

nd

cont

rol f

or p

eopl

e ov

er t

heir

lives

.72

Emp

ow

erin

g y

ou

ng

peo

ple

We

know

tha

t yo

ung

peop

le a

re d

isen

gage

d fr

om f

orm

al p

oliti

cs b

ut t

hey

cann

ot

4.65

be d

ism

isse

d as

‘apa

thet

ic’.

Sixt

y-se

ven

per

cent

of

18-2

4 ye

ar o

lds

say

they

are

in

tere

sted

in lo

cal i

ssue

s.73

The

y ar

e m

ore

likel

y to

par

ticip

ate

in r

egul

ar in

form

al

volu

ntar

y ac

tivity

tha

n ol

der

peop

le a

nd a

re a

lso

mor

e lik

ely

to b

e in

volv

ed in

som

e ty

pes

of in

form

al s

ocia

l act

ivity

. For

inst

ance

, you

ng p

eopl

e, in

par

ticul

ar, h

ave

been

at

the

for

efro

nt o

f on

line

soci

al n

etw

orki

ng. A

ccor

ding

to

the

2007

sur

vey

of T

he

Inte

rnet

in B

ritai

n, t

he la

rges

t di

ffer

ence

in u

se o

f so

cial

net

wor

king

site

s su

ch a

s Fa

cebo

ok, M

ySpa

ce a

nd B

ebo

was

bas

ed o

n pe

ople

’s ag

e.74

The

4.66

Yo

uth

Cit

izen

ship

Co

mm

issi

on

cha

ired

by J

onat

hon

Tong

e, P

rofe

ssor

of

Polit

ics

at L

iver

pool

Uni

vers

ity, i

s du

e to

rep

ort

in s

prin

g 20

09 a

nd w

ill b

e co

nsid

erin

g ho

w t

o in

crea

se y

oung

peo

ple’

s pa

rtic

ipat

ion

in p

oliti

cs, h

ow a

ctiv

e ci

tizen

ship

can

be

prom

oted

thr

ough

vol

unte

erin

g an

d co

mm

unity

eng

agem

ent

and

how

pol

itica

l sys

tem

s ca

n re

flect

the

com

mun

icat

ion

pref

eren

ces

of y

oung

pe

ople

. The

Com

mis

sion

will

als

o le

ad a

con

sulta

tion

with

you

ng p

eopl

e on

w

heth

er t

he v

otin

g ag

e sh

ould

be

low

ered

to

16.

70

See

ww

w.p

ublic

atio

ns.p

arlia

men

t.uk

/pa/

cm/c

mw

ms/

arch

ive/

0805

22.h

tm#h

ddr_

1771

se

e w

ww

.dw

p.go

v.uk

/opp

ortu

nity

_age

/72

C

omm

uniti

es a

nd L

ocal

Gov

ernm

ent

(200

8) L

ifetim

e H

omes

, Life

time

Nei

ghbo

urho

ods:

A N

atio

nal

Stra

tegy

for

hou

sing

in a

n ag

eing

soc

iety

. Lon

don:

Com

mun

ities

and

Loc

al G

over

nmen

t73

Th

e El

ecto

ral C

omm

issi

on a

nd H

ansa

rd S

ocie

ty (2

007)

Aud

it of

Pol

itica

l Eng

agem

ent.

74

Dut

ton,

W a

nd H

eksp

er, E

(200

7) T

he In

tern

et in

Brit

ain.

Oxf

ord:

Uni

vers

ity o

f O

xfor

d.

85

Hav

ing

an in

fluen

ce

It is

impo

rtan

t fo

r lo

cal a

utho

ritie

s to

eng

age

mea

ning

fully

with

you

ng p

eopl

e to

4.

67 al

low

the

m t

o in

fluen

ce t

he s

ervi

ces

they

use

and

to

wor

k w

ith a

dults

in t

heir

com

mun

ities

on

issu

es o

f co

mm

on c

once

rn. S

uch

wor

k sh

ould

be

part

of

the

loca

l ch

ildre

n an

d yo

ung

peop

le’s

plan

s.

In

4.68

A

imin

g H

igh

for

Youn

g Pe

ople

: a t

en-y

ear

stra

tegy

for

pos

itive

act

iviti

es75

we

set

out

the

impo

rtan

ce o

f em

pow

erin

g yo

ung

peop

le a

cros

s th

e se

rvic

es t

hey

use,

ba

cked

by

mea

sure

s to

ens

ure

they

hav

e re

al in

fluen

ce o

ver

spen

ding

dec

isio

ns.

Thes

e in

clud

ed t

he e

xten

sion

of

the

Yout

h O

ppor

tuni

ties

Fund

and

You

th C

apita

l Fu

nd u

ntil

at le

ast

2011

and

we

expe

ct lo

cal a

utho

ritie

s to

dev

olve

25

per

cent

of

thei

r po

sitiv

e ac

tiviti

es b

udge

t to

you

ng p

eopl

e’s

influ

ence

by

2018

. Sub

sequ

ently

th

e ne

w m

ypla

ce p

rogr

amm

e w

as la

unch

ed b

y D

CSF

on

3 A

pril

2008

to

prov

ide

new

and

impr

oved

you

th f

acili

ties

acro

ss t

he c

ount

ry e

xplic

itly

driv

en b

y th

e ac

tive

part

icip

atio

n of

you

ng p

eopl

e an

d th

eir

view

s an

d ne

eds.

In 2

005,

we

esta

blis

hed

‘you

ng a

dvis

ors’

to

crea

te a

poo

l of

youn

g pe

ople

age

d 4.

69 16

-21

to h

elp

publ

ic b

odie

s in

the

ir po

licy-

mak

ing

and

deliv

ery

of s

ervi

ces.

The

re

are

now

38

sche

mes

, with

250

tra

ined

you

ng a

dvis

ors.

For

ty p

er c

ent

of t

he

youn

g ad

viso

rs a

re f

rom

bla

ck a

nd m

inor

ity e

thni

c ba

ckgr

ound

s. W

e w

ill s

uppo

rt

the

Youn

g A

dvis

ors

char

ity t

o m

ake

youn

g ad

viso

rs a

vaila

ble

in m

ore

loca

l are

as.

Ther

e ar

e al

so o

ther

way

s fo

r yo

ung

peop

le t

o en

gage

suc

h as

bei

ng a

mem

ber

of

a pa

rish

‘You

th C

ounc

il’.

Man

y ex

istin

g in

itiat

ives

suc

h as

the

You

th O

ppor

tuni

ties

Fund

, the

You

th C

apita

l 4.

70 Fu

nd a

nd y

oung

adv

isor

s ar

e ha

ving

a v

isib

le im

pact

on

the

grou

nd w

ith m

ore

youn

g pe

ople

get

ting

invo

lved

in lo

cal d

ecis

ion-

mak

ing

and

mor

e be

nefit

ting

from

pr

ovis

ion

that

is re

leva

nt t

o th

eir

need

s an

d as

pira

tions

. How

ever

, the

re is

sco

pe t

o go

muc

h fu

rthe

r an

d to

giv

e yo

ung

peop

le a

big

ger

say.

Inno

vativ

e co

mm

unity

le

ader

ship

pro

gram

mes

(see

Cha

pter

2) w

ill h

elp

here

.

We

will

est

ablis

h a

syst

em f

or y

oung

adv

isor

s ag

ed 1

6-21

to

have

4.

71

dir

ect

acce

ss

to t

he

Secr

etar

y o

f St

ate

for

Co

mm

un

itie

s an

d L

oca

l Go

vern

men

t to

giv

e a

youn

g pe

rson

’s pe

rspe

ctiv

e as

pol

icy

is b

eing

for

mul

ated

and

impl

emen

ted.

75

Dep

artm

ent

for

Chi

ldre

n, S

choo

ls a

nd F

amili

es (2

007)

Aim

ing

Hig

h fo

r Yo

ung

Peop

le: a

ten

-yea

r st

rate

gy f

or p

ositi

ve a

ctiv

ities

. Lon

don.

DC

SF.

Com

mun

ities

in c

ontr

ol: r

eal p

eopl

e, r

eal p

ower

86

We

are

also

est

ablis

hing

a n

atio

nal Y

oung

Mus

lims’

Adv

isor

y G

roup

(YM

AG

) to

talk

4.

72 di

rect

ly t

o go

vern

men

t on

issu

es, a

spira

tions

and

con

cern

s th

at a

ffec

t th

e liv

es o

f yo

ung

Mus

lims

in E

ngla

nd.76

We

will

set

up

a 4.

73

pro

gra

mm

e fo

r yo

un

g p

eop

le t

o ‘s

had

ow

’ go

vern

men

t m

inis

ters

, and

oth

er le

adin

g po

litic

al f

igur

es s

uch

as e

lect

ed m

ayor

s.

DC

SF is

als

o in

vest

ing

£6m

to

crea

te a

new

nat

iona

l ins

titut

e fo

r yo

uth

lead

ersh

ip.

4.74

This

will

wor

k w

ith C

omm

uniti

es a

nd L

ocal

Gov

ernm

ent

to c

reat

e a

prog

ram

me

of in

tern

ship

s fo

r yo

ung

peop

le t

o w

ork

with

loca

l cou

ncill

ors

to le

arn

abou

t th

e w

orki

ngs

of lo

cal d

emoc

racy

and

off

er t

heir

pers

pect

ive

to c

ounc

illor

s an

d of

ficer

s.

DC

SF h

as a

lso

esta

blis

hed

a Yo

uth

Sect

or D

evel

opm

ent

Fund

of

up t

o £1

00m

4.

75 to

sup

port

thi

rd s

ecto

r or

gani

satio

ns t

o ex

pand

the

ir pr

ovis

ion

and

to s

uppo

rt

youn

g pe

ople

in s

ettin

g up

and

run

ning

soc

ial e

nter

pris

es t

o pr

ovid

e po

sitiv

e ac

tiviti

es f

or t

heir

peer

s.

76

See

ww

w.n

ya.o

rg.u

k/in

form

atio

n/10

0598

/109

667/

1134

89/y

oung

mus

limad

viso

rygr

oup/

87

Hav

ing

an in

fluen

ce

You

ng

May

or

taki

ng

fo

rwar

d v

iew

s o

f yo

un

g p

eop

le in

To

wer

Ham

lets

The

youn

g pe

ople

of

Tow

er H

amle

ts

have

rece

ntly

ele

cted

the

ir se

cond

Yo

ung

May

or, A

kram

Hus

sain

. He

is

supp

orte

d in

his

new

role

by

Ale

x K

uye

and

Faiz

a M

ukith

, the

new

Dep

uty

Youn

g M

ayor

s.

The

Youn

g M

ayor

and

his

tw

o D

eput

ies

carr

y re

al re

spon

sibi

litie

s, t

akin

g fo

rwar

d th

e vi

ews

of y

oung

peo

ple

in

the

boro

ugh

to a

dult

deci

sion

mak

ers.

Youn

g pe

ople

hav

e an

ele

cted

loca

l voi

ce t

hat

can

repr

esen

t th

em n

ot ju

st lo

cally

, but

al

so o

n a

natio

nal s

tage

thr

ough

the

UK

You

th P

arlia

men

t.

The

Youn

g M

ayor

s an

d D

eput

y Yo

ung

May

ors

freq

uent

ly a

ppea

r al

ongs

ide

the

May

or, L

eade

r an

d Le

ad M

embe

rs a

t ke

y ev

ents

, and

hav

e th

e op

port

unity

to

job

shad

ow t

hem

.

They

con

trib

ute

to C

abin

et d

ecis

ions

aff

ectin

g yo

ung

peop

le. T

he Y

oung

May

or a

nd

Dep

uty

Youn

g M

ayor

s ho

ld a

bud

get

of £

30,0

00 a

nd c

onsu

lt ot

her

youn

g pe

ople

ab

out

how

the

bud

get

shou

ld b

e us

ed. L

ast

year

fol

low

ing

cons

ulta

tion,

the

bud

get

was

spe

nt o

n ne

w e

quip

men

t fo

r lo

cal y

outh

clu

bs. T

hey

regu

larly

con

sult

othe

r yo

ung

peop

le a

bout

issu

es a

ffec

ting

them

in T

ower

Ham

lets

. The

y al

so f

eedb

ack

to

youn

g pe

ople

wha

t ac

tions

the

y an

d th

e co

unci

l hav

e ta

ken.

ww

w.t

ower

ham

lets

.gov

.uk/

tem

plat

es/n

ews/

deta

il.cf

m?n

ewsc

d=88

82

88

Wh

at d

iffe

ren

ce c

an I

mak

e? …

as

a te

nan

tH

ow s

omeo

ne’s

acco

mm

odat

ion

is m

anag

ed, m

aint

aine

d an

d re

paire

d ca

n m

ake

a bi

g di

ffer

ence

to

thei

r w

ell-b

eing

. As

man

y as

thr

ee-q

uart

ers

of a

mill

ion

peop

le a

re

alre

ady

invo

lved

in d

ecis

ions

abo

ut t

heir

hom

es b

ut in

the

fut

ure

they

will

be

able

to

mak

e ev

en m

ore

of a

diff

eren

ce. S

o w

hat

can

you

do?

Ho

w c

an I

acce

ss in

form

atio

n?

I can

fin

d ou

t ab

out

tena

nts’

and

res

iden

ts’ g

roup

s in

my

area

fro

m m

y co

unci

l web

site

I can

see

wha

t I c

an e

xpec

t fr

om m

y ho

usin

g au

thor

ity b

y fin

ding

out

ab

out

thei

r ho

usin

g po

licie

s on

my

coun

cil’s

web

site

I can

com

pare

the

per

form

ance

of

my

hous

ing

asso

ciat

ion

thro

ugh

info

rmat

ion

publ

ishe

d by

the

new

Ten

ant

Serv

ices

Aut

horit

y

Ho

w c

an I

hav

e an

infl

uen

ce a

nd

ho

ld p

eop

le t

o a

cco

un

t?

I can

get

invo

lved

in t

he m

anag

emen

t of

my

hom

e

I can

sig

n a

petit

ion

if I n

eed

to

Ho

w c

an I

get

red

ress

wh

en t

hin

gs

go

wro

ng

?

I sho

uld

be t

old

how

com

plai

nts

will

be

deal

t w

ith

if I a

m u

nhap

py, I

can

tak

e m

y co

mpl

aint

to

the

loca

l gov

ernm

ent

ombu

dsm

an o

r if

I am

a h

ousi

ng a

ssoc

iatio

n te

nant

the

hou

sing

om

buds

man

if I h

ave

a se

rious

pro

blem

with

my

land

lord

I m

ay b

e ab

le t

o re

fer

it to

the

ne

w T

enan

t Se

rvic

es A

utho

rity

who

will

hav

e st

rong

pow

ers

to g

et t

hese

pr

oble

ms

sort

ed o

ut

I can

sha

re m

y co

ncer

ns a

nd c

ampa

ign

for

chan

ge a

s pa

rt o

f th

e N

atio

nal

Tena

nt V

oice

net

wor

k

Ho

w c

an I

run

so

met

hin

g m

ysel

f?

I can

bui

ld o

n m

y ex

perie

nce

in h

ousi

ng is

sues

by

man

agin

g ot

her

neig

hbou

rhoo

d se

rvic

es s

uch

as a

loca

l par

k or

str

eet

envi

ronm

ent

I can

hel

p se

t up

a ho

usin

g co

oper

ativ

e w

here

hom

es a

re o

wne

d by

resid

ents

in

mut

ual o

rgan

isatio

ns o

r a c

omm

unity

land

trus

t to

deliv

er a

ffor

dabl

e ho

usin

g

Hon

est

disa

gree

men

t is

oft

en a

go

od s

ign

of p

rogr

ess.

Mah

atm

a G

and

hi

(186

9–19

48)

Ch

apte

r 5

Cha

lleng

e

Com

mun

ities

in c

ontr

ol: r

eal p

eopl

e, r

eal p

ower

90

Ch

alle

ng

eH

ow d

o I h

old

to a

ccou

nt t

he p

eopl

e w

ho

exer

cise

pow

er in

my

loca

lity?

This

cha

pter

out

lines

how

peo

ple

can

hold

off

icia

ls t

o ac

coun

t th

roug

h ne

w

5.1

pow

ers

of p

etiti

onin

g, a

nd w

ays

in w

hich

we

will

est

ablis

h m

ore

visi

ble

and

acco

unta

ble

loca

l lea

ders

by

enco

urag

ing

mor

e po

wer

ful e

lect

ed m

ayor

s.

Ove

rvie

w a

nd

scr

uti

ny

com

mit

tees

Intr

oduc

ed in

200

0 in

Eng

land

, ove

rvie

w a

nd s

crut

iny

com

mitt

ees

hold

cou

ncil

5.2

Cab

inet

mem

bers

, the

cou

ncil

and

othe

r pu

blic

bod

ies

to a

ccou

nt. T

hey

wor

k in

a

sim

ilar

way

to

Sele

ct C

omm

ittee

s in

Par

liam

ent

and

give

cou

ncill

ors

the

pow

er t

o ch

ampi

on is

sues

and

cha

lleng

e co

unci

l lea

ders

and

off

icer

s, o

n be

half

of t

heir

cons

titue

nts.

We

wan

t to

rai

se t

he

visi

bili

ty o

f th

e sc

ruti

ny

fun

ctio

n t

o en

sure

th

at p

eopl

e ar

e aw

are

of t

his

pow

erfu

l too

l at

thei

r di

spos

al.

We

will

do

this

by

enco

urag

ing

coun

cils

to

cons

ider

new

app

roac

hes

to s

crut

iny,

5.

3 in

clud

ing:

enco

urag

ing

mor

e cr

eativ

e in

volv

emen

t of

the

pub

lic, f

or e

xam

ple

thro

ugh

hold

ing

delib

erat

ive

even

ts a

long

the

line

s of

‘Am

eric

a Sp

eaks

’ (la

rge

scal

e ci

tizen

eng

agem

ent

foru

ms

invo

lvin

g up

to

5,00

0 pe

ople

)

mov

ing

com

mitt

ee m

eetin

gs a

nd h

earin

gs o

ut o

f th

e to

wn

hall

and

into

the

co

mm

unity

, and

con

side

ring

web

cast

ing

grea

ter

publ

ic in

volv

emen

t in

sug

gest

ing

and

sele

ctin

g to

pics

for

rev

iew

mak

ing

info

rmat

ion

mor

e re

adily

ava

ilabl

e an

d ac

cess

ible

on

web

site

s an

d at

co

unci

l off

ices

Ch

apte

r 5

91

Cha

lleng

e

In a

dditi

on, w

e w

ill m

ake

chan

ges

to t

he s

crut

iny

func

tion

by:

5.4

furt

her

enha

ncin

g th

e po

wer

s of

ove

rvie

w a

nd s

crut

iny

com

mitt

ees

in lo

cal

auth

oriti

es t

o re

quire

info

rmat

ion

from

par

tner

s on

a b

road

er r

ange

of

issu

es

if ne

cess

ary

prov

idin

g co

unci

ls in

are

as w

ith d

istr

ict

and

coun

ty c

ounc

ils w

ith a

po

wer

to

com

bine

res

ourc

es in

‘are

a’ s

crut

iny

com

mitt

ees

requ

iring

som

e de

dica

ted

scru

tiny

reso

urce

in c

ount

y an

d un

itary

cou

ncils

Incr

easi

ng

vis

ibili

ty a

nd

acc

ou

nta

bili

ty o

f lo

cal o

ffic

ers

We

will

incr

ease

the

5.

5 vi

sib

ility

of

loca

l pu

blic

off

icer

s so

tha

t th

ey a

re a

ll op

en

to p

ublic

scr

utin

y an

d qu

estio

ning

fro

m lo

cal c

omm

uniti

es. A

key

par

t of

the

rol

e of

cha

irs o

r ch

ief

exec

utiv

es o

f a

loca

l pub

lic b

ody

shou

ld b

e th

at t

hey

face

a

regu

lar

publ

ic h

earin

g. It

sho

uld

be e

xpre

ssed

in t

heir

job

obje

ctiv

es a

nd c

ould

be

intr

oduc

ed a

s pa

rt o

f st

reng

then

ed o

verv

iew

and

scr

utin

y pr

oced

ures

. Thi

s ha

ppen

s al

read

y in

man

y pu

blic

ser

vice

s su

ch a

s th

e N

HS

but

we

wan

t to

brin

g a

cons

iste

ncy

acro

ss lo

cal p

ublic

ser

vice

s.

We

also

pro

pose

to

cons

ult

on a

5.

6 n

ew r

igh

t to

pet

itio

n t

o h

old

loca

l off

icer

s to

ac

cou

nt.

If e

noug

h pe

ople

ser

ved

by a

loca

l ser

vice

or

agen

cy s

ign

a lo

cal p

etiti

on

then

, sen

ior

offic

ers

wor

king

for

a lo

cal p

ublic

bod

y sh

ould

be

requ

ired

to a

tten

d a

publ

ic h

earin

g su

ch a

s ov

ervi

ew a

nd s

crut

iny.

Thes

e pu

blic

mee

tings

sho

uld

be o

pen

to a

ll lo

cal r

esid

ents

and

be

chai

red

by t

he

5.7

loca

l may

or o

r co

unci

l lea

der.

Ther

e sh

ould

be

an o

pen

agen

da. W

e w

ould

exp

ect

thes

e ev

ents

to

be o

pen

to t

he lo

cal m

edia

, and

to

be w

ebca

st li

ve. T

hese

he

arin

gs w

ould

giv

e se

nior

man

ager

s th

e op

port

unity

to

expl

ain

thei

r ac

tiviti

es,

desc

ribe

the

hard

cho

ices

and

tra

de-o

ffs,

and

list

en t

o pe

ople

’s co

ncer

ns a

nd

ques

tions

. Saf

egua

rds

will

be

put

in p

lace

to

ensu

re t

hat

the

syst

em is

not

ope

n to

ab

use.

Thi

s ap

proa

ch w

ill b

e de

velo

ped

alon

gsid

e ot

her

exis

ting

and

new

ap

proa

ches

to

scru

tiny.

We

will

sup

port

str

engt

heni

ng r

elat

ions

hips

bet

wee

n pr

ofes

sion

als

in lo

cal p

ublic

5.

8 bo

dies

by

enco

urag

ing

peop

le f

rom

acr

oss

the

publ

ic s

ecto

r to

run

join

t le

ader

ship

de

velo

pmen

t pr

ogra

mm

es. T

his

will

incl

ude

esta

blis

hing

the

key

lead

ersh

ip

com

pete

ncie

s ar

ound

com

mun

ity e

ngag

emen

t, c

ohes

ion

and

empo

wer

men

t.

Com

mun

ities

in c

ontr

ol: r

eal p

eopl

e, r

eal p

ower

92

Mak

ing

po

lice

forc

es m

ore

acc

ou

nta

ble

We

will

mak

e su

re t

hat

peop

le h

ave

a vo

ice

in d

ecid

ing

how

pol

icin

g is

del

iver

ed,

5.9

are

clea

r ab

out

who

rep

rese

nts

thei

r in

tere

sts

on c

rime

and

polic

ing,

and

are

abl

e to

hol

d th

e po

lice

to a

ccou

nt.

Polic

e fo

rces

will

be

held

to

acco

unt

for

tack

ling

loca

l prio

ritie

s de

cide

d by

loca

l 5.

10 pe

ople

and

for

mee

ting

serv

ice

stan

dard

s se

t ou

t in

the

‘Pol

icin

g Pl

edge

’. C

itize

ns

will

dire

ctly

ele

ct a

n in

divi

dual

to

repr

esen

t th

eir

inte

rest

s in

rel

atio

n to

crim

e an

d po

licin

g. F

urth

er p

ropo

sals

on

this

will

be

set

out

in t

he f

orth

com

ing

Polic

ing

Gre

en P

aper

.

Acc

ou

nta

bili

ty f

or

hea

lth

ser

vice

sW

e ha

ve in

trod

uced

ext

ensi

ve r

efor

ms

to m

ake

the

NH

S m

ore

acco

unta

ble

to it

s 5.

11 us

ers.

We

have

giv

en o

verv

iew

and

scr

utin

y co

mm

ittee

s of

loca

l aut

horit

ies

the

pow

er t

o re

view

and

scr

utin

ise

loca

l hea

lth s

ervi

ces;

obl

iged

com

mis

sion

ers

of

heal

th a

nd s

ocia

l car

e se

rvic

es t

o re

spon

d to

Loc

al In

volv

emen

t N

etw

orks

(LIN

ks),

the

new

rec

ogni

sed

stru

ctur

es b

y w

hich

pat

ient

s an

d th

e pu

blic

can

influ

ence

th

eir

loca

l ser

vice

s; p

ut a

lega

l dut

y on

NH

S or

gani

satio

ns t

o in

volv

e pe

ople

and

th

eir

repr

esen

tativ

es in

the

pla

nnin

g an

d de

velo

pmen

t of

ser

vice

s; a

nd m

ade

sure

th

at P

rimar

y C

are

Trus

ts (P

CTs

) mus

t re

port

bac

k pu

blic

ly o

n ho

w t

hey

have

re

spon

ded

to lo

cal v

iew

s.

As

indi

cate

d in

the

Dep

artm

ent

of H

ealth

’s co

nsul

tatio

n on

the

new

NH

S 5.

12 C

onst

itutio

n, w

e ar

e en

cour

agin

g PC

Ts t

o en

hanc

e th

eir

acco

unta

bilit

y to

the

ir lo

cal c

omm

uniti

es a

s th

ey d

eter

min

e m

ost

appr

opria

te f

or t

heir

loca

lity,

incl

udin

g cr

eatin

g a

loca

l mem

bers

hip

syst

em o

r de

velo

ping

str

onge

r pa

rtne

rshi

ps w

ith lo

cal

gove

rnm

ent.

For

exa

mpl

e, P

CTs

alre

ady

have

the

abi

lity

to in

vite

a c

ounc

illor

or

thei

r m

ayor

to

sit

on t

he b

oard

as

a no

n-vo

ting

mem

ber

and

man

y PC

Ts d

o th

is

alre

ady.

Thi

s ca

n be

mirr

ored

with

a r

ecip

roca

l arr

ange

men

t w

here

the

PC

T ch

air

(or

anot

her

boar

d m

embe

r) a

tten

ds t

he c

ounc

il ca

bine

t fo

r he

alth

rel

ated

m

atte

rs.77

We

will

als

o be

invi

ting

LIN

ks t

o co

me

forw

ard

if th

ey w

ould

like

to

pilo

t 5.

13 ex

pand

ing

thei

r re

mit

beyo

nd h

ealth

and

soc

ial c

are

issu

es.

77

See

http

://w

ww

.dh.

gov.

uk/e

n/Pu

blic

atio

nsan

dsta

tistic

s/Pu

blic

atio

ns/P

ublic

atio

nsPo

licyA

ndG

uida

nce/

DH

_085

814

93

Cha

lleng

e

Hu

ll Pr

imar

y C

are

Tru

st (

PCT)

cre

ate

thei

r o

wn

loca

l m

emb

ersh

ip s

yste

m

Hul

l PC

T is

dra

win

g up

a m

embe

rshi

p sy

stem

sim

ilar

to F

ound

atio

n Tr

usts

, with

di

ffer

ent

‘con

stitu

enci

es’ f

or p

atie

nts

and

publ

ic, s

taff

and

the

vol

unta

ry s

ecto

r. Th

ere

will

the

n be

thr

ee t

iers

of

mem

bers

hip:

cor

e m

embe

rs; ‘

NH

S H

ull C

ham

pion

s’; a

nd a

sh

adow

boa

rd o

f go

vern

ors.

Cor

e m

embe

rs w

ill c

ompl

ete

ques

tionn

aire

s an

d at

tend

foc

us g

roup

s an

d pu

blic

m

eetin

gs. T

he ‘c

ham

pion

s’ w

ill w

ork

proa

ctiv

ely

with

the

PC

T as

par

tner

s, g

ener

ate

heal

th in

form

atio

n re

leva

nt t

o th

e PC

T, a

nd s

uppo

rt L

ocal

ity B

oard

s in

iden

tifyi

ng lo

cal

heal

th p

riorit

ies.

Mem

bers

of

the

shad

ow b

oard

of

gove

rnor

s w

ill b

e el

ecte

d fr

om t

he

‘NH

S H

ull C

ham

pion

s’. T

he s

hado

w b

oard

of

gove

rnor

s w

ill e

stab

lish

a pr

ogra

mm

e of

w

ork

as d

efin

ed b

y th

e m

embe

rshi

p an

d in

line

with

the

cor

pora

te o

bjec

tives

of

the

PCT.

Hul

l PC

T is

als

o tr

ying

to

co-o

rdin

ate

its m

embe

rshi

p w

ith t

he lo

cal a

cute

and

m

enta

l hea

lth t

rust

s, w

ho a

re b

oth

appl

ying

for

Fou

ndat

ion

Trus

t st

atus

.

ww

w.h

ullp

ct.n

hs.u

k

Mo

re d

irec

tly-

elec

ted

may

ors

The

Gov

ernm

ent

supp

orts

the

dire

ctly

-ele

cted

may

oral

mod

el f

or lo

cal l

eade

rshi

p,

5.14

beca

use

it pr

ovid

es v

isib

le le

ader

ship

for

a lo

cal a

rea.

We

belie

ve t

hat

elec

ted

may

ors

mak

e it

clea

rer

who

is r

espo

nsib

le f

or lo

cal s

ervi

ces,

and

hav

e th

e po

tent

ial

to e

ngag

e m

ore

peop

le in

pol

itics

. A s

urve

y in

200

4 sh

owed

tha

t 57

per

cen

t co

uld

nam

e th

eir

elec

ted

may

or f

rom

a p

rom

pt li

st, c

ompa

red

to 2

5 pe

r ce

nt w

ho

coul

d na

me

thei

r co

unci

l lea

der78

.

The

pote

ntia

l for

loca

l are

as t

o el

ect

thei

r m

ayor

was

est

ablis

hed

in t

he L

ocal

5.

15 G

over

nmen

t A

ct 2

000.

Sin

ce t

hen

12 p

lace

s ha

ve m

oved

to

a di

rect

ly-e

lect

ed

may

or: B

edfo

rd, D

onca

ster

, Hac

kney

, Har

tlepo

ol, L

ewis

ham

, Man

sfie

ld,

Mid

dles

brou

gh, N

ewha

m, N

orth

Tyn

esid

e, S

toke

-on-

Tren

t, T

orba

y an

d W

atfo

rd.

Five

are

inde

pend

ents

, fiv

e ar

e La

bour

, one

is C

onse

rvat

ive

and

one

is L

iber

al

Dem

ocra

t.

78

Rand

le, A

(200

4) M

ayor

s in

mid

-ter

m: l

esso

ns f

rom

the

eig

htee

n m

onth

s of

dire

ctly

-ele

cted

may

ors,

Lo

ndon

: NLG

N 2

004.

Com

mun

ities

in c

ontr

ol: r

eal p

eopl

e, r

eal p

ower

94

We

have

als

o es

tabl

ishe

d a

dire

ctly

-ele

cted

May

or f

or L

ondo

n an

d a

Gre

ater

5.

16 Lo

ndon

Ass

embl

y, w

ith a

bud

get

of £

11.4

bill

ion.

Thi

s re

-est

ablis

hmen

t of

Lo

ndon

-wid

e go

vern

men

t, a

fter

an

abse

nce

of 1

4 ye

ars

follo

win

g th

e ab

oliti

on o

f th

e G

reat

er L

ondo

n C

ounc

il (G

LC) i

n 19

86, h

as b

een

deem

ed a

hug

e su

cces

s an

d is

now

an

acce

pted

par

t of

the

live

s of

Lon

done

rs. N

o se

rious

com

men

tato

r, lo

bby

grou

p or

pol

itica

l par

ty n

ow w

ants

to

reve

rse

the

deci

sion

to

have

a d

irect

ly-

elec

ted

may

or a

nd a

ssem

bly

for

Lond

on. T

he e

xist

ence

of

a hi

gh-p

rofil

e m

ayor

for

Lo

ndon

hel

ped

our

capi

tal w

in t

he 2

012

Oly

mpi

cs.

We

wan

t to

mak

e it

easi

er f

or p

eopl

e to

dem

and

that

the

ir lo

cal l

eade

rs m

ove

to

5.17

esta

blis

hing

a d

irect

ly-e

lect

ed m

ayor

thr

ough

a r

efer

endu

m, s

o:

we

will

con

sult

on p

erm

ittin

g on

-line

pet

ition

ing

as w

ell a

s tr

aditi

onal

pap

er

petit

ions

to

dem

onst

rate

sup

port

for

a r

efer

endu

m

we

will

con

sult

on r

educ

ing

the

thre

shol

d fo

r a

petit

ion

to t

rigge

r a

may

oral

re

fere

ndum

fro

m 5

per

cen

t of

vot

ers

– pe

rhap

s to

2, 3

or

4 pe

r ce

nt

we

will

rem

ove

the

stip

ulat

ion

that

no

refe

rend

um m

ay b

e he

ld f

or 1

0 ye

ars

if a

refe

rend

um is

lost

and

inst

ead

mov

e to

a s

yste

m w

here

a n

ew r

efer

endu

m

may

be

held

aft

er f

our

year

s in

the

se c

ircum

stan

ces

We

will

mak

e th

e m

ove

to a

dire

ctly

-ele

cted

may

oral

ty m

ore

attr

activ

e to

loca

l 5.

18 po

litic

ians

with

an

expe

ctat

ion

that

dire

ctly

-ele

cted

may

ors,

whe

re t

hey

exis

t,

wou

ld c

hair

the

Loca

l Str

ateg

ic P

artn

ersh

ip a

nd, b

e th

e ne

w C

rime

and

Polic

ing

repr

esen

tativ

e, a

s an

noun

ced

by t

he P

rime

Min

iste

r in

the

dra

ft le

gisl

ativ

e pr

ogra

me

for

2008

-09.

Co

mp

reh

ensi

ve A

rea

Ass

essm

ent

From

Apr

il 20

09, n

ew in

depe

nden

t as

sess

men

ts o

f lo

cal a

reas

will

be

intr

oduc

ed.

5.19

Com

preh

ensi

ve A

rea

Ass

essm

ent

(CA

A) w

ill r

elat

e pe

ople

’s ex

perie

nces

of

livin

g in

an

are

a to

how

loca

l age

ncie

s w

ork

toge

ther

and

how

loca

l pub

lic s

ervi

ces

can

be

impr

oved

. The

leve

l and

qua

lity

of p

ublic

eng

agem

ent

and

empo

wer

men

t w

ill b

e te

sted

and

eva

luat

ed a

s pa

rt o

f th

e C

AA

pro

cess

, inc

ludi

ng h

ow w

ell v

ulne

rabl

e an

d m

argi

nalis

ed g

roup

s ha

ve b

een

invo

lved

.

Whe

n co

mpl

aint

s ar

e fr

eely

he

ard,

dee

ply

cons

ider

ed

and

spee

dily

ref

orm

ed, t

hen

is t

he u

tmos

t bo

und

of c

ivil

liber

ty a

ttai

ned

that

wis

e m

en lo

ok f

or.

Joh

n M

ilto

n (

1608

–167

4)

Eng

lish

Po

et, H

isto

rian

an

d S

cho

lar

Follo

w t

he c

usto

mer

, if

they

ch

ange

... w

e ch

ange

.

Sir

Terr

y Le

ahy,

(C

hie

f Ex

ecu

tive

, Tes

co p

lc)

Ch

apte

r 6

Redr

ess

Com

mun

ities

in c

ontr

ol: r

eal p

eopl

e, r

eal p

ower

96

Red

ress

How

do

I get

sw

ift a

nd f

air

redr

ess

whe

n th

ings

go

wro

ng,

and

mak

e su

re it

doe

sn’t

hap

pen

to s

omeo

ne e

lse?

Ther

e w

ill u

nfor

tuna

tely

be

occa

sion

s w

here

ser

vice

s do

not

mee

t pe

ople

’s 6.

1 ex

pect

atio

ns. T

his

chap

ter

look

s at

how

to

mak

e su

re t

hat

expe

ctat

ions

are

cle

ar,

how

citi

zens

can

see

k re

dres

s an

d ho

w r

edre

ss c

an b

e us

ed t

o im

prov

e pe

rfor

man

ce in

the

fut

ure.

The

days

are

ove

r w

hen

peop

le a

ccep

ted

a w

ait

of m

any

wee

ks f

or a

pho

ne t

o be

6.

2 in

stal

led,

or

wai

ted

mon

ths

for

repa

irs t

o th

eir

hom

e, o

r w

aite

d ye

ars

for

thei

r N

HS

oper

atio

n. P

eopl

e no

long

er a

ccep

t ho

usin

g of

fices

tha

t cl

ose

for

lunc

h, o

r ph

one

lines

tha

t sh

ut d

own

at 5

pm. P

eopl

e w

ant

syst

ems

and

serv

ices

tha

t m

atch

th

eir

busy

life

styl

es a

nd w

orki

ng p

atte

rns.

Peo

ple

also

exp

ect

thei

r co

mpl

aint

s to

be

dea

lt w

ith p

rom

ptly

and

with

cou

rtes

y w

hen

syst

ems

fail.

Aro

und

a fif

th o

f th

e ad

ult

popu

latio

n co

ntac

t th

eir

loca

l cou

ncil

ever

y ye

ar w

ith a

6.

3 co

mpl

aint

abo

ut t

heir

area

or

the

qual

ity o

f th

e co

unci

l’s s

ervi

ces.

79 H

owev

er t

his

may

not

rep

rese

nt t

he f

ull e

xten

t of

dis

satis

fact

ion

as n

ot e

very

one

will

hav

e th

e kn

owle

dge

or c

onfid

ence

to

mak

e an

off

icia

l com

plai

nt o

r th

ey m

ay n

ot f

eel t

heir

com

plai

nt w

ill m

ake

a di

ffer

ence

. Thi

s is

esp

ecia

lly t

rue

whe

n pe

ople

are

uns

ure

who

is r

espo

nsib

le f

or a

loca

l ser

vice

.

Man

y pe

ople

who

do

com

plai

n fe

el t

hat

thei

r co

mpl

aint

s ar

e ha

ndle

d po

orly.

Onl

y 6.

4 34

per

cen

t of

tho

se w

ho h

ad c

onta

cted

the

ir co

unci

l in

the

last

yea

r w

ere

satis

fied

with

the

way

the

ir lo

cal a

utho

rity

hand

led

thei

r co

mpl

aint

.80 A

num

ber

of

fact

ors

influ

ence

sat

isfa

ctio

n. K

now

ing

the

nam

e of

the

per

son

deal

ing

with

the

co

mpl

aint

(35

per

cent

), ke

epin

g pe

ople

info

rmed

(32

per

cent

) and

the

spe

ed o

f re

spon

se (3

2 pe

r ce

nt) a

re s

een

as p

artic

ular

ly im

port

ant.

Kno

win

g th

e or

gani

satio

n w

ill t

reat

com

plai

nts

fairl

y (3

2 pe

r ce

nt) i

s al

so m

entio

ned

by m

any.

81

79

Com

mun

ities

and

Loc

al G

over

nmen

t (2

007)

Bes

t Va

lue

Use

r Sa

tisfa

ctio

n Su

rvey

s 20

06-0

7 –

Gen

eral

Su

rvey

Nat

iona

l Rep

ort,

Lon

don.

Com

mun

ities

and

Loc

al G

over

nmen

t.80

ib

id.

81

MO

RI (2

003)

Om

buds

men

Aw

aren

ess

Surv

ey 2

003.

Sur

vey

of t

he G

ener

al P

ublic

and

Adv

isor

y Bo

dies

, Lo

ndon

: Par

liam

enta

ry, H

ealth

Ser

vice

and

Loc

al G

over

nmen

t O

mbu

dsm

en.

Ch

apte

r 6

97

Redr

ess

Des

pite

thi

s, a

maj

ority

of

peop

le b

elie

ve t

hat

publ

ic s

ervi

ces

have

bec

ome

bett

er

6.5

at d

ealin

g w

ith c

ompl

aint

s: t

he p

ropo

rtio

n be

lievi

ng t

hat

publ

ic s

ervi

ces

mat

ch

or o

utpe

rfor

m p

rivat

e co

mpa

nies

ros

e fr

om 4

7 pe

r ce

nt in

199

7 to

55

per

cent

in

200

5.82

The

prin

cipl

es t

hat

unde

rpin

com

plai

nts

proc

edur

es s

houl

d be

tha

t:

dece

nt, a

gree

d st

anda

rds

of s

ervi

ce a

nd c

are

othe

r

unde

rsto

od

lear

ning

influ

ence

s de

liver

y ne

xt t

ime

Loca

l gov

ernm

ent

and

othe

r ag

enci

es t

ake

thei

r re

spon

sibi

litie

s to

han

dle

6.6

com

plai

nts

very

ser

ious

ly. M

ost

have

rob

ust

syst

ems

in p

lace

. Web

site

s lik

e D

irect

gov83

, and

pho

ne li

nes

such

as

Con

sum

er D

irect

and

101

84 g

ive

a fir

st p

oint

of

con

tact

to

rais

e an

issu

e w

ith y

our

coun

cil o

r a

publ

ic b

ody.

The

Aud

it C

omm

issi

on’s

guid

e to

com

plai

ning

abo

ut lo

cal p

ublic

ser

vice

s ex

plai

ns w

here

to

go if

you

hav

e a

com

plai

nt, a

nd t

he s

teps

to

take

if y

ou w

ant

to t

ake

it fu

rthe

r, in

clud

ing

the

role

of

the

Om

buds

man

whe

re t

here

may

hav

e be

en

mal

adm

inis

trat

ion.

85

82

MO

RI (2

003)

Om

buds

men

Aw

aren

ess

Surv

ey 2

003,

Sur

vey

of t

he G

ener

al P

ublic

and

Adv

isor

y Bo

dies

, Lo

ndon

: Par

liam

enta

ry, H

ealth

Ser

vice

and

Loc

al G

over

nmen

t O

mbu

dsm

en.

83

Dire

ctgo

v gi

ves

info

rmat

ion

on h

ow t

o m

ake

a co

mpl

aint

abo

ut a

ll pu

blic

bod

ies,

cov

erin

g th

e O

mbu

dsm

an s

ervi

ces

and

the

proc

edur

e in

pla

ce f

or t

he N

HS,

pol

ice

and

hous

ing,

and

will

hel

p yo

u to

loca

te y

our

loca

l MP

or c

ounc

il, a

nd t

ake

you

dire

ctly

to

thei

r w

ebpa

ges

desc

ribin

g th

e lo

cal

auth

ority

com

plai

nts

proc

edur

e. w

ww

.dire

ct.g

ov.u

k84

Th

e 10

1 sc

hem

e, w

hich

has

bee

n pi

lote

d in

a n

umbe

r of

are

as, s

how

s th

e pa

rtne

rshi

p w

orki

ng t

hat

new

for

ms

of t

echn

olog

y ca

n m

ake

poss

ible

.85

w

ww

.aud

it-co

mm

issi

on.g

ov.u

k/co

mpl

aint

s/fa

qs.a

sp

Com

mun

ities

in c

ontr

ol: r

eal p

eopl

e, r

eal p

ower

98

The

Loca

l Gov

ernm

ent

Om

buds

man

’s ne

w A

cces

s an

d A

dvic

e C

entr

e ha

s ju

st

6.7

open

ed in

Cov

entr

y. T

he c

entr

e pr

ovid

es a

firs

t po

int

of c

onta

ct f

or a

ll en

quiri

es

and

com

plai

nts,

and

off

ers

advi

ce t

o ca

llers

so

they

can

mak

e an

info

rmed

de

cisi

on a

bout

tak

ing

thei

r co

mpl

aint

for

war

d. A

n im

prov

ed w

ebsi

te m

akes

it

easi

er t

o su

bmit

enqu

iries

or

com

plai

nts

by p

hone

, em

ail a

nd in

writ

ing.

86

Con

fusi

on c

an a

rise

whe

n a

num

ber

of a

genc

ies

are

invo

lved

in h

andl

ing

a 6.

8 co

mpl

aint

, as

can

happ

en w

here

loca

l ser

vice

s ar

e be

ing

prov

ided

thr

ough

pa

rtne

rshi

ps. W

e ar

e th

eref

ore

revi

ewin

g t

he

Loca

l Om

bu

dsm

an’s

juri

sdic

tio

n

to m

ake

sure

tha

t an

y lim

itatio

ns o

n w

here

the

Om

buds

man

can

act

are

in t

he

genu

ine

inte

rest

s of

peo

ple,

and

to

ensu

re a

ll pa

rtne

rs in

volv

ed in

com

plai

nts

incl

udin

g th

e Lo

cal O

mbu

dsm

an, h

ave

the

flexi

bilit

y to

wor

k to

geth

er.

We

also

exp

ect

that

loca

l ser

vice

pro

vide

rs w

ill m

ove

tow

ards

sys

tem

s of

6.

9 ac

cess

ible

, in

tera

ctiv

e co

nta

ct f

or in

divi

dual

s to

rai

se t

heir

conc

erns

, for

ex

ampl

e Sa

lford

Cou

ncil’

s ‘R

epor

t it!

’ sch

eme

unde

r w

hich

you

can

ask

onl

ine

for

serv

ices

, inc

ludi

ng r

epor

ting

antis

ocia

l beh

avio

ur o

r fly

tippi

ng; o

r th

e Lo

ve

Lew

isha

m w

ebsi

te o

n w

hich

res

iden

ts c

an r

epor

t gr

affit

i, up

load

pho

tos,

rec

eive

im

med

iate

ack

now

ledg

emen

t an

d tr

ack

prog

ress

as

it oc

curs

.

Co

mm

un

ity

con

trac

tsN

ew r

ight

s an

d po

wer

s m

ust

be b

alan

ced

by r

espo

nsib

ilitie

s an

d du

ties.

The

6.

10 Yo

ung

Foun

datio

n ha

s pr

oduc

ed g

uida

nce

for

loca

l aut

horit

ies87

to

prom

ote

mor

e co

mm

unity

con

trac

ts. T

his

guid

ance

sta

tes

that

:

“Com

mun

ity c

ontr

acts

cre

ate

a cl

ear

set

of o

blig

atio

ns o

n th

e si

de o

f co

mm

uniti

es

and

the

peop

le w

ho d

eliv

er t

heir

serv

ices

, and

enc

oura

ge t

he id

ea o

f ac

coun

tabi

lity

betw

een

peop

le a

nd a

genc

ies.

”

We

wou

ld li

ke t

o se

e th

e id

ea o

f C

omm

unity

Con

trac

ts d

evel

opin

g in

eve

ry

6.11

neig

hbou

rhoo

d. C

omm

unity

con

trac

ts a

re in

pla

ce in

sev

eral

are

as in

clud

ing

Man

ches

ter,

Milt

on K

eyne

s, B

olto

n an

d W

alsa

ll, w

ith 1

1 fu

rthe

r pi

lot

sche

mes

un

derw

ay. T

hese

con

trac

ts b

ring

toge

ther

cou

ncils

, pol

ice,

the

loca

l NH

S an

d co

mm

unity

gro

ups

to a

gree

prio

ritie

s fo

r ac

tion.

In r

etur

n, p

eopl

e co

llect

ivel

y

86

ww

w.lg

o.or

g.uk

/87

C

omm

uniti

es a

nd L

ocal

Gov

ernm

ent

(200

8) H

ow t

o pu

blis

h a

loca

l cha

rter

, You

ng F

ound

atio

n fo

r C

omm

uniti

es a

nd L

ocal

Gov

ernm

ent:

Lon

don.

99

Redr

ess

agre

e to

tak

e re

spon

sibi

lity

for

a lo

cal p

ark,

run

ning

aft

er-s

choo

l clu

bs o

r ke

epin

g a

com

mun

ity c

entr

e op

en. F

or e

xam

ple,

in t

he P

eel H

all n

eigh

bour

hood

in S

outh

M

anch

este

r 60

res

iden

ts r

ecei

ved

free

han

ging

bas

kets

, in

retu

rn f

or a

co

mm

itmen

t to

kee

p th

em w

ater

ed f

or n

eigh

bour

s if

they

wer

e aw

ay.

A c

on

trac

t h

elp

s re

sto

re c

om

mu

nit

y p

rid

e in

Sta

ffo

rdsh

ire

Peop

le li

ving

in t

he B

iddu

lph

East

w

ard

of S

taff

ords

hire

Moo

rland

s ha

ve g

ood

reas

on t

o ta

ke g

reat

er

prid

e in

the

ir co

mm

unity

.

The

resi

dent

s ar

e am

ong

the

first

in

the

cou

ntry

to

have

a c

ontr

act

info

rmin

g th

em c

lear

ly n

ot o

nly

of

who

doe

s w

hat

loca

lly –

whe

ther

re

mov

ing

aban

done

d ca

rs o

r cl

eani

ng u

p do

g m

ess

– bu

t ho

wth

ey c

an p

lay

a pa

rt in

mak

ing

thei

r co

mm

unity

a c

lean

er a

nd s

afer

pla

ce t

o liv

e.

The

Com

mun

ity P

ride

cont

ract

was

the

resp

onse

of

the

Moo

rland

s To

geth

er L

ocal

St

rate

gic

Part

ners

hip

– su

ppor

ted

by S

taff

ords

hire

Moo

rland

s D

istr

ict

Cou

ncil

– to

re

side

nts’

con

cern

s.

Resi

dent

s an

d lo

cal p

artn

ers

spen

t si

x m

onth

s dr

awin

g up

the

eig

ht-p

age

char

ter,

whi

ch h

as b

een

dist

ribut

ed t

o al

l 2,7

00 h

ouse

hold

s in

the

are

a.

Resi

dent

Dav

e D

avie

s, a

mem

ber

of t

he lo

cal s

afet

y an

d en

viro

nmen

t su

b-gr

oup,

sai

d:

“Bef

ore,

nob

ody

took

any

prid

e –

they

acc

epte

d an

d liv

ed w

ith t

hing

s. N

ow t

he

com

mun

ity is

invo

lved

and

can

see

the

diff

eren

ce.”

The

cont

ract

has

alre

ady

mad

e a

visi

ble

diff

eren

ce t

o th

e St

affo

rdsh

ire c

omm

unity

. Re

side

nts

com

plai

ned

that

the

str

eets

wer

e be

ing

swep

t on

a M

onda

y, a

day

bef

ore

the

bin

colle

ctio

n, le

avin

g di

rty

stre

ets

all w

eek.

A s

impl

e ro

ta s

witc

h so

lved

the

pr

oble

m.

Peop

le a

re a

lso

expe

cted

to

play

the

ir pa

rt in

hel

ping

to

deliv

er lo

cal s

ervi

ces

– su

ch a

s co

mm

unity

gar

dens

– a

s pa

rt o

f th

e ag

reem

ent.

And

aft

er a

yea

r of

ope

ratio

n, m

ost

peop

le t

hink

it h

as b

een

a su

cces

s.

ww

w.s

taff

smoo

rland

s.go

v.uk

/site

/scr

ipts

/doc

umen

ts_i

nfo.

php?

docu

men

tID=

650

Com

mun

ities

in c

ontr

ol: r

eal p

eopl

e, r

eal p

ower

100

The

curr

ent

pilo

t sc

hem

es h

ave

been

run

ning

sin

ce t

he b

egin

ning

of

the

year

. We

6.12

are

exte

ndin

g th

e pi

lots

unt

il th

e en

d of

200

8 an

d w

e w

ill e

valu

ate

thes

e cu

rren

t sc

hem

es a

t th

e en

d of

the

yea

r as

par

t of

look

ing

at h

ow t

o de

velo

p m

ore

cont

ract

s in

oth

er a

reas

.

Co

mm

un

ity

ple

dg

eban

ksPl

edge

bank

s he

lp p

eopl

e to

get

thi

ngs

done

by

lett

ing

them

reg

iste

r a

pled

ge

6.13

sayi

ng t

hey

will

do

som

ethi

ng, b

ut o

nly

if a

cert

ain

num

ber

of o

ther

peo

ple

do t

he

sam

e. P

eopl

e ca

n us

e w

ww

.ple

dgeb

ank.

com

to

set

one

up. I

n a

com

mun

ity

pled

geba

nk in

divi

dual

s w

ould

ple

dge

to p

rovi

de a

cer

tain

am

ount

of

reso

urce

(s

uch

as a

sm

all s

um o

f m

oney

or

thei

r sk

ills

and

expe

rtis

e), t

o a

cent

ral p

ot t

hat

wou

ld b

e us

ed t

o fu

rthe

r th

e pr

iorit

ies

iden

tifie

d in

the

com

mun

ity c

ontr

act.

We

wo

uld

like

to

hea

r fr

om

loca

l are

as w

ho

wo

uld

be

inte

rest

ed in

ru

nn

ing

a

com

mu

nit

y p

led

geb

ank

alon

gsid

e or

as

part

of

a co

mm

unity

con

trac

t (o

r a

sim

ilar

agre

emen

t th

at s

ets

out

loca

l prio

ritie

s, f

or e

xam

ple

a lo

cal P

olic

ing

Pled

ge).

We

will

look

to

star

t pi

lotin

g th

is a

ppro

ach

with

inte

rest

ed a

reas

in 2

009.

Wh

at h

app

ens

wh

en s

ervi

ces

fail

Man

y or

gani

satio

ns, i

n th

e pr

ivat

e an

d pu

blic

sec

tors

, hav

e sc

hem

es o

f fin

anci

al

6.14

redr

ess

if pr

omis

es a

re b

roke

n.

For

exam

ple,

Orb

it H

ousi

ng A

ssoc

iatio

n of

fers

its

resi

dent

s £1

0, p

lus

£2 p

er d

ay

6.15

for

ever

y da

y th

at a

rep

air

has

not

been

com

plet

ed p

ast

the

agre

ed d

ate

as p

art

of

its R

ight

to

Repa

ir sc

hem

e. S

ome

trai

n op

erat

ors

give

cus

tom

ers

vouc

hers

if t

he

trai

n is

can

celle

d or

del

ayed

and

som

e co

mpa

nies

del

iver

ing

groc

erie

s or

tak

eaw

ay

food

off

er f

ree

food

if t

he d

eliv

ery

is la

te.

We

belie

ve t

hat

thes

e sc

hem

es o

ffer

tw

o be

nefit

s: f

irstly

the

y se

rve

as a

n in

cent

ive

6.16

for

serv

ice

impr

ovem

ent

and

effic

ienc

y; a

nd s

econ

dly

they

mak

e th

e se

rvic

e us

er

feel

tha

t th

e se

rvic

e-pr

ovid

er is

the

re t

o se

rve

them

, not

the

oth

er w

ay r

ound

. The

am

ount

s of

fin

anci

al r

edre

ss –

eith

er p

ecun

iary

or

a vo

uche

r –

are

a to

ken,

but

th

ey a

re a

rem

inde

r of

who

mat

ters

mos

t in

the

tra

nsac

tion:

the

citi

zen.

The

sc

hem

es w

hich

cur

rent

ly o

pera

te in

the

pub

lic s

ecto

r do

not

pla

ce a

n un

due

burd

en o

n bu

dget

s, a

nd b

y dr

ivin

g up

eff

icie

ncy,

the

y m

ay s

ave

mon

ey o

ver

the

med

ium

ter

m.

101

Redr

ess

We

will

com

mis

sion

a c

onci

se r

evie

w in

to t

he f

easi

bilit

y an

d pr

actic

ality

of

6.17

intr

oduc

ing

and

exte

ndin

g th

e id

ea o

f re

dres

s fo

r ci

tizen

s w

hen

thei

r co

unci

l se

rvic

es f

ail t

o m

eet

agre

ed t

arge

ts. T

his

revi

ew in

to r

edre

ss w

ould

rev

iew

cu

rren

t ar

rang

emen

ts a

cros

s th

e pu

blic

ser

vice

s, in

the

priv

ate

sect

or, a

nd

arra

ngem

ents

in o

ther

cou

ntrie

s, a

nd m

ake

reco

mm

enda

tions

. We

antic

ipat

e th

at

the

revi

ew r

epor

t w

ill b

e su

bmitt

ed t

o th

e Se

cret

ary

of S

tate

in e

arly

200

9.

Ho

w a

ho

usi

ng

ass

oci

atio

n p

ays

to s

ay s

orr

y

Resi

dent

s w

ho e

xper

ienc

e po

or s

ervi

ce f

rom

Ra

glan

Hou

sing

Ass

ocia

tion

may

get

mor

e th

an a

n ap

olog

y. T

hey

can

also

be

give

n vo

uche

rs w

orth

up

to £

50 e

ach

to s

pend

on

the

Hig

h St

reet

to

com

pens

ate

them

for

any

di

stre

ss c

ause

d.

The

Dor

set-

base

d ho

usin

g as

soci

atio

n, w

hich

ow

ns a

nd m

anag

es o

ver

10,8

00 h

omes

ac

ross

Sou

ther

n En

glan

d an

d th

e M

idla

nds,

ha

s in

trod

uced

the

initi

ativ

e al

ongs

ide

a ne

w

cust

omer

cha

rter

for

its

resi

dent

s.

This

app

roac

h is

not

just

goo

d fo

r re

side

nts,

it m

akes

goo

d bu

sine

ss s

ense

too

. Ra

glan

kno

ws

that

it t

akes

val

uabl

e tim

e to

win

bac

k un

happ

y cu

stom

ers,

tak

ing

reso

urce

s aw

ay f

rom

oth

er a

ctiv

ities

.

ww

w.r

agla

n.or

g

102

Wh

at d

iffe

ren

ce c

an I

mak

e… t

o p

lan

nin

g m

y n

eig

hb

ou

rho

od

?D

o yo

u w

ant

to im

prov

e th

e pl

aces

whe

re y

ou li

ve, w

ork

and

play

? A

re y

ou

inte

rest

ed in

the

pro

visi

on o

f ho

usin

g, r

enew

able

ene

rgy

and

gree

n sp

ace,

the

re

gene

ratio

n of

dep

rived

are

as, p

rote

ctio

n of

old

bui

ldin

gs o

r pr

ovis

ion

of o

ther

se

rvic

es a

nd f

acili

ties

in y

our

neig

hbou

rhoo

d? If

you

are

the

n yo

u ne

ed t

o ge

t in

volv

ed in

pla

nnin

g yo

ur n

eigh

bour

hood

. So

wha

t ca

n yo

u do

?

Ho

w c

an I

get

mo

re a

ctiv

e?

I can

get

invo

lved

in t

he p

repa

ratio

n of

the

str

ateg

ies

for

my

area

. For

ex

ampl

e, I

can

cont

ribut

e to

my

loca

l dev

elop

men

t fr

amew

ork

I can

tak

e th

e le

ad a

nd h

elp

my

com

mun

ity w

rite

its o

wn

plan

I can

get

invo

lved

in p

lann

ing

deci

sion

s w

hich

aff

ect

me

thro

ugh

resp

ondi

ng t

o co

nsul

tatio

ns a

nd c

ontr

ibut

ing

to p

ublic

hea

rings

and

in

quiri

es

Ho

w c

an I

acce

ss in

form

atio

n?

I can

fin

d ou

t ho

w I

can

get

invo

lved

by

look

ing

at m

y lo

cal a

utho

rity’

s st

atem

ent

of c

omm

unity

invo

lvem

ent

I can

fin

d ou

t m

ore

abou

t th

e bi

g pl

anni

ng is

sues

in m

y ne

ighb

ourh

ood

by

visi

ting

the

plan

ning

sec

tion

on m

y lo

cal a

utho

rity’

s w

ebsi

te

Ho

w c

an I

hav

e an

infl

uen

ce?

In o

rder

to

influ

ence

I ne

ed t

o un

ders

tand

whe

n an

d ho

w t

o in

fluen

ce:

I can

vis

it th

e Pl

anni

ng P

orta

l at

ww

w.p

lann

ingp

orta

l.gov

.uk/

or

get

in

touc

h w

ith P

lann

ing

Aid

(Tel

: 012

1 69

3 12

01, w

ww

.pla

nnin

gaid

.rtp

i.org

.uk)

to

get

info

rmat

ion

on in

fluen

cing

loca

l pla

ns a

nd d

ecis

ions

I can

look

at

The

Han

dy G

uide

to

Plan

ning

(ww

w.u

rban

foru

m.o

rg.u

k/pu

bs/

inde

x.ht

ml)

or w

ww

.com

mun

itypl

anni

ng.n

et f

or in

form

atio

n on

the

pl

anni

ng p

roce

ss

The

Plan

ning

Bill

, cur

rent

ly b

efor

e Pa

rliam

ent,

als

o se

ts o

ut c

lear

opp

ortu

nitie

s fo

r lo

cal p

eopl

e to

influ

ence

dec

isio

ns o

n m

ajor

infr

astr

uctu

re. S

o, f

or e

xam

ple,

in

fras

truc

ture

dev

elop

ers

will

be

lega

lly r

equi

red

to c

onsu

lt lo

cal c

omm

uniti

es

befo

re t

hey

subm

it an

app

licat

ion

for

deve

lopm

ent.

Dem

ocra

cy is

the

gov

ernm

ent

of t

he p

eopl

e, b

y th

e pe

ople

, fo

r th

e pe

ople

.

Ab

rah

am L

inco

ln

(180

9–18

65)

Ch

apte

r 7

Stan

ding

for

offi

ce

Com

mun

ities

in c

ontr

ol: r

eal p

eopl

e, r

eal p

ower

104

Stan

din

g f

or

off

ice

How

do

I sta

nd f

or o

ffic

e an

d w

hat

supp

ort

shou

ld I

get?

This

cha

pter

is a

bout

how

peo

ple

can

take

on

a ci

vic

role

and

sta

nd f

or o

ffic

e,

7.1

espe

cial

ly f

or t

heir

loca

l cou

ncil,

bui

ldin

g on

the

rec

omm

enda

tions

of

the

Cou

ncill

ors

Com

mis

sion

.88

Mo

re r

epre

sen

tati

ve lo

cal c

ou

nci

llors

Acc

ordi

ng t

o th

e 20

06 C

ensu

s of

loca

l aut

horit

y co

unci

llors

:7.

2

only

29

per

cent

of

coun

cillo

rs a

re w

omen

, des

pite

ove

r ha

lf th

e po

pula

tion

bein

g w

omen

only

fou

r pe

r ce

nt o

f co

unci

llors

are

fro

m b

lack

and

min

ority

eth

nic

back

grou

nds,

des

pite

nea

rly 1

0 pe

r ce

nt o

f th

e po

pula

tion

desc

ribin

g th

emse

lves

as

com

ing

from

an

ethn

ic b

ackg

roun

d

only

0.3

per

cen

t of

cou

ncill

ors

are

aged

und

er 2

589

Thes

e fig

ures

are

an

indi

catio

n of

a s

erio

us w

eakn

ess

in o

ur lo

cal d

emoc

racy

and

7.

3 th

e G

over

nmen

t is

com

mitt

ed t

o en

surin

g th

at lo

cal r

epre

sent

ativ

es r

efle

ct t

he

loca

l com

mun

ities

the

y se

rve.

Thi

s w

ill n

ot o

nly

lead

to

a fa

irer

syst

em, w

ith m

ore

effe

ctiv

e re

pres

enta

tion

but

will

als

o en

cour

age

peop

le t

o se

rve

as c

ounc

illor

s be

caus

e th

ey c

an s

ee r

ole

mod

els

‘like

the

m’.

88

Com

mun

ities

and

Loc

al G

over

nmen

t (2

007)

, Rep

rese

ntin

g th

e Fu

ture

: The

Cou

ncill

ors

Com

mis

sion

, Lo

ndon

: Com

mun

ities

and

Loc

al G

over

nmen

t.89

ID

eA/L

GA

/LG

AR

(200

7) 2

006

Nat

iona

l Cen

sus

of L

ocal

Aut

horit

y C

ounc

illor

s in

Eng

land

, Lon

don:

ID

eA/L

GA

/LG

AR.

Ch

apte

r 7

105

Stan

ding

for

off

ice

The

Co

un

cillo

rs C

om

mis

sio

nTh

e Lo

cal G

over

nmen

t W

hite

Pap

er 2

006

esta

blis

hed

a C

ounc

illor

s C

omm

issi

on,

7.4

chai

red

by D

ame

Jane

Rob

erts

, to

revi

ew t

he in

cent

ives

and

bar

riers

to

peop

le

stan

ding

and

ser

ving

as

coun

cillo

rs.90

The

ir re

port

, Rep

rese

ntin

g th

e Fu

ture

, pu

blis

hed

in D

ecem

ber

2007

, add

ress

ed t

he m

any

issu

es t

hat

affe

ct p

eopl

e’s

desi

re t

o be

a c

ounc

illor

and

the

ir ab

ility

to

stan

d fo

r el

ectio

n; a

s w

ell a

s th

eir

capa

city

if s

ucce

ssfu

l, to

tak

e on

and

sta

y in

the

rol

e. It

als

o lo

oked

at

how

to

ensu

re t

hat

coun

cillo

rs’ p

ublic

ser

vice

was

ful

ly r

ecog

nise

d.

The

Com

mis

sion

est

ablis

hed

as t

heir

foun

ding

prin

cipl

es t

hat:

7.5

loca

l aut

horit

ies

are

key

to p

rom

otin

g lo

cal d

emoc

ratic

eng

agem

ent

prom

otin

g a

sens

e th

at a

n in

divi

dual

is a

ble

to in

fluen

ce t

he d

emoc

ratic

pr

oces

s an

d co

urse

of

even

ts is

the

key

to

enga

gem

ent

coun

cillo

rs a

re m

ost

effe

ctiv

e as

loca

lly e

lect

ed r

epre

sent

ativ

es w

hen

they

hav

e si

mila

r lif

e ex

perie

nces

to

thei

r co

nstit

uent

s

the

rela

tions

hip

and

the

conn

ectio

ns b

etw

een

coun

cillo

rs a

nd t

heir

cons

titue

nts

is k

ey t

o ef

fect

ive

repr

esen

tatio

n

it sh

ould

be

less

dau

ntin

g to

bec

ome

a co

unci

llor,

bett

er s

uppo

rt s

houl

d be

pr

ovid

ed o

nce

elec

ted

as a

cou

ncill

or a

nd it

sho

uld

be le

ss d

aunt

ing

to s

top

bein

g a

coun

cillo

r

The

Gov

ernm

ent

endo

rses

the

se p

rinci

ples

. Our

ful

l res

pons

e to

the

Cou

ncill

ors

7.6

Com

mis

sion

is b

eing

pub

lishe

d al

ongs

ide

this

Whi

te P

aper

.91

The

cen

tral

ro

le o

f lo

cal c

ou

nci

llors

The

Gov

ernm

ent

belie

ves

that

loca

l cou

ncill

ors

are

cent

ral t

o ou

r na

tiona

l life

and

7.

7 to

our

sys

tem

of

dem

ocra

cy. W

e re

cogn

ise

the

vita

l rol

e of

cou

ncill

ors

in s

hapi

ng

and

deliv

erin

g lo

cal s

ervi

ces,

spe

akin

g up

for

peo

ple,

cha

mpi

onin

g th

eir

area

s,

and

keep

ing

our

dem

ocra

cy a

live

in e

very

par

t of

the

cou

ntry

. We

see

coun

cillo

rs

as t

rue

‘loca

l her

oes’

, des

ervi

ng o

ur r

espe

ct a

nd s

uppo

rt.

90

Com

mun

ities

and

Loc

al G

over

nmen

t (2

006)

, The

Loc

al G

over

nmen

t W

hite

Pap

er.

Lond

on: C

omm

uniti

es a

nd L

ocal

Gov

ernm

ent.

91

See

ww

w.c

omm

uniti

es.g

ov.u

k/pu

blic

atio

ns/c

omm

uniti

es/c

omm

uniti

esin

cont

rol

Com

mun

ities

in c

ontr

ol: r

eal p

eopl

e, r

eal p

ower

106

Earli

er in

thi

s W

hite

Pap

er, w

e se

t ou

t ou

r pr

opos

als

to in

trod

uce

a ne

w

7.8

‘du

ty t

o

pro

mo

te d

emo

crac

y’ f

or lo

cal a

utho

ritie

s, a

nd t

o en

able

cou

ncils

to

prov

ide

ince

nti

ves

to v

ote

in lo

cal e

lect

ions

. The

se a

re b

oth

reco

mm

enda

tions

mad

e by

th

e C

ounc

illor

s C

omm

issi

on.

Rem

ovi

ng

po

litic

al r

estr

icti

on

sW

e w

ill

7.9

amen

d t

he

‘Wid

dic

om

be

rule

s’ (s

ectio

n 2

of t

he L

ocal

Gov

ernm

ent

and

Hou

sing

Act

198

9) w

hich

for

bid

coun

cil w

orke

rs, a

bove

a c

erta

in s

alar

y ba

nd,

from

bei

ng a

ctiv

e in

par

ty p

oliti

cs, s

o th

at o

nly

the

mos

t se

nior

cou

ncil

offic

ers

such

as

chie

f ex

ecut

ives

and

chi

ef p

lann

ing

offic

ers

cont

inue

to

be b

arre

d fr

om

polit

ical

act

ivity

alo

ng w

ith o

ther

‘pol

itica

lly s

ensi

tive’

pos

ts. T

his

is a

de

mon

stra

tion

of o

ur d

esire

to

reha

bilit

ate

polit

ics

as a

legi

timat

e an

d w

orth

y ac

tivity

. Res

tric

tions

on

coun

cil e

mpl

oyee

s be

ing

coun

cillo

rs in

the

ir lo

cal a

utho

rity

in w

hich

the

y w

ork

will

, how

ever

, be

reta

ined

.

Ho

w L

eice

ster

att

ract

ed n

ew c

ou

nci

llors

Fift

een

new

nam

es w

ere

on t

he b

allo

t pa

pers

whe

n Le

ices

ter

vote

rs w

ent

to t

he p

olls

in

May

200

7 th

anks

to

a dr

ive

to a

ttra

ct n

ew c

ounc

illor

s.

Ther

e w

ere

too

few

can

dida

tes

com

ing

forw

ard,

par

ticul

arly

fro

m t

he c

ity’s

dive

rse

ethn

ic c

omm

uniti

es.

The

coun

cil p

ut p

oste

rs a

cros

s th

e ci

ty. A

rtic

les

appe

ared

in t

he lo

cal p

ress

. Vol

unta

ry

and

com

mun

ity g

roup

s w

ere

emai

led,

ope

n ev

enin

gs w

ere

held

, and

an

info

rmat

ive

web

site

ans

wer

ed a

ny q

uest

ions

peo

ple

mig

ht h

ave.

The

May

or a

lso

host

ed e

vent

s.

“The

re a

re n

o fo

rmal

qua

lific

atio

ns re

quire

d to

bec

ome

a co

unci

llor,”

str

esse

d H

ead

of D

emoc

ratic

Ser

vice

s, L

iz R

eid-

Jone

s. “

Life

exp

erie

nce

is o

ne o

f th

e be

st t

hing

s yo

u ca

n br

ing

to t

he ro

le.”

The

‘Mak

e Yo

ur V

oice

Hea

rd’ c

ampa

ign

incl

uded

eve

nts

with

pre

sent

atio

ns o

n ‘L

ife

as a

Cou

ncill

or’,

as w

ell a

s se

ssio

ns o

n th

e no

min

atio

n an

d el

ectio

n pr

oces

ses.

The

re

was

eve

n a

‘spe

ed d

atin

g’ s

essi

on w

here

pro

spec

tive

cand

idat

es c

ould

dis

cuss

the

ir co

ncer

ns w

ith e

xist

ing

coun

cillo

rs. A

n in

form

atio

n pa

ck a

nsw

ered

peo

ple’

s qu

estio

ns.

Seve

n of

the

15

who

sto

od w

ere

elec

ted

to s

erve

as

coun

cillo

rs.

ww

w.le

ices

ter.g

ov.u

k/yo

ur-c

ounc

il--s

ervi

ces/

coun

cil-a

nd-d

emoc

racy

/loca

l-dem

ocra

cy/

beco

me-

a-co

unci

llor

107

Stan

ding

for

off

ice

We

reco

gnis

e th

e ex

celle

nt w

ork

curr

ently

bei

ng d

one

by c

ounc

illor

s bu

t w

e no

w

7.10

wan

t to

do

mor

e to

rec

ogni

se a

nd r

ewar

d lo

cal c

ounc

illor

s, a

nd t

o en

cour

age

mor

e pe

ople

fro

m a

wid

er r

ange

of

back

grou

nds

to c

onsi

der

serv

ing

as a

co

unci

llor.

Bla

ck, A

sian

an

d M

ino

rity

Eth

nic

Wo

men

Co

un

cillo

rs

Task

forc

eLe

ss t

han

one

per

cent

of

loca

l cou

ncill

ors

are

blac

k, a

sian

and

min

ority

eth

nic

7.11

wom

en. T

o be

mor

e re

flect

ive

of s

ocie

ty t

his

need

s to

incr

ease

mor

e th

an f

ive

fold

to

aro

und

1000

. At

the

curr

ent

rate

of

incr

ease

thi

s co

uld

take

mor

e th

an 1

30

year

s. T

here

fore

a t

askf

orce

has

bee

n es

tabl

ishe

d by

the

Gov

ernm

ent

to h

elp

mor

e bl

ack,

asi

an a

nd m

inor

ity e

thni

c w

omen

to

beco

me

coun

cillo

rs, a

nd s

o m

ake

coun

cils

mor

e re

pres

enta

tive

of t

he c

omm

unity

. The

tas

kfor

ce is

cha

ired

by

Baro

ness

Udd

in, t

he f

irst

Mus

lim w

oman

in t

he H

ouse

of

Lord

s.

Mem

bers

incl

ude

coun

cillo

rs f

rom

acr

oss

Brita

in, f

rom

a r

ange

of

ethn

iciti

es a

nd

7.12

polit

ical

par

ties.

The

tas

kfor

ce w

ill t

ake

prac

tical

act

ion

to a

ddre

ss t

his

unde

r-re

pres

enta

tion.

Thi

s w

ill in

clud

e m

ento

ring

and

outr

each

eve

nts

in c

omm

unity

ce

ntre

s to

mak

e th

e ro

le o

f co

unci

llors

mor

e w

idel

y kn

own

and

bett

er

unde

rsto

od. T

his

wor

k w

ill in

volv

e or

gani

satio

ns s

uch

as t

he L

ocal

Gov

ernm

ent

Ass

ocia

tion

(LG

A),

Ope

ratio

n Bl

ack

Vote

(a n

on-p

artis

an o

rgan

isat

ion

wor

king

to

addr

ess

the

unde

r-re

pres

enta

tion

of b

lack

and

min

ority

eth

nic

com

mun

ities

in

polit

ical

and

civ

ic li

fe) a

nd t

he F

awce

tt S

ocie

ty. T

his

will

foc

us o

n tr

aini

ng,

esta

blis

hing

net

wor

king

gro

ups,

str

engt

heni

ng t

he e

vide

nce

base

and

wor

king

w

ith lo

cal c

ounc

ils, p

oliti

cal p

artie

s an

d or

gani

satio

ns li

ke t

he Im

prov

emen

t an

d D

evel

opm

ent

Age

ncy

(IDeA

).

Com

mun

ities

in c

ontr

ol: r

eal p

eopl

e, r

eal p

ower

108

Op

erat

ion

Bla

ck V

ote

an

d B

rist

ol C

ity

Co

un

cil w

ork

to

get

her

to

in

crea

se r

epre

sen

tati

on

Bris

tol’s

Cou

ncill

or S

hado

win

g Sc

hem

e is

run

join

tly b

y O

pera

tion

Blac

k Vo

te a

nd B

risto

l City

Cou

ncil.

It

addr

esse

s th

e un

der-

repr

esen

tatio

n of

bla

ck a

nd m

inor

ity

ethn

ic m

embe

rs w

ithin

all

leve

ls o

f th

e C

ounc

il an

d he

lps

to e

nsur

e th

at b

lack

and

min

ority

eth

nic

com

mun

ities

hav

e co

nfid

ence

in t

he

dem

ocra

tic p

roce

ss.

The

part

icip

ants

sha

dow

ed h

igh-

leve

l cou

ncill

ors

from

the

thr

ee m

ain

polit

ical

par

ties

for

a m

inim

um o

f ei

ght

days

ove

r a

six-

mon

th p

erio

d. T

he s

hado

w

coun

cillo

rs b

ecam

e in

volv

ed in

loca

l life

and

par

ty p

oliti

cs, l

earn

ing

abou

t th

e ro

le o

f co

unci

llors

, the

ser

ving

off

icer

s an

d ho

w t

he a

utho

rity

wor

ks.

Yasm

inah

Bee

beej

aun,

who

sha

dow

ed C

llr J

ohn

Dea

sy a

nd C

llr J

enny

Sm

ith d

urin

g th

e 20

07 s

chem

e, s

aid:

“It

was

muc

h m

ore

of a

n in

sigh

t th

an I

coul

d ha

ve im

agin

ed a

nd re

ally

mad

e m

e fe

el

part

of

the

polit

ical

pro

cess

.”

Libe

ral D

emoc

rat

coun

cillo

r Jo

hn K

iely,

who

men

tore

d sh

adow

Mal

eeka

Bok

hari,

sai

d:

“I c

anno

t sp

eak

mor

e hi

ghly

of

the

sche

me.

It w

as a

gre

at e

xper

ienc

e an

d a

priv

ilege

. It

has

give

n m

y sh

adow

an

oppo

rtun

ity t

o ex

perie

nce

ever

y as

pect

of

polit

ical

life

. It

has

also

had

an

unex

pect

ed e

ffec

t on

me

as I

saw

the

life

of

a m

embe

r of

the

bla

ck

and

min

ority

eth

nic

com

mun

ity m

ore

clos

ely

than

usu

al a

nd re

cogn

ised

som

e of

the

ve

ry d

iffer

ent

cultu

ral i

ssue

s fa

cing

tho

se f

rom

the

bla

ck a

nd m

inor

ity e

thni

c co

mm

unity

who

wan

t to

eng

age

with

in m

ains

trea

m p

oliti

cs.”

Gra

duat

es o

f th

e C

ounc

illor

Sha

dow

ing

Sche

me

have

gon

e on

to

be in

volv

ed in

a

rang

e of

civ

ic g

over

nanc

e ro

les

such

as

scho

ol g

over

nors

and

hav

e st

ood

at lo

cal

elec

tions

. The

pro

gram

me

won

a L

ocal

Gov

ernm

ent

Chr

onic

le a

war

d in

200

6.

ww

w.o

bv.o

rg.u

k/in

dex.

php?

optio

n=co

m_c

onte

nt&

task

=vi

ew&

id=

570&

Item

id=

128

109

Stan

ding

for

off

ice

Posi

tive

imag

es o

f co

un

cillo

rsW

e su

ppor

t th

e C

ounc

illor

s C

omm

issi

on in

its

desi

re t

o se

e a

mor

e po

sitiv

e pr

ofile

7.

13 fo

r co

unci

llors

. We

agre

e th

at t

he m

edia

hav

e a

resp

onsi

bilit

y to

the

ir au

dien

ces

to

help

peo

ple

unde

rsta

nd lo

cal a

nd n

atio

nal d

emoc

racy

. Thi

s is

ref

lect

ed in

the

pu

blic

ser

vice

bro

adca

ster

s’ r

emits

. We

wel

com

e th

e re

cent

pub

lic c

omm

itmen

t to

th

is f

rom

the

BBC

.

Peop

le m

ust

know

wha

t th

eir

coun

cillo

rs d

o, p

artic

ular

ly if

we

are

to e

ncou

rage

7.

14 ne

w c

andi

date

s to

sta

nd. M

any

auth

oriti

es a

lread

y se

t ou

t th

is r

ole

clea

rly f

or t

he

wid

er p

ublic

on

thei

r w

ebsi

tes

and

in le

afle

ts. W

e w

elco

me

the

Impr

ovem

ent

and

Dev

elop

men

t A

genc

y’s

(IDeA

) com

mitm

ent

to d

evel

op m

odel

des

crip

tions

of

the

role

of

a co

unci

llor

for

coun

cils

to

use.

The

Urb

an F

orum

’s re

cent

pub

licat

ion

of A

G

uide

to

Your

Cou

ncil,

pro

vidi

ng in

form

atio

n on

how

loca

l aut

horit

ies

wor

k an

d w

hat

they

are

res

pons

ible

for

, will

als

o he

lp p

eopl

e un

ders

tand

wha

t th

eir

coun

cil

does

.

We

supp

ort

the

Loca

l Gov

ernm

ent

Ass

ocia

tion’

s (L

GA

’s) R

eput

atio

n C

ampa

ign

7.15

92

, w

hich

set

s ou

t a

doze

n w

ays

in w

hich

cou

ncils

can

be

bett

er c

omm

unic

ator

s.

How

ever

, the

re is

stil

l too

muc

h co

nfus

ion

and

relu

ctan

ce w

ithin

loca

l gov

ernm

ent

abou

t ho

w f

ar c

ounc

ils s

houl

d pr

omot

e an

d su

ppor

t co

unci

llors

’ act

iviti

es. W

e w

ant

to c

larif

y th

is a

nd e

nsur

e th

at a

ny g

uida

nce

mak

es c

lear

the

legi

timat

e su

ppor

t w

hich

sho

uld

be g

iven

to

coun

cillo

rs, i

nclu

ding

to

thos

e w

ith d

isab

ilitie

s.

We

reco

gnis

e th

e ne

ed t

o re

view

the

Cod

e of

Rec

omm

ende

d Pr

actic

e on

Loc

al

Gov

ernm

ent

Publ

icity

93 a

nd o

ther

cen

tral

gui

danc

e w

hich

set

s ou

t w

hich

act

iviti

es

are

deem

ed p

arty

pol

itica

l or

offic

ial.

We

will

for

mal

ly c

on

sult

on

po

ten

tial

ch

ang

es t

o t

he

Pub

licit

y C

od

e, a

nd a

ssoc

iate

d gu

idan

ce in

the

aut

umn.

Thi

s w

ill in

clud

e gu

idan

ce w

hich

rel

ates

to

supp

ort

for

disa

bled

peo

ple.

But

publ

ic c

onfid

ence

req

uire

s ci

tizen

s to

be

clea

r ab

out

wha

t th

ey c

an e

xpec

t 7.

16 fr

om t

heir

coun

cillo

rs. W

e w

elco

me

the

LGA

and

IDeA

’s pl

ans

to e

stab

lish

indi

cativ

e ro

le d

escr

iptio

ns, s

ettin

g ou

t w

hat

coun

cillo

rs s

houl

d do

.

92

See

ww

w.r

eput

atio

n.lg

a.go

v.uk

/lga/

core

/pag

e.do

?pag

eId=

193

Se

e w

ww

.com

mun

ities

.gov

.uk/

docu

men

ts/lo

calg

over

nmen

t/pd

f/15

5067

.pdf

Com

mun

ities

in c

ontr

ol: r

eal p

eopl

e, r

eal p

ower

110

Pow

ers

for

cou

nci

llors

Cou

ncils

alre

ady

have

pow

ers

to d

eleg

ate

7.17

d

iscr

etio

nar

y lo

calis

ed b

ud

get

s fo

r co

un

cillo

rs t

o al

loca

te t

o lo

cal g

roup

s or

ser

vice

s. T

his

allo

ws

coun

cillo

rs t

o ta

rget

th

eir

budg

et o

n th

e co

ncer

ns t

hey

judg

e to

be

the

high

est

prio

ritie

s of

loca

l el

ecto

rate

s, a

nd w

e w

ould

enc

oura

ge a

ll co

unci

ls t

o m

ake

use

of t

his

pow

er.

Cou

ncill

ors

may

, of

cour

se, u

se p

artic

ipat

ory

budg

etin

g te

chni

ques

to

deci

de h

ow

to s

pend

the

ir bu

dget

.

Sect

ion

236

of t

he L

ocal

Gov

ernm

ent

and

Publ

ic In

volv

emen

t in

Hea

lth A

ct 2

007

7.18

allo

ws

coun

cils

to

mak

e ar

rang

emen

ts s

o th

at in

divi

dual

cou

ncill

ors

can

exer

cise

m

ore

pow

er in

the

ir w

ard.

A lo

cal c

ounc

illor

cou

ld, f

or e

xam

ple,

hav

e th

e po

wer

to

get

a d

umpe

d fr

idge

in t

he lo

cal p

ark

rem

oved

. Thi

s w

ill e

nabl

e co

unci

llors

to

assi

st t

heir

cons

titue

nts

in a

way

tha

t se

es q

uick

and

dire

ct r

esul

ts, g

ivin

g lo

cal

coun

cillo

rs p

ower

s to

get

thi

ngs

done

.

Sup

po

rt f

or

cou

nci

llors

The

Cou

ncill

ors

Com

mis

sion

rec

ogni

sed

the

need

for

cou

ncils

to

prov

ide

mor

e 7.

19 ef

fect

ive

supp

ort

to c

ounc

illor

s; a

nd t

o or

gani

se c

ounc

il bu

sine

ss in

way

s th

at

mak

e th

e be

st u

se o

f co

unci

llors

’ tim

e. W

e w

elco

me

the

wor

k th

at t

he lo

cal

gove

rnm

ent

sect

or is

doi

ng h

ere.

We

wan

t to

sup

port

aut

horit

ies

in m

oder

nisi

ng t

he w

ay t

hey

do b

usin

ess

by

7.20

legi

slat

ing

to e

nabl

e co

unci

llors

with

car

ing

resp

onsi

bilit

ies

and

othe

rs, f

or

exam

ple

thos

e w

ith lo

ng jo

urne

y tim

es, t

o us

e in

form

atio

n an

d co

mm

unic

atio

n te

chno

logy

to

par

tici

pat

e in

mee

tin

gs

and

vo

te r

emo

tely

. Any

suc

h ar

rang

emen

ts w

ould

nee

d to

be

bala

nced

with

mea

sure

s to

pre

serv

e ac

coun

tabi

lity

and

tran

spar

ency

, so

that

citi

zens

can

rem

ain

conf

iden

t th

at t

hey

are

bein

g pr

oper

ly r

epre

sent

ed b

y th

eir

loca

l cou

ncill

or.

Ald

erm

en a

nd

Ald

erw

om

enW

hen

coun

cillo

rs lo

se t

heir

seat

s or

ret

ire, o

ften

the

ir ex

perie

nce

and

know

ledg

e 7.

21 is

lost

to

loca

l gov

ernm

ent.

We

wan

t m

ore

coun

cils

to

reco

gnis

e th

e co

ntrib

utio

n of

for

mer

cou

ncill

ors,

and

enc

oura

ge t

heir

cont

inui

ng in

volv

emen

t th

roug

h ex

istin

g po

wer

s to

cre

ate

Ald

erm

en b

ut a

lso

thro

ugh

new

pow

ers

whi

ch w

e w

ill

intr

oduc

e to

ena

ble

the

use

of t

he t

itle

of ‘A

lder

wom

an’.

An

Ald

erm

an o

r A

lder

wom

an is

a f

orm

er e

lect

ed c

ounc

illor

of

good

sta

ndin

g, h

avin

g us

ually

111

Stan

ding

for

off

ice

serv

ed a

t le

ast

two

full

term

s of

off

ice,

who

has

pro

vide

d di

stin

guis

hed

serv

ice.

A

lder

men

and

wom

en s

houl

d be

abl

e to

use

the

pre

fix t

o th

eir

nam

e A

lder

man

, A

lder

wom

en o

r A

ld. i

nste

ad o

f C

ounc

illor

or

Cllr

.

By r

ecog

nisi

ng t

heir

cont

ribut

ion

and

crea

ting

a w

ay in

whi

ch t

hey

can

cont

inue

7.

22 to

con

trib

ute

thei

r sk

ills

and

abili

ties,

we

hope

tha

t a

grea

ter

prop

ortio

n of

long

-st

andi

ng c

ounc

illor

s w

ill b

e le

ss r

eluc

tant

to

retir

e fr

om o

ffic

e an

d th

us c

reat

e m

ore

oppo

rtun

ities

for

new

cou

ncill

ors

to s

tand

in s

eats

.

Oth

er w

ays

to s

erve

th

e lo

cal c

om

mu

nit

yTh

ere

are

man

y m

ore

way

s to

ser

ve t

he lo

cal c

omm

unity

tha

n be

ing

an e

lect

ed

7.23

coun

cillo

r. W

e w

ant

to o

pen

up t

he o

ppor

tuni

ties

to s

erve

on

the

othe

r lo

cal

com

mitt

ees

and

boar

ds w

hich

dire

ct lo

cal s

ervi

ces.

We

wan

t th

e po

ol o

f pe

ople

se

rvin

g th

eir

com

mun

ities

in t

his

way

to

be d

eepe

ned

and

for

a re

fres

hing

bla

st o

f co

mm

on s

ense

to

be a

pplie

d to

dec

isio

n-m

akin

g.

In s

ome

plac

es t

here

are

not

eno

ugh

peop

le w

ith t

he in

cent

ives

, kno

wle

dge

or

7.24

desi

re t

o se

rve

on b

oard

s or

com

mitt

ees.

For

exa

mpl

e 12

per

cen

t of

Eng

land

’s 35

0,00

0 sc

hool

gov

erno

r pl

aces

are

vac

ant,

with

a q

uart

er o

f pl

aces

unf

illed

in

som

e of

the

poo

rest

and

mos

t de

priv

ed a

reas

.94

94

Dep

artm

ent

for

Chi

ldre

n, S

choo

ls a

nd F

amili

es (2

006)

Brie

fing

Info

rmat

ion

Shee

t –

Scho

ol G

over

ning

Bo

dies

: Rol

es, R

espo

nsib

ilitie

s an

d M

embe

rshi

p, L

ondo

n: D

CSF

.

Com

mun

ities

in c

ontr

ol: r

eal p

eopl

e, r

eal p

ower

112

Jen

nie

Hen

ry –

a s

cho

ol g

ove

rno

r in

Man

ches

ter

Jenn

ie h

ad lo

ng f

elt

she

had

som

ethi

ng t

o of

fer

and

wan

ted

to m

ake

a di

ffer

ence

. D

espi

te b

eing

uns

ucce

ssfu

l the

firs

t tim

e sh

e st

ood

as a

sch

ool g

over

nor,

the

next

tim

e a

vaca

ncy

aros

e sh

e st

ood

agai

n an

d w

as s

ucce

ssfu

l.

Jenn

ie is

cur

rent

ly C

hair

of t

he G

over

nors

. She

cha

irs t

erm

ly f

ull g

over

nors

mee

tings

, as

wel

l as

staf

fing

and

budg

et m

eetin

gs. S

he h

as re

gula

r co

ntac

t w

ith t

he H

ead

of

the

scho

ol a

nd a

s C

hair

is re

spon

sibl

e fo

r di

ssem

inat

ing

info

rmat

ion

to o

ther

go

vern

ors

and

feed

ing

back

to

gove

rnor

s fr

om m

eetin

gs s

he a

tten

ds.

Som

etim

es it

is d

iffic

ult

for

Jenn

ie t

o fit

her

wor

k fo

r th

e go

vern

ors

arou

nd h

er f

amily

co

mm

itmen

ts. S

o he

r em

ploy

ers

at M

anch

este

r C

ity C

ounc

il ha

ve m

ade

it ea

sier

to

fit

her

dutie

s as

a g

over

nor

arou

nd h

er w

ork

com

mitm

ents

by

givi

ng h

er a

leav

e al

low

ance

of

1.5

days

per

ann

um.

How

ever

Jen

nie

rem

ains

abs

olut

ely

conv

ince

d th

at t

he re

war

ds o

f he

r w

ork

as a

go

vern

or f

ar o

utw

eigh

the

pre

ssur

es p

lace

d up

on h

er o

ther

com

mitm

ents

. Jen

nie

says

of

thes

e re

war

ds:

“Bei

ng a

sch

ool g

over

nor

has

give

n m

e a

grea

ter

unde

rsta

ndin

g of

the

com

plex

ities

of

sch

ools

in g

ener

al. T

his

has,

in t

urn,

hel

ped

in m

y po

sitio

n as

Cen

tral

Dis

tric

t Te

am

Man

ager

in C

hild

ren’

s Se

rvic

es a

t M

anch

este

r C

ity C

ounc

il. A

s I t

ruly

bel

ieve

tha

t ev

ery

child

doe

s m

atte

r, m

aint

aini

ng t

his

posi

tion

in t

his

type

of

com

mun

ity c

reat

es

man

y ch

alle

nges

. I g

et a

gre

at s

ense

of

achi

evem

ent

in c

ontr

ibut

ing

tow

ards

the

sc

hool

’s ac

hiev

emen

t in

add

ress

ing

thes

e ch

alle

nges

.”

Tim

e o

ff f

or

pu

blic

du

ties

A la

ck o

f tim

e is

reg

ular

ly c

ited

as a

key

bar

rier

to in

volv

emen

t in

gov

erna

nce

7.25

posi

tions

.95 T

he c

urre

nt la

w a

llow

s yo

u tim

e of

f fr

om w

ork

for

publ

ic d

utie

s if

you

are

a co

unci

llor,

a m

agis

trat

e, a

mem

ber

of a

pol

ice

auth

ority

(inc

ludi

ng t

he n

ew

elec

ted

crim

e an

d di

sord

er r

epre

sent

ativ

es),

a he

alth

bod

y su

ch a

s a

foun

datio

n tr

ust,

any

sta

tuto

ry t

ribun

al, a

sch

ool o

r co

llege

gov

erni

ng b

ody,

a m

embe

r of

the

95

Hab

eris

, A a

nd P

rend

ergr

ast,

J (2

007)

Res

earc

h Re

port

1. I

ncen

tives

and

Bar

riers

to

Beco

min

g an

d Re

mai

ning

a C

ounc

illor

: A R

evie

w o

f th

e U

K L

itera

ture

, Lon

don:

Com

mun

ities

and

Loc

al G

over

nmen

t D

alzi

el, D

, Hew

itt, E

and

Eva

ns, L

. (20

07) M

otiv

atio

ns a

nd B

arrie

rs t

o C

itize

n G

over

nanc

e, L

ondo

n:

Com

mun

ities

and

Loc

al G

over

nmen

t.

113

Stan

ding

for

off

ice

Gen

eral

Tea

chin

g C

ounc

il, a

mem

ber

of t

he E

nviro

nmen

t A

genc

y or

Sco

ttis

h En

viro

nmen

tal P

rote

ctio

n A

genc

y, a

mem

ber

of a

pris

on m

onito

ring

boar

d, o

r a

mem

ber

of S

cott

ish

Wat

er o

r a

wat

er c

usto

mer

con

sulta

tion

pane

l. W

e co

nsid

er

that

the

law

wor

ks w

ell f

or t

hese

pub

lic d

utie

s, b

ut, a

s w

e sp

read

dem

ocra

cy

thro

ugho

ut o

ur s

ocie

ty w

e ne

ed t

o en

sure

tha

t th

e la

w is

up-

to-d

ate.

We

will

co

nsu

lt o

n e

xten

din

g t

he

rig

ht

to t

ime

off

fo

r p

ub

lic d

uti

es7.

26

to

peop

le s

ervi

ng in

the

fol

low

ing

role

s w

hich

are

dec

isio

n-m

akin

g fu

nctio

ns in

st

atut

ory

bodi

es:

mem

bers

of

prob

atio

n bo

ards

/boa

rd m

embe

rs o

f pr

obat

ion

trus

ts96

mem

bers

of

cour

t bo

ards

yout

h of

fend

er p

anel

mem

bers

co-o

pted

ove

rvie

w a

nd s

crut

iny

com

mitt

ee m

embe

rs

lay

advi

sers

on

Mul

ti-A

genc

y Pu

blic

Pro

tect

ion

Pane

ls

The

Gov

ernm

ent

will

als

o co

nsul

t on

whe

ther

rol

es in

the

hou

sing

sec

tor

such

as

7.27

mem

bers

of

Boar

ds o

f te

nant

man

agem

ent

orga

nisa

tions

(TM

Os)

, hou

sing

as

soci

atio

ns o

r ar

ms

leng

th m

anag

emen

t or

gani

satio

ns s

houl

d be

cov

ered

. We

will

ask

for

vie

ws

from

all

stak

ehol

ders

on

this

que

stio

n.

We

also

wan

t to

enc

oura

ge p

eopl

e to

tak

e on

oth

er r

oles

in in

depe

nden

t an

d 7.

28 vo

lunt

ary

or c

omm

unity

sec

tor

orga

nisa

tions

, for

exa

mpl

e Lo

cal S

trat

egic

Pa

rtne

rshi

ps o

r C

omm

unity

Lan

d Tr

usts

, and

will

con

side

r no

n-re

gula

tory

way

s to

do

thi

s as

par

t of

the

con

sulta

tion.

96

By A

pril

2010

, all

Prob

atio

n Bo

ards

will

bec

ome

Prob

atio

n Tr

usts

.

Com

mun

ities

in c

ontr

ol: r

eal p

eopl

e, r

eal p

ower

114

Bet

ter

info

rmat

ion

fo

r em

plo

yers

We

wan

t th

ere

to b

e be

tter

info

rmat

ion

avai

labl

e fo

r em

ploy

ers

so t

hey

know

7.

29 ex

actly

wha

t un

dert

akin

g th

ese

role

s en

tails

for

the

ir st

aff,

rec

ogni

sing

the

va

luab

le t

rans

fera

ble

skill

s th

at a

n em

ploy

ee p

erfo

rmin

g a

civi

c ro

le c

an t

ake

back

in

to t

he w

orkp

lace

.97 W

e ho

pe t

hat

bett

er in

form

ed e

mpl

oyer

s co

uld,

as

a re

sult,

pr

omot

e th

e be

nefit

s of

civ

ic p

artic

ipat

ion

to e

mpl

oyee

s.

We

are

ther

efor

e pl

anni

ng t

o w

ork

with

loca

l gov

ernm

ent

and

empl

oyer

7.

30 or

gani

satio

ns in

clud

ing

the

Con

fede

ratio

n of

Brit

ish

Indu

stry

(CBI

) and

the

Tra

de

Uni

on C

ongr

ess

(TU

C) t

o pr

oduc

e an

info

rmat

ion

pac

k fo

r em

ploy

ers

on c

ivic

ro

les,

out

linin

g th

e co

mm

itmen

ts a

nd a

lso

the

bene

fits.

Ther

e is

ple

nty

of g

ood

prac

tice

we

can

draw

upo

n. F

or e

xam

ple,

the

re a

re a

roun

d 7.

31 20

0 go

vern

ors

of lo

cal p

rimar

y sc

hool

s am

ong

Rolls

Roy

ce e

mpl

oyee

s. R

olls

Roy

ce

supp

ort

them

thr

ough

an

annu

al c

onfe

renc

e an

d an

ele

ctro

nic

emai

l net

wor

k an

d ea

ch y

ear

mak

e m

oney

ava

ilabl

e fo

r go

vern

ors

to a

pply

for

gra

nts

for

proj

ects

to

prom

ote

scie

nce,

eng

inee

ring

and

tech

nolo

gy in

the

ir sc

hool

s98. K

PMG

bel

ieve

th

at m

agis

trat

es n

ot o

nly

help

tow

ards

impr

ovin

g th

e sa

fety

of

our

com

mun

ities

, th

ey a

lso

deve

lop

core

bus

ines

s sk

ills

whi

ch a

re im

med

iate

ly t

rans

ferr

ed b

ack

to

the

wor

kpla

ce.99

Co

mm

un

ity

Mar

kTh

e ‘C

omm

unity

Mar

k’ r

un b

y Bu

sine

ss in

the

Com

mun

ity is

a n

ew n

atio

nal

7.32

stan

dard

tha

t pu

blic

ly r

ecog

nise

s co

mpa

nies

tha

t ar

e go

od in

vest

ors

in t

he

com

mun

ity. A

ny c

ompa

ny w

orki

ng in

the

UK

, in

any

sect

or, h

owev

er b

ig o

r sm

all,

can

appl

y. W

e w

ant

the

Com

mun

ity M

ark

to p

lay

a ro

le in

ince

ntiv

isin

g m

ore

busi

ness

es t

o su

ppor

t th

eir

empl

oyee

s un

dert

akin

g ci

vic

role

s. B

usin

ess

in t

he

Com

mun

ity w

ill c

eleb

rate

bes

t pr

actic

e th

roug

h ca

se s

tudy

mat

eria

l and

in

corp

orat

e em

ploy

ee v

olun

teer

ing

exam

ples

into

the

gui

danc

e no

tes

that

co

mpa

nies

use

whe

n th

ey a

pply.

97

John

, P, G

ains

, F, G

oodw

in, M

, Ric

hard

son,

L, R

ao, N

, and

Eva

ns, E

(200

7) R

esea

rch

Repo

rt 4

. Im

prov

ing

the

Repr

esen

tativ

enes

s of

Cou

ncill

ors:

Lea

rnin

g fr

om F

ive

Hig

h Pe

rfor

min

g Lo

cal A

utho

ritie

s in

Eng

land

, Lon

don:

Com

mun

ities

and

Loc

al G

over

nmen

t.98

Se

e ht

tp://

ww

w.b

itc.o

rg.u

k/do

cum

ent.

rm?i

d=68

3199

‘S

uppo

rtin

g M

agis

trat

es in

You

r W

orkp

lace

: A P

ract

ical

Gui

de’,

Busi

ness

in t

he C

omm

unity

.

115

Stan

ding

for

off

ice

We

wan

t to

rec

ogni

se t

he r

ole

the

priv

ate

sect

or h

as in

sup

port

ing

empo

wer

men

t.7.

33 W

e w

ill s

pons

or a

n ‘A

war

d f

or

Exce

llen

ce’ r

un b

y Bu

sine

ss in

the

Com

mun

ity.

Mak

ing

it e

asie

r to

ser

veM

any

diff

eren

t pu

blic

age

ncie

s sp

end

sign

ifica

nt s

ums

of m

oney

in e

ncou

ragi

ng

7.34

and

recr

uitin

g ci

tizen

s to

ser

ve t

heir

loca

l com

mun

ities

, for

exa

mpl

e as

sch

ool

gove

rnor

s or

mag

istr

ates

– t

hrou

gh a

dver

tisin

g, w

ebsi

tes

or h

elp-

lines

. We

will

m

ake

it ea

sier

for

peo

ple

to f

ind

info

rmat

ion

on t

he r

ange

of

way

s th

ey c

ould

be

activ

e in

civ

ic r

oles

in t

heir

com

mun

ities

. Thi

s w

ill in

volv

e di

rect

ing

peop

le t

o fu

rthe

r in

form

atio

n, a

nd a

lso

allo

w t

hose

run

ning

com

mun

ity w

ebsi

tes

to p

rese

nt

info

rmat

ion

rele

vant

to

thei

r lo

cal c

omm

unity

. So,

for

exa

mpl

e, if

som

eone

is

inte

rest

ed in

bec

omin

g a

mag

istr

ate,

but

dec

ides

not

to

do s

o, t

hey

can

easi

ly

inve

stig

ate

anot

her

form

of

serv

ice,

suc

h as

bec

omin

g a

scho

ol g

over

nor,

pris

on

visi

tor

or m

embe

r of

a y

outh

off

endi

ng p

anel

.

Acc

red

itat

ion

We

wan

t to

rec

ogni

se t

he c

ontr

ibut

ion

citiz

ens

mak

e an

d th

e sk

ills

that

the

y ga

in

7.35

whe

n th

ey t

ake

up a

civ

ic r

ole,

whe

ther

tha

t be

as

a co

unci

llor

or a

s a

mem

ber

of

anot

her

boar

d or

com

mitt

ee in

the

com

mun

ity. T

he N

atio

nal C

ensu

s of

Loc

al

Aut

horit

y C

ounc

illor

s in

Eng

land

in 2

006

foun

d th

at 4

2 pe

r ce

nt o

f co

unci

llors

w

ould

wel

com

e th

e op

port

unity

to

gain

a m

ore

form

al q

ualif

icat

ion

for

thei

r w

ork

as a

cou

ncill

or; t

his

rate

incr

ease

d si

gnifi

cant

ly f

or f

emal

e co

unci

llors

(44

per

cent

), th

ose

from

an

ethn

ic m

inor

ity b

ackg

roun

d (6

4 pe

r ce

nt) a

nd y

oung

er c

ounc

illor

s,

aged

25-

29 (6

3 pe

r ce

nt)10

0 . A

ccre

dita

tion

mig

ht, t

here

fore

, be

an in

cent

ive

to

thos

e gr

oups

cur

rent

ly u

nder

-rep

rese

nted

in c

ivic

rol

es.

Acc

redi

tatio

n w

ould

nee

d to

be

optio

nal f

or in

divi

dual

s ta

king

par

t in

all

civi

c 7.

36 ro

les,

not

nec

essa

rily

requ

ire f

orm

al le

arni

ng o

r te

achi

ng t

ime

and

be a

vaila

ble

at

diff

eren

t le

vels

, for

exa

mpl

e le

vel 2

(equ

ival

ent

to G

CSE

), le

vel 3

(equ

ival

ent

to

A L

evel

) and

pos

sibl

y le

vel 4

(equ

ival

ent

to t

he f

irst

year

of

a hi

gher

deg

ree)

. We

will

un

der

take

a r

evie

w t

o fin

d ou

t w

hat

rele

vant

qua

lific

atio

ns a

nd m

odul

es

exis

t an

d se

e w

hat

coul

d be

bui

lt up

on f

or t

his

purp

ose.

100

IDeA

/LG

A/L

GA

R (2

007)

200

6 N

atio

nal C

ensu

s of

Loc

al A

utho

rity

Cou

ncill

ors

in E

ngla

nd, L

ondo

n:

IDeA

/LG

A/L

GA

R.

Com

mun

ities

in c

ontr

ol: r

eal p

eopl

e, r

eal p

ower

116

We

do n

ot le

arn

to r

ead

or w

rite,

to

ride

or s

wim

, by

bein

g m

erel

y to

ld

how

to

do it

, but

by

doin

g it,

so

it is

on

ly b

y pr

actis

ing

popu

lar

go

vern

men

t on

a li

mite

d sc

ale

that

th

e pe

ople

will

eve

r le

arn

how

to

ex

erci

se it

on

the

larg

er.

Joh

n S

tuar

t M

ill (

1806

–187

3)

By ‘a

ctio

n gr

oup’

I m

ean

peop

le

who

com

e to

geth

er t

o ge

t

som

ethi

ng d

one

prop

erly,

whe

re s

o fa

r th

ings

hav

e be

en d

one

badl

y or

no

t at

all.

The

y co

uld

be c

once

rned

ab

out

hous

ing,

jobs

, tra

ffic

dang

ers,

ru

n-do

wn

neig

hbou

rhoo

ds,

child

ren’

s pl

ay f

acili

ties,

con

ditio

ns

at w

ork,

sho

ddy

good

s, v

anda

lism

, na

ture

con

serv

atio

n, p

olic

e

beha

viou

r or

a b

ette

r bu

s se

rvic

e.

They

see

for

the

mse

lves

wha

t is

w

rong

and

the

y fa

il to

see

why

ev

eryo

ne s

houl

d si

t ar

ound

any

lo

nger

wai

ting

for

som

ethi

ng

to h

appe

n.

Ton

y G

ibso

n, P

eop

le P

ow

er, 1

979

Ch

apte

r 8

Ow

ners

hip

and

cont

rol

Com

mun

ities

in c

ontr

ol: r

eal p

eopl

e, r

eal p

ower

118

Ow

ner

ship

an

d c

on

tro

lH

ow c

an m

y fr

iend

s, n

eigh

bour

s an

d I o

wn

and

run

loca

l ser

vice

s ou

rsel

ves?

This

cha

pter

look

s at

how

citi

zens

can

mov

e be

yond

bei

ng c

onsu

lted

or h

oldi

ng

8.1

offic

ials

to

acco

unt,

to

how

peo

ple

can

own

and

run

serv

ices

for

the

mse

lves

, ei

ther

by

serv

ing

on lo

cal b

oard

s an

d co

mm

ittee

s, o

r th

roug

h so

cial

ent

erpr

ises

an

d co

oper

ativ

es.

Man

y th

ousa

nds

of p

eopl

e in

Brit

ain

are

activ

e in

the

run

ning

of

loca

l com

mun

ity

8.2

grou

ps a

nd c

ampa

igns

and

in o

rgan

isin

g an

d de

liver

ing

loca

l ser

vice

s. T

he

Gov

ernm

ent

plac

es e

norm

ous

valu

e on

thi

s ac

tivity

, not

onl

y be

caus

e of

the

po

sitiv

e im

pact

on

peop

le a

nd n

eigh

bour

hood

s, b

ut a

lso

beca

use

by b

eing

in

volv

ed in

run

ning

loca

l ser

vice

s in

divi

dual

s ca

n de

velo

p th

eir

skill

s, c

onfid

ence

an

d ex

pert

ise.

Co

mm

un

ity

ow

ner

ship

The

Gov

ernm

ent

wan

ts t

o in

crea

se t

he n

umbe

r of

peo

ple

enga

ged

in t

he r

unni

ng

8.3

and

owne

rshi

p of

loca

l ser

vice

s an

d as

sets

. We

cont

inue

to

wor

k to

war

ds

achi

evin

g th

e vi

sion

set

out

by

Barr

y Q

uirk

in h

is 2

007

Revi

ew, t

hat

in 2

020

“in

ever

y lo

calit

y a

prop

ortio

n of

all

publ

ic a

sset

s ar

e in

the

ow

ners

hip

or

man

agem

ent

of s

usta

inab

le a

nd e

nerg

etic

com

mun

ity o

rgan

isat

ions

”.10

1

Thes

e as

sets

mig

ht in

clud

e co

mm

unity

cen

tres

, str

eet

mar

kets

, sw

imm

ing

pool

s,

8.4

play

grou

nds

and

trac

ts o

f la

nd, a

s w

ell a

s de

relic

t fa

cilit

ies

such

as

a di

suse

d sc

hool

, sho

p or

pub

.

Whe

re lo

cal a

sset

man

agem

ent

and

owne

rshi

p w

orks

wel

l, it

can

crea

te a

new

8.

5 ca

dre

of a

ctiv

e ci

tizen

s, o

wni

ng, d

irect

ing

and

runn

ing

a se

rvic

e as

wel

l as

prov

idin

g go

od v

alue

for

mon

ey f

or lo

cal a

utho

ritie

s an

d ot

her

publ

ic b

odie

s.

It ca

n su

ppor

t th

e cr

eatio

n of

new

co-

oper

ativ

es, m

utua

ls a

nd s

ocia

l ent

erpr

ises

w

hich

are

res

pons

ive

to lo

cal n

eeds

, ref

lect

loca

l am

bitio

ns a

nd w

hich

gen

erat

e lo

yalty

fro

m t

he lo

cal c

omm

unity

.

101

Com

mun

ities

and

Loc

al G

over

nmen

t (2

007)

, Mak

ing

Ass

ets

Wor

k: T

he Q

uirk

Rev

iew

. Lon

don:

C

omm

uniti

es a

nd L

ocal

Gov

ernm

ent

Ch

apte

r 8

119

Ow

ners

hip

and

cont

rol

Wor

king

with

loca

l gov

ernm

ent,

pro

fess

iona

l bod

ies

and

third

sec

tor

part

ners

, we

8.6

have

mad

e go

od p

rogr

ess

in im

plem

entin

g th

e re

com

men

datio

ns o

f th

e Q

uirk

Re

view

. We

have

set

out

cle

arly

wha

t w

e be

lieve

are

the

mai

n ch

arac

teris

tics

of

good

loca

l aut

horit

y as

set

man

agem

ent

as a

who

le10

2 an

d th

e A

udit

Com

mis

sion

ha

s pu

blis

hed

the

basi

s on

whi

ch t

hey

inte

nd t

o as

sess

the

way

loca

l aut

horit

ies

man

age

thei

r as

sets

und

er t

he n

ew C

ompr

ehen

sive

Are

a A

sses

smen

t. A

gui

de t

o ris

k m

anag

emen

t103

is n

ow a

vaila

ble

and

revi

sed

good

pra

ctic

e ad

vice

on

loca

l au

thor

ity a

sset

man

agem

ent

will

sho

rtly

be

avai

labl

e fr

om C

omm

uniti

es a

nd L

ocal

G

over

nmen

t an

d th

e Ro

yal I

nstit

utio

n of

Cha

rter

ed S

urve

yors

. Tw

enty

loca

l au

thor

ity a

reas

hav

e m

ade

stro

ng a

dvan

ces

both

on

how

the

y ap

proa

ch a

sset

tr

ansf

er s

trat

egic

ally

and

on

indi

vidu

al p

roje

cts,

and

cap

ital i

nves

tmen

t aw

ards

w

orth

£30

m a

re b

eing

mad

e to

ref

urbi

sh lo

cal a

utho

rity

asse

ts f

or t

rans

fer

to

com

mun

ity m

anag

emen

t or

ow

ners

hip.

We

now

nee

d to

rai

se t

he g

ame,

sp

read

ing

the

best

pra

ctic

e ac

ross

the

cou

ntry

and

hav

e an

noun

ced

proj

ects

in a

n ad

ditio

nal 3

0 ar

eas

this

yea

r.

Ass

et T

ran

sfer

Un

itW

e w

ill t

here

fore

est

ablis

h an

8.7

Ass

et T

ran

sfer

Un

it (A

TU),

build

ing

on t

he w

ork

of

the

Adv

anci

ng A

sset

s fo

r C

omm

uniti

es p

rogr

amm

e, le

d by

the

Dev

elop

men

t Tr

usts

Ass

ocia

tion

and

its p

artn

ers.

Thi

s pa

rtne

rshi

p w

ill e

xten

d th

e de

mon

stra

tion

prog

ram

me

and

will

lead

a c

ampa

ign

with

loca

l aut

horit

ies

and

com

mun

ity

grou

ps t

o st

ep u

p th

e nu

mbe

r of

tra

nsfe

rs (e

ither

of

owne

rshi

p or

man

agem

ent)

, w

here

thi

s is

a ju

stifi

ed o

utco

me

of a

str

ateg

ic a

ppro

ach

to a

sset

man

agem

ent,

in

line

with

the

rec

omm

enda

tions

of

the

Qui

rk R

evie

w. W

orki

ng w

ith

Com

mun

ities

and

Loc

al G

over

nmen

t, t

he A

sset

Tra

nsfe

r U

nit

will

rev

iew

pr

ogre

ss a

fter

12

mon

ths.

Acc

ou

nta

bili

ty f

or

asse

tsU

p to

dat

e in

form

atio

n on

loca

l aut

horit

y as

sets

sho

uld

form

the

bas

is o

f a

loca

l 8.

8 au

thor

ity’s

corp

orat

e pl

anni

ng a

nd d

ecis

ion-

mak

ing.

How

ever

, in

som

e ca

ses

issu

es a

roun

d ow

ners

hip

and

rest

rictio

ns o

n la

nd a

nd p

rope

rty

are

lega

lly c

ompl

ex

or c

omm

erci

ally

sen

sitiv

e. B

ut, i

n ge

nera

l, m

akin

g as

muc

h in

form

atio

n as

pos

sibl

e av

aila

ble

to lo

cal i

ndiv

idua

ls a

nd g

roup

s, w

ould

allo

w t

hem

to

open

ly c

halle

nge

102

Com

mun

ities

and

Loc

al G

over

nmen

t (2

008)

, Bui

ldin

g on

Str

ong

Foun

datio

ns: a

Fra

mew

ork

for

Loca

l A

utho

rity

Ass

et M

anag

emen

t. C

omm

uniti

es a

nd L

ocal

Gov

ernm

ent:

Lon

don

103

Com

mun

ities

and

Loc

al G

over

nmen

t (2

008)

, Man

agin

g Ri

sks

in A

sset

Tra

nsfe

r: A

Gui

de.

Com

mun

ities

in c

ontr

ol: r

eal p

eopl

e, r

eal p

ower

120

auth

oriti

es if

the

y th

ink

asse

ts a

re u

nder

used

. No

auth

ority

sho

uld

be s

impl

y si

ttin

g on

und

erus

ed a

sset

s. W

e al

so w

ant

to s

ee lo

cal a

utho

ritie

s in

crea

sing

ly

wor

king

with

the

ir ot

her

part

ners

to

ensu

re t

he w

hole

pub

lic e

stat

e in

the

ir ar

ea is

be

ing

used

to

give

max

imum

val

ue t

o th

e lo

cal c

omm

unity

. We

will

exp

lore

with

th

e A

udit

Com

mis

sion

, the

Loc

al G

over

nmen

t A

ssoc

iatio

n (L

GA

) and

oth

er

part

ners

how

we

can

lear

n fr

om a

nd d

isse

min

ate

best

pra

ctic

e in

thi

s ar

ea.

121

Ow

ners

hip

and

cont

rol

Co

mm

un

ity

bu

ilder

s b

reat

he

new

life

into

Lo

nd

on

’s S

ou

th B

ank

Mill

ions

of

peop

le e

njoy

Lon

don’

s So

uth

Bank

riv

ersi

de w

alkw

ay. T

he d

esig

n sh

ops,

gal

lerie

s, r

esta

uran

ts, c

afes

and

ba

rs a

ttra

ct t

hous

ands

of

visi

tors

.

But

it w

as n

ot a

lway

s lik

e th

at. B

y th

e ea

rly 1

970s

, the

Sou

th B

ank

was

larg

ely

blea

k an

d de

relic

t. T

he p

opul

atio

n ha

d fa

llen

from

50,

000

to ju

st 4

,000

.

This

situ

atio

n ga

lvan

ised

peo

ple

to d

raw

up a

pla

nnin

g st

rate

gy w

hich

wou

ld b

reat

he n

ew li

fe in

to t

he a

rea

with

new

ho

mes

, sho

ps a

nd o

ther

fac

ilitie

s.

Cen

tral

to

this

was

a d

erel

ict

13 a

cre

site

at

Coi

n St

reet

. Hal

f th

e la

nd w

as o

wne

d by

the

Gre

ater

Lon

don

Cou

ncil

(GLC

) and

the

oth

er h

alf

by o

ffic

e de

velo

pers

who

pl

anne

d to

use

the

site

s fo

r of

fice

spac

e an

d a

hote

l.

Aft

er y

ears

of

cam

paig

ning

, the

GLC

acq

uire

d th

e re

mai

ning

land

and

sol

d th

e si

tes

for

a no

min

al f

ee t

o C

oin

Stre

et C

omm

unity

Bui

lder

s (C

SCB)

, a d

evel

opm

ent

trus

t an

d so

cial

ent

erpr

ise

run

by lo

cal r

esid

ents

.

CSC

B se

t ab

out

prov

idin

g af

ford

able

co-

oper

ativ

e ho

mes

and

a f

ull r

ange

of

serv

ices

to

mak

e th

e ar

ea a

n at

trac

tive

plac

e to

live

.

“We’

re t

ryin

g to

mak

e th

e be

st u

se o

f la

nd a

nd t

o sh

ow t

hat

peop

le c

an li

ve c

lose

ly

toge

ther

and

run

the

ir ow

n es

tate

s in

the

ver

y ce

ntre

of

one

of t

he r

iche

st c

ities

in

the

wor

ld,”

sai

d C

SCB

Exec

utiv

e D

irect

or Ia

n Tu

cket

t.

An

area

tha

t 25

yea

rs a

go w

as b

leak

and

und

evel

oped

is t

oday

a t

hriv

ing

mix

ed a

nd

bala

nced

nei

ghbo

urho

od, w

ith a

gro

win

g re

side

ntia

l com

mun

ity li

ving

in w

ell

desi

gned

hom

es a

nd w

ith a

wid

e ra

nge

of jo

bs o

n of

fer.

ww

w.c

oins

tree

t.or

g

Com

mun

ities

in c

ontr

ol: r

eal p

eopl

e, r

eal p

ower

122

Co

mm

un

ity

Lan

d T

rust

sA

Com

mun

ity L

and

Trus

t (C

LT) i

s an

inde

pend

ent

orga

nisa

tion

whi

ch o

wns

or

8.9

cont

rols

land

for

the

ben

efit

of t

he lo

cal c

omm

unity

. Com

mun

ity L

and

Trus

ts c

an

secu

re t

he lo

ng-t

erm

fut

ure

of v

ital a

sset

s su

ch a

s op

en s

pace

s, lo

cal s

hops

, af

ford

able

hou

sing

and

mee

ting

halls

. The

Hou

sing

Cor

pora

tion

has

offe

red

fund

ing

to C

LTs

and

has

been

wor

king

with

the

Uni

vers

ity o

f Sa

lford

to

assi

st 1

4 pi

lot

CLT

s ac

ross

the

cou

ntry

.

The

Gov

ernm

ent

is s

eeki

ng v

iew

s on

a

8.10

n

atio

nal

fra

mew

ork

to

su

pp

ort

CLT

s,

incl

udin

g pr

inci

ples

aro

und

dem

ocra

tic p

artic

ipat

ion,

the

pos

sibl

e co

rpor

ate,

fin

anci

ng a

nd r

egul

ator

y st

ruct

ures

and

wha

t m

ore

can

be d

one

to e

nabl

e C

LTs

to

deve

lop.

A s

umm

ary

of t

he r

espo

nses

to

the

cons

ulta

tion

will

be

publ

ishe

d in

the

au

tum

n.

We

will

als

o be

wor

king

with

the

Dev

elop

men

t Tr

usts

Ass

ocia

tion,

Co-

oper

ativ

es

8.11

UK

and

oth

ers

to p

rovi

de g

reat

er s

uppo

rt t

o or

gani

satio

ns t

hat

wou

ld b

enef

it fr

om c

omm

unity

sha

re o

r bo

nd is

sues

.

Soci

al e

nte

rpri

ses

A s

ocia

l ent

erpr

ise

is a

bus

ines

s w

ith p

rimar

ily s

ocia

l obj

ectiv

es w

hose

sur

plus

es

8.12

are

prin

cipa

lly r

einv

este

d fo

r th

at p

urpo

se in

the

bus

ines

s or

in t

he c

omm

unity

, ra

ther

tha

n dr

iven

by

the

need

to

max

imis

e pr

ofits

for

sha

reho

lder

s an

d ow

ners

. Th

ere

are

at le

ast

55,0

00 s

ocia

l ent

erpr

ises

in t

he U

K, w

ith a

com

bine

d tu

rnov

er

of £

27bn

per

yea

r.

The

Gov

ernm

ent’s

Soc

ial E

nter

pris

e A

ctio

n Pl

an8.

13

104

iden

tifie

s fo

ur w

ays

in w

hich

so

cial

ent

erpr

ises

bui

ld a

fai

rer

soci

ety

and

stro

nger

eco

nom

y:

mee

ting

soci

al n

eed

usin

g bu

sine

ss s

ucce

ss f

or s

ocia

l or

envi

ronm

enta

l end

s an

d pr

ovid

ing

oppo

rtun

ity a

nd s

kills

for

mar

gina

lised

gro

ups

enco

urag

ing

ethi

cal m

arke

ts, d

riven

by

ethi

cal c

onsu

mer

ism

and

thr

ough

pi

onee

ring

ethi

cal p

ract

ice

such

as

fair

trad

e

104

Cab

inet

Off

ice

(200

6) S

ocia

l Ent

erpr

ise

Act

ion

Plan

: Sca

ling

New

Hei

ghts

, Lon

don:

Cab

inet

Off

ice.

123

Ow

ners

hip

and

cont

rol

impr

ovin

g pu

blic

ser

vice

s, t

hrou

gh s

hapi

ng s

ervi

ce d

esig

n an

d pi

onee

ring

new

ap

proa

ches

incr

easi

ng e

nter

pris

e by

att

ract

ing

new

ent

repr

eneu

rs w

ho w

ant

to m

ake

a di

ffer

ence

to

soci

ety

or t

he e

nviro

nmen

t, a

nd e

ncou

ragi

ng m

ore

wom

en,

unde

r-re

pres

ente

d gr

oups

and

you

ng p

eopl

e to

sta

rt t

heir

own

busi

ness

es

Exam

ples

of

Brita

in’s

soci

al e

nter

pris

es in

clud

e: J

amie

Oliv

er’s

rest

aura

nt F

iftee

n,

8.14

The

Big

Issu

e, t

he E

den

Proj

ect

and

the

fair-

trad

e co

ffee

com

pany

Caf

édire

ct, a

s w

ell a

s th

ousa

nds

of s

mal

ler

soci

al e

nter

pris

es in

eve

ry p

art

of t

he U

K p

rovi

ding

a

rang

e of

ser

vice

s. C

omm

uniti

es a

nd L

ocal

Gov

ernm

ent

has

rece

ntly

wor

ked

with

th

e TR

EES

Gro

up, t

he B

ig Is

sue

and

East

side

Con

sulti

ng t

o ru

n th

e Sp

ark

com

petit

ion

for

soci

al e

nter

pris

es p

reve

ntin

g an

d ta

cklin

g ho

mel

essn

ess.

Com

mun

ities

in c

ontr

ol: r

eal p

eopl

e, r

eal p

ower

124

Fift

een

Co

rnw

all

Fift

een

Cor

nwal

l ope

ned

in M

ay

2006

. Eac

h ye

ar t

he r

esta

uran

t gi

ves

up t

o 20

tra

inee

-che

fs t

he o

nce-

in-a

-lif

etim

e op

port

unity

to

turn

the

ir liv

es

arou

nd.

All

prof

its f

rom

Fift

een

Cor

nwal

l go

to

the

regi

ster

ed c

harit

y, T

he

Cor

nwal

l Fou

ndat

ion

of P

rom

ise.

Th

e ch

arity

’s pu

rpos

e is

the

cre

atio

n of

car

eer

oppo

rtun

ities

for

disa

dvan

tage

d, lo

cal y

oung

peo

ple,

hel

ping

the

m t

o ac

hiev

e th

eir

pote

ntia

l. Th

e re

stau

rant

als

o pr

ovid

es a

boo

st t

o C

ornw

all’s

tou

rism

indu

stry

and

mak

es u

se o

f hi

gh q

ualit

y lo

cal f

ood

prod

ucer

s in

the

reg

ion.

On

the

grad

uatio

n of

the

sec

ond

grou

p of

app

rent

ices

in J

une

2008

, Chi

ef

Exec

utiv

e D

ave

Men

eer

said

: “th

e re

stau

rant

goe

s fr

om s

tren

gth

to s

tren

gth

seei

ng

an a

vera

ge o

f 10

0 fo

r lu

nch

and

dinn

er e

very

sin

gle

day

of t

he y

ear.

It’s

now

a b

ig

busi

ness

for

Cor

nwal

l, em

ploy

ing

100

youn

g pe

ople

in a

n aw

ard

win

ning

res

taur

ant

at a

stu

nnin

g lo

catio

n –

a tr

ue s

ocia

l ent

erpr

ise,

com

bini

ng p

ublic

fun

ding

with

the

re

venu

e fr

om t

he r

esta

uran

t, e

very

pen

ny o

f w

hich

is p

loug

hed

back

into

the

tr

aini

ng s

chem

e.”

The

soci

al e

nter

pris

e ha

s re

ceiv

ed s

uppo

rt f

rom

man

y, in

clud

ing

JobC

entr

e Pl

us, t

he

Lear

ning

and

Ski

lls C

ounc

il, C

ornw

all C

olle

ge, C

ornw

all C

ount

y C

ounc

il, R

esto

rmel

Bo

roug

h C

ounc

il, S

t A

uste

ll Br

ewer

y, H

SBC

Ban

k, B

arcl

ays

Bank

and

the

Hot

el a

nd

Extr

eme

Aca

dem

y, W

ater

gate

Bay

.

ww

w.f

iftee

ncor

nwal

l.co.

uk

125

Ow

ners

hip

and

cont

rol

The

Gov

ernm

ent

wan

ts t

o se

e m

any

mor

e pe

ople

invo

lved

in s

tart

ing

and

runn

ing

8.15

soci

al e

nter

pris

es, p

rovi

ding

goo

ds a

nd s

ervi

ces

acro

ss a

ran

ge o

f se

ctor

s, a

nd

crea

ting

wor

k an

d w

ealth

, par

ticul

arly

in t

he m

ost

depr

ived

nei

ghbo

urho

ods.

In

May

200

8 th

e G

over

nmen

t an

noun

ced

a re

view

to

exam

ine

how

the

£1.

5bn

Wor

king

Nei

ghbo

urho

od F

und

can

be u

sed

mor

e ef

fect

ivel

y by

soc

ial e

nter

pris

es

and

othe

r lo

cal p

artn

ers

to im

prov

e em

ploy

men

t ra

tes.

Com

mun

ities

and

Loc

al G

over

nmen

t w

ants

com

mun

ities

to

bene

fit f

ully

fro

m t

he

8.16

skill

s, k

now

ledg

e an

d ex

pert

ise

of s

ocia

l ent

erpr

ises

. A n

ew S

oci

al E

nte

rpri

se

Un

it is

in t

he p

roce

ss o

f be

ing

esta

blis

hed

that

will

cha

mpi

on t

he r

ole

of s

ocia

l en

terp

rise

mod

els

in d

eliv

erin

g C

omm

uniti

es a

nd L

ocal

Gov

ernm

ent’s

str

ateg

ic

obje

ctiv

es, b

y re

cogn

isin

g th

eir

cont

ribut

ion

in a

reas

suc

h as

hou

sing

, re

gene

ratio

n an

d cr

eatin

g em

pow

ered

and

coh

esiv

e co

mm

uniti

es. S

uppo

rtin

g so

cial

ent

erpr

ises

to

empo

wer

com

mun

ities

and

loca

l res

iden

ts is

a k

ey t

hem

e of

th

e ne

w E

mpo

wer

men

t Fu

nd, d

etai

ls o

f w

hich

are

pub

lishe

d al

ongs

ide

this

Whi

te

Pape

r.

In a

dditi

on w

e w

ill e

ncou

rage

8.

17

loca

l au

tho

riti

es t

o e

nsu

re t

hat

so

cial

en

terp

rise

s ar

e ab

le t

o c

om

pet

e fa

irly

fo

r co

ntr

acts

. Soc

ial e

nter

pris

es o

ften

of

fer

good

val

ue f

or m

oney

and

inno

vatio

n. H

owev

er, t

hey

also

oft

en e

xper

ienc

e di

ffic

ultie

s in

bre

akin

g in

to t

he lo

cal g

over

nmen

t m

arke

t. L

ocal

aut

horit

ies

shou

ld

thin

k ab

out

thei

r ro

le in

sup

port

ing

and

prom

otin

g so

cial

ent

erpr

ises

thr

ough

pr

ocur

emen

t. F

or e

xam

ple,

con

trac

ts s

houl

d be

adv

ertis

ed in

for

ums

soci

al

ente

rpris

es a

cces

s an

d co

ntra

cts

coul

d be

bro

ken

dow

n in

to s

mal

ler

sect

ions

m

akin

g it

easi

er f

or s

ocia

l ent

erpr

ise

to b

id f

or t

hem

.

The

Off

ice

of G

over

nmen

t C

omm

erce

has

rec

ently

pub

lishe

d gu

idan

ce o

n ho

w t

o 8.

18 co

nsid

er s

ocia

l iss

ues

in p

rocu

rem

ent

polic

y105 .

The

Glo

ver

Revi

ew in

to s

mal

l and

m

ediu

m e

nter

pris

e in

volv

emen

t in

pub

lic s

ecto

r pr

ocur

emen

t is

mak

ing

reco

mm

enda

tions

on

the

step

s G

over

nmen

t sh

ould

tak

e to

ens

ure

that

mor

e sm

all f

irms

are

able

to

acce

ss t

he m

arke

t pl

ace.

Alo

ngsi

de t

his

we

will

wor

k w

ith

Busi

ness

Ent

erpr

ise

and

Regu

lato

ry R

efor

m a

nd t

he O

ffic

e of

the

Thi

rd S

ecto

r to

en

cour

age

all p

arts

of

the

publ

ic s

ecto

r to

sig

n up

to

Supp

ly2.

gov

port

al w

hich

al

low

s sm

all b

usin

esse

s, s

tart

up

com

pani

es a

nd s

ocia

l ent

erpr

ises

to

sear

ch a

nd

view

ope

n lo

wer

val

ue c

ontr

act

oppo

rtun

ities

and

pro

mot

e th

emse

lves

to

the

UK

105

Off

ice

of G

over

nmen

t C

omm

erce

(200

8) B

uy a

nd M

ake

a D

iffer

ence

: How

to

Add

ress

Soc

ial I

ssue

s in

Pu

blic

Pro

cure

men

t, L

ondo

n.

Com

mun

ities

in c

ontr

ol: r

eal p

eopl

e, r

eal p

ower

126

publ

ic s

ecto

r. In

add

ition

, we

will

wor

k w

ith t

he O

ffic

e of

the

Thi

rd S

ecto

r to

di

ssem

inat

e th

e ou

tput

s of

the

Soc

ial C

laus

e Pr

ojec

t, w

hich

see

ks t

o ta

ckle

the

ba

rrie

rs t

o th

e us

e of

soc

ial c

laus

es a

nd t

o m

ake

publ

ic s

ervi

ces

mor

e ac

cess

ible

to

the

third

sec

tor

thro

ugh

effe

ctiv

e co

mm

issi

onin

g an

d im

prov

emen

ts in

pr

ocur

emen

t pr

oces

ses.

We

will

als

o w

ork

with

col

leag

ues

in o

ther

gov

ernm

ent

depa

rtm

ents

8.

19

to e

nsu

re

that

pro

cure

men

t p

roce

sses

do

no

t u

nfa

irly

dis

adva

nta

ge

soci

al

ente

rpri

ses

in r

ecog

nitio

n of

the

par

ticul

ar e

xper

tise

that

soc

ial e

nter

pris

es c

an

brin

g to

bea

r in

the

del

iver

y of

a r

ange

of

Gov

ernm

ent

obje

ctiv

es.

Co

ncl

usi

on

Unl

eash

ing

geni

us a

nd

tale

nt “Rev

olut

ions

cre

ate

geni

us a

nd t

alen

t;

but

thos

e ev

ents

do

no m

ore

than

br

ing

them

for

war

d. T

here

is e

xist

ing

in

man

, a m

ass

of s

ense

lyin

g in

a

dorm

ant

stat

e, a

nd w

hich

unl

ess

som

ethi

ng e

xcite

s it

to a

ctio

n, w

ill

desc

end

with

him

, in

that

con

ditio

n to

th

e gr

ave.

As

it is

to

the

adva

ntag

e of

so

ciet

y th

at t

he w

hole

of

its f

acili

ties

shou

ld b

e em

ploy

ed, t

he c

onst

ruct

ion

of g

over

nmen

t ou

ght

to b

e su

ch a

s to

br

ing

forw

ard,

by

quie

t an

d re

gula

r op

erat

ion,

all

that

cap

acity

whi

ch n

ever

fa

ils t

o ap

pear

in r

evol

utio

n.”

Thom

as P

aine

, Rig

hts

of M

an, 1

791

Com

mun

ities

in c

ontr

ol: r

eal p

eopl

e, r

eal p

ower

128

Un

leas

hin

g g

eniu

s an

d t

alen

tO

ur s

ocie

ty is

cha

ngin

g fa

ster

tha

n at

any

tim

e in

our

nat

ion’

s hi

stor

y. E

ven

the

1.

tran

sfor

mat

ion

wro

ught

by

the

indu

stria

l rev

olut

ions

in t

he 1

8th

and

19th

ce

ntur

ies

cann

ot c

ompa

re w

ith t

he s

cale

and

pac

e of

cha

nge

we

face

tod

ay.

The

mai

n ch

ange

s ar

e:2.

an e

xplo

sion

of

info

rmat

ion,

and

the

tec

hnol

ogie

s to

util

ise

it

pers

onal

isat

ion

of e

nter

tain

men

t, p

rodu

cts

and

serv

ices

spee

ding

up

of a

ll th

e tr

ansa

ctio

ns in

our

live

s

grow

ing

know

ledg

e an

d ex

perie

nce

of s

ocie

ties

and

cultu

res

othe

r th

an o

ur

own

Thes

e ch

ange

s m

ean

that

the

mod

ern

citiz

en is

em

pow

ered

to

mak

e re

al c

hoic

es

3.

and

expe

ct h

igh

stan

dard

s ac

ross

a h

uge

rang

e of

ser

vice

s, f

rom

the

ir fin

ance

s,

food

, clo

thes

, hol

iday

s an

d m

usic

, to

the

big

deci

sion

s ab

out

whe

re t

hey

stud

y an

d w

ork,

whe

re t

hey

live,

how

the

ir pa

rent

s ar

e ca

red

for

and

how

the

ir ch

ildre

n ar

e ed

ucat

ed.

Unl

ess

we

empo

wer

citi

zens

to

exer

cise

the

sam

e le

vel o

f ch

oice

in o

ur d

emoc

ratic

4.

sy

stem

and

hav

e th

e sa

me

right

s to

dem

and

the

best

, the

n w

e w

ill o

vers

ee a

fu

rthe

r er

osio

n of

tru

st a

nd p

artic

ipat

ion

in d

emoc

racy

.

Ther

e ar

e st

rong

dem

onst

ratio

ns o

f pe

ople

’s de

sire

to

get

invo

lved

and

hav

e th

eir

5.

say,

all

over

the

wor

ld f

rom

the

str

eets

of

Port

o A

legr

e, t

o th

e to

wn

mee

tings

or

gani

sed

by A

mer

icaS

peak

s, t

o th

e yo

ung

peop

le g

uidi

ng e

xpen

ditu

re in

N

ewca

stle

. As

the

Pow

er C

omm

issi

on r

epor

t in

to m

etho

ds o

f di

rect

dem

ocra

cy

Beyo

nd t

he B

allo

t sh

owed

: 106

“the

maj

ority

of

citiz

ens

are

attr

acte

d by

suc

h di

rect

mec

hani

sms

and

that

man

y ar

e w

illin

g to

eng

age

with

the

m.“

106

See

page

220

of

Pow

er t

o th

e Pe

ople

(200

6), Y

ork:

The

Pow

er In

quiry

.

Co

ncl

usi

on

129

Unl

eash

ing

geni

us a

nd t

alen

t

We

belie

ve t

hat

ther

e ar

e no

lim

its t

o th

e ca

paci

ty o

f th

e Br

itish

peo

ple

for

self-

6.

gove

rnm

ent,

giv

en t

he r

ight

pla

tfor

ms,

mec

hani

sms

and

ince

ntiv

es. E

mpo

wer

ing

citiz

ens

and

com

mun

ities

is a

n ur

gent

tas

k fo

r us

all.

The

impl

emen

tatio

n an

nex

sum

mar

ises

how

we

will

tak

e fo

rwar

d th

e ac

tions

in t

his

Whi

te P

aper

to

reco

gnis

e an

d un

leas

h th

e ta

lent

s of

the

Brit

ish

peop

le.

This

Whi

te P

aper

is p

art

of t

he G

over

nmen

t’s a

nsw

er t

o th

e de

moc

ratic

cha

lleng

es

7.

of o

ur t

imes

: rea

l peo

ple,

rea

l pow

er.

Com

mun

ities

in c

ontr

ol: r

eal p

eopl

e, r

eal p

ower

130

An

nex

es

Impl

emen

tatio

n an

nex

Cen

tral

-Loc

al

Con

cord

at a

nnex

Stak

ehol

der

anne

x

Com

mun

ities

in c

ontr

ol: r

eal p

eopl

e, r

eal p

ower

132

Imp

lem

enta

tio

n a

nn

exTh

e de

liver

y of

thi

s W

hite

Pap

er w

ill p

rovi

de a

cha

lleng

ing

agen

da f

or g

over

nmen

t an

d its

del

iver

y pa

rtne

rs. S

ubje

ct t

o Pa

rliam

enta

ry a

ppro

val,

sign

ifica

nt le

gisl

ativ

e ch

ange

s w

ill b

e pr

ogre

ssed

thr

ough

the

pla

nned

Com

mun

ity E

mpo

wer

men

t, H

ousi

ng a

nd

Econ

omic

Reg

ener

atio

n Bi

ll (C

EHER

Bill

), w

hich

will

be

intr

oduc

ed d

urin

g th

e 20

08-0

9 se

ssio

n. C

onsu

ltatio

n, b

oth

form

al a

nd in

form

al, w

ill b

e re

quire

d on

a n

umbe

r of

pr

opos

als.

Pilo

ts, g

uida

nce

and

best

pra

ctic

e w

ork

will

fur

ther

the

ach

ieve

men

t of

oth

er

aim

s. A

s fa

r as

pos

sibl

e, w

ork

will

be

inte

grat

ed in

to t

he d

eliv

ery

mec

hani

sms

of S

tron

g an

d Pr

ospe

rous

Com

mun

ities

– t

he L

ocal

Gov

ernm

ent

Whi

te P

aper

200

6 an

d ot

her

exis

ting

prog

ram

mes

. An

impl

emen

tatio

n pl

an f

or b

oth

Whi

te P

aper

s w

ill b

e pu

blis

hed

and

mai

ntai

ned.

The

del

iver

y m

echa

nism

s w

hich

und

erpi

n th

e w

ork

alre

ady

goin

g on

in

com

mun

ities

acr

oss

the

coun

try

will

con

tinue

to

be d

evel

oped

and

str

engt

hene

d. W

e w

ill r

eaff

irm o

ur a

ppro

ach

to g

uida

nce

and

spre

adin

g be

st p

ract

ice

(see

Loc

al

Gov

ernm

ent

Whi

te P

aper

impl

emen

tatio

n pl

an10

6 ). T

he k

ey p

iece

s of

wor

k ar

e se

t ou

t in

the

tab

le b

elow

.10

7

Co

mm

itm

ent

Ou

tco

me

Tim

ing

Lead

D

epar

tmen

t

Ch

apte

r 1:

Th

e ca

se f

or

peo

ple

an

d c

om

mu

nit

ies

hav

ing

mo

re p

ow

er

Dut

y to

pro

mot

e de

moc

racy

Lo

cal a

utho

ritie

s w

ill h

ave

a st

atut

ory

duty

to

prom

ote

dem

ocra

tic

unde

rsta

ndin

g an

d pa

rtic

ipat

ion

CEH

ER B

ill10

7 C

LG

Exte

nsio

n of

dut

y to

invo

lve

The

curr

ent

duty

will

be

exte

nded

to

new

age

ncie

s an

d bo

dies

C

EHER

Bill

C

LG

Empo

wer

ing

the

Fron

tline

Tas

kfor

ceTo

con

side

r th

e ro

le o

f th

e pu

blic

se

ctor

wor

kfor

ce in

em

pow

erin

g us

ers

and

resi

dent

s

Mor

e de

tail

to

be a

nnou

nced

in

aut

umn

2008

, fina

l re

port

201

0

CLG

Empo

wer

men

t Fu

nd

At

leas

t £7

.5m

to

be r

einv

este

d to

sup

port

exi

stin

g th

ird s

ecto

r na

tiona

l org

anis

atio

ns t

o he

lp

loca

l com

mun

ities

tur

n id

eas

into

pr

actic

al a

ctio

n

Con

sulta

tion

publ

ishe

d al

ongs

ide

the

Whi

te P

aper

. La

unch

in la

te

2008

CLG

106

Com

mun

ities

and

Loc

al G

over

nmen

t (2

007)

, Str

ong

and

pros

pero

us c

omm

uniti

es, T

he L

ocal

G

over

nmen

t W

hite

Pap

er Im

plem

enta

tion

Plan

: One

Yea

r O

n, L

ondo

n, C

omm

uniti

es a

nd L

ocal

G

over

nmen

t10

7 Pl

anne

d C

omm

unity

Em

pow

erm

ent,

Hou

sing

and

Eco

nom

ic R

egen

erat

ion

Bill,

ann

ounc

ed in

the

G

over

nmen

t’s d

raft

legi

slat

ive

prog

ram

me,

May

200

8

133

Impl

emen

tatio

n an

nex

Co

mm

itm

ent

Ou

tco

me

Tim

ing

Lead

D

epar

tmen

t

Ch

apte

r 2:

Act

ive

citi

zen

s an

d t

he

valu

e o

f vo

lun

teer

ing

Take

Par

t lo

cal

path

finde

rs

Pilo

t pr

ogra

mm

e to

hel

p pe

ople

pa

rtic

ipat

e in

the

ir lo

cal a

reas

Se

t up

D

ecem

ber

2008

, del

iver

y fr

om J

anua

ry

2009

CLG

Com

mun

itybu

ilder

s Fu

nd

£70m

inve

stm

ent

in c

omm

unity

led

orga

nisa

tions

acr

oss

Engl

and

In p

erio

d to

20

10-1

1C

LG a

nd O

TS

Ch

apte

r 3:

Acc

ess

to in

form

atio

n

Plac

es D

atab

ase

Mak

ing

the

Plac

es D

atab

ase

publ

ic

Aut

umn

2008

CLG

Supp

ortin

g lo

cal

auth

oriti

es t

o m

ake

thei

r da

ta m

ore

avai

labl

e

Wor

k w

ith L

ocal

Gov

ernm

ent

Ass

ocia

tion

and

the

Impr

ovem

ent

and

Dev

elop

men

t A

genc

y to

sup

port

lo

cal a

utho

ritie

s to

sha

re t

heir

info

rmat

ion

with

citi

zens

, inc

ludi

ng

pilo

ting.

We

will

aim

to

sel

ect

pilo

t ar

eas

in

autu

mn

2008

.

CLG

Dig

ital M

ento

r Sc

hem

ePi

lots

in d

epriv

ed a

reas

to

impr

ove

gene

ral l

itera

cy in

Info

rmat

ion

and

Com

mun

icat

ions

Tec

hnol

ogie

s

2009

CLG

, DIU

S

Inno

vatio

n in

new

te

chno

logi

esSu

ppor

ting

rang

e of

inno

vatio

n in

clud

ing

delib

erat

ive

enga

gem

ent

with

gov

ernm

ent

or in

nova

tion

in

com

mun

ity a

nd s

ocia

l med

ia

Sprin

g 20

09C

LG

Com

mun

ities

in c

ontr

ol: r

eal p

eopl

e, r

eal p

ower

134

Co

mm

itm

ent

Ou

tco

me

Tim

ing

Lead

D

epar

tmen

t

Ch

apte

r 4:

Hav

ing

an

infl

uen

ce

Dut

y fo

r C

ounc

ils t

o re

spon

d to

pet

ition

sC

ounc

ils w

ill h

ave

to r

espo

nd

to p

etiti

ons

(incl

udin

g el

ectr

onic

pe

titio

ns) i

n re

latio

n to

loca

l au

thor

ity f

unct

ions

or

othe

r pu

blic

se

rvic

es w

here

Cou

ncil

shar

es

deliv

ery

resp

onsi

bilit

y

CEH

ER B

illC

LG

Cou

ncill

or C

all f

or

Act

ion

Publ

ish

guid

ance

on

prom

otin

g th

e po

wer

s fo

r C

ounc

illor

sEn

d of

200

8C

LG

Part

icip

ator

y bu

dget

ing

Publ

icat

ion

of a

Nat

iona

l Str

ateg

y on

par

ticip

ator

y bu

dget

ing

to

set

out

how

the

Gov

ernm

ent’s

as

pira

tion

to h

ave

part

icip

ator

y bu

dget

ing

in a

ll lo

cal a

utho

ritie

s w

ill

be a

chie

ved

Aut

umn

2008

CLG

Com

mun

ity s

afet

y pa

rtic

ipat

ory

budg

etin

g pi

lots

Pilo

t th

e us

e of

par

ticip

ator

y bu

dget

ing

in c

omm

unity

saf

ety

fund

s an

d co

nsid

er w

heth

er m

oney

re

cove

red

from

crim

inal

s ca

n be

us

ed in

thi

s w

ay

Polic

ing

Gre

en

Pape

r H

O

Votin

g in

cent

ives

Loca

l aut

horit

ies

to p

rovi

de v

otin

g in

cent

ives

in lo

cal e

lect

ions

CEH

ER B

illM

oJ

Righ

t to

app

eal

deci

sion

s on

es

tabl

ishi

ng lo

cal

(par

ish)

cou

ncils

Righ

t of

app

eal w

here

a

com

mun

ity’s

prop

osal

to

esta

blis

h a

loca

l cou

ncil

is n

ot a

gree

d

CEH

ER B

ill

CLG

Bye-

law

sA

utho

ritie

s, in

clud

ing

som

e pa

rish

coun

cils

, will

be

able

to

mak

e ce

rtai

n by

e-la

ws

with

out

scru

tiny

from

cen

tral

gov

ernm

ent

Fort

hcom

ing

cons

ulta

tion

CLG

135

Impl

emen

tatio

n an

nex

Co

mm

itm

ent

Ou

tco

me

Tim

ing

Lead

D

epar

tmen

t

Serv

ice

tran

sfor

mat

ion

and

effic

ienc

y

Wor

king

with

the

Loc

al

Gov

ernm

ent

Ass

ocia

tion

and

the

Regi

onal

Impr

ovem

ent

and

Effic

ienc

y Pa

rtne

rshi

ps, w

e w

ill

embe

d em

pow

erm

ent

in p

roje

cts

supp

orte

d by

£11

5m c

apita

l fu

nds

for

effic

ienc

y an

d se

rvic

e tr

ansf

orm

atio

n.

Mon

ey f

or

proj

ects

will

be

dis

trib

uted

be

twee

n 20

08-2

009

and

2010

-201

1

CLG

Plan

ning

Up

to £

6.5m

to

furt

her

assi

st

com

mun

ity in

volv

emen

t in

pla

nnin

gTo

be

impl

emen

ted

2009

-201

1

CLG

Cho

ice

base

d le

ttin

gsEx

pans

ion

of p

rogr

amm

e w

ith a

n ex

tra

£2m

unt

il 20

10 t

o gi

ve m

ore

tena

nts

mor

e ch

oice

ove

r w

here

th

ey li

ve

Cho

ice

base

d le

ttin

gs

roun

d en

ds

in O

ctob

er

2008

. Fu

ndin

g al

loca

ted

in

Sprin

g 20

09.

CLG

Empo

wer

ing

youn

g pe

ople

Youn

g A

dvis

ors

to h

ave

dire

ct

acce

ss t

o th

e Se

cret

ary

of S

tate

fo

r C

LG

A p

rogr

amm

e fo

r yo

ung

peop

le t

o sh

adow

gov

ernm

ent

min

iste

rs

£6m

inve

stm

ent

to c

reat

e a

new

na

tiona

l bod

y fo

r yo

uth

lead

ersh

ip

to in

clud

e w

orki

ng w

ith C

LG t

o cr

eate

a p

rogr

amm

e of

inte

rnsh

ips

for

youn

g pe

ople

to

wor

k w

ith lo

cal

coun

cillo

rs

Esta

blis

hing

You

ng M

uslim

s’

Adv

isor

y G

roup

Aut

umn

2008

Su

mm

er 2

009

Fina

l pro

posa

ls

in s

umm

er

2008

Su

mm

er 2

008

CLG

C

LG

DC

SF

CLG

, DC

SF

Com

mun

ities

in c

ontr

ol: r

eal p

eopl

e, r

eal p

ower

136

Co

mm

itm

ent

Ou

tco

me

Tim

ing

Lead

D

epar

tmen

t

Ch

apte

r 5:

Ch

alle

ng

e

Scru

tiny

of p

ublic

of

ficia

lsPu

blic

offi

cial

s w

ill b

e su

bjec

t to

sc

rutin

y fr

om lo

cal c

omm

uniti

es,

and

petit

ions

can

be

used

to

hold

lo

cal o

ffici

als

to a

ccou

nt

CEH

ER B

ill

CLG

Hig

her

visi

bilit

y of

Ove

rvie

w a

nd

Scru

tiny

Cou

ncils

will

be

enco

urag

ed t

o co

nsid

er n

ew w

ays

of w

orki

ng w

ith

scru

tiny,

and

pow

ers

of o

verv

iew

an

d sc

rutin

y co

mm

ittee

s w

ill b

e en

hanc

ed

CEH

ER B

ill

CLG

Expa

ndin

g th

e ro

le o

f Lo

cal

Invo

lvem

ent

Net

wor

ks (L

INks

)

Pilo

ts in

vite

d to

exp

and

rem

it be

yond

hea

lth a

nd s

ocia

l car

eJu

ly 2

008-

May

20

10. A

rran

ge,

man

age

and

eval

uate

pilo

ts

DH

/ C

LG

Dire

ctly

ele

cted

m

ayor

sC

onsu

lt on

mak

ing

it ea

sier

to

have

a

dire

ctly

ele

cted

may

orC

EHER

Bill

C

LG

Ch

apte

r 6:

Red

ress

Loca

l Gov

ernm

ent

Om

buds

man

(LG

O)

The

juris

dict

ion

of t

he L

GO

will

be

revi

ewed

to

mak

e su

re t

hat

they

ha

ve t

he r

ight

am

ount

of

flexi

bilit

y to

wor

k w

ith p

artn

ers,

and

tha

t an

y lim

itatio

ns a

re in

the

gen

uine

in

tere

sts

of lo

cal p

eopl

e

Sum

mer

20

08: R

evie

w

CEH

ER B

ill

autu

mn

(if

need

ed)

CLG

Com

mun

ity

Con

trac

tsEx

tens

ion

of t

he c

urre

nt p

ilots

for

six

m

onth

sPi

lots

will

run

un

til e

nd o

f 20

08

CLG

Com

mun

ity

pled

geba

nks

Esta

blis

h pi

lots

to

look

at

how

co

mm

unity

ple

dgeb

anks

can

hel

p de

liver

loca

l prio

ritie

s

2009

CLG

Redr

ess

Revi

ewTo

look

at

redr

ess

arra

ngem

ents

ac

ross

the

pub

lic s

ecto

r Re

port

ing

early

200

9C

LG

137

Impl

emen

tatio

n A

nnex

Co

mm

itm

ent

Ou

tco

me

Tim

ing

Lead

D

epar

tmen

t

Ch

apte

r 7:

Sta

nd

ing

fo

r O

ffice

Posi

tive

imag

e of

co

unci

llors

Pote

ntia

l cha

nges

to

the

publ

icity

co

deSu

mm

er

2008

: C

onsu

ltatio

n.A

utum

n 20

08:

Gui

danc

e

CLG

Rem

ote

votin

gEn

ablin

g co

unci

llors

to

part

icip

ate

in

mee

tings

and

vot

es r

emot

ely

CEH

ER B

illC

LG

Tim

e of

f fo

r pu

blic

du

ties

Con

sulta

tion

on e

xten

ding

the

rig

ht

to t

ime

off

to m

ore

role

s Su

mm

er 2

008:

C

onsu

ltatio

n.

Apr

il 20

09:

seco

ndar

y le

gisl

atio

n

CLG

Empl

oyer

s’

info

rmat

ion

pack

Bett

er in

form

atio

n fo

r em

ploy

ers

abou

t be

nefit

s of

civ

ic r

oles

for

the

ir st

aff

Sprin

g 20

09C

LG

Info

rmat

ion

on c

ivic

ro

les

Mak

e it

easi

er f

or p

eopl

e to

find

in

form

atio

n on

way

s to

be

activ

e in

ci

vic

role

s in

the

ir co

mm

uniti

es

Sum

mer

200

9C

LG

Revi

ew o

f ac

cred

itatio

n fo

r ci

vic

role

s

Find

out

wha

t re

leva

nt q

ualifi

catio

ns

and

mod

ules

exi

st t

o se

e w

hat

coul

d be

rep

acka

ged

or b

uilt

upon

Aut

umn

2008

: in

form

al

cons

ulta

tion.

By

sum

mer

20

09:

prog

ram

me

of

accr

edita

tion

CLG

Am

endm

ent

to

Wid

dico

mbe

rul

esC

hang

es t

o ru

les

on p

oliti

cally

re

stric

ted

post

sC

EHER

Bill

CLG

Com

mun

ities

in c

ontr

ol: r

eal p

eopl

e, r

eal p

ower

138

Co

mm

itm

ent

Ou

tco

me

Tim

ing

Lead

D

epar

tmen

t

Ch

apte

r 8:

Ow

ner

ship

an

d c

on

tro

l

Ass

et T

rans

fer

Uni

tEs

tabl

ish

a un

it th

at w

ill p

rovi

de

info

rmat

ion

and

expe

rtis

e on

tr

ansf

er t

o co

mm

unity

man

agem

ent

of a

sset

s or

ow

ners

hip

Aut

umn

2008

CLG

Com

mun

ity L

and

Trus

tsM

akin

g C

omm

unity

Lan

d Tr

usts

m

ore

effe

ctiv

e in

sec

urin

g fu

ture

of

com

mun

ity a

sset

s

Con

sulta

tion

sum

mar

y to

be

pub

lishe

d w

inte

r 20

08

CLG

Soci

al E

nter

pris

e U

nit

New

uni

t in

CLG

to

cham

pion

the

kn

owle

dge

and

expe

rtis

e of

soc

ial

ente

rpris

es

Laun

ch in

au

tum

n 20

08C

LG

Key

CLG

C

omm

uniti

es a

nd L

ocal

Gov

ernm

ent

OTS

O

ffic

e of

the

Thi

rd S

ecto

r

DIU

S D

epar

tmen

t fo

r In

nova

tion,

Uni

vers

ities

and

Ski

lls

HO

H

ome

Off

ice

MoJ

M

inis

try

of J

ustic

e

DC

SF

Dep

artm

ent

for

Chi

ldre

n, S

choo

ls a

nd F

amili

es

DH

D

epar

tmen

t of

Hea

lth

139

Cen

tral

-Lo

cal C

on

cord

at a

nn

ex

Cen

tral

-Loc

al C

onco

rdat

ann

ex

This

agr

eem

ent,

mad

e be

twee

n H

er M

ajes

ty’s

Gov

ernm

ent

and

the

Loca

l Gov

ernm

ent

Ass

ocia

tion,

est

ablis

hes

a fr

amew

ork

of p

rinci

ples

for

how

cen

tral

and

loca

l go

vern

men

t w

ork

toge

ther

to

serv

e th

e pu

blic

. Cen

tral

gov

ernm

ent

depa

rtm

ents

and

co

unci

ls c

omm

it to

uph

old

thes

e pr

inci

ples

108 .

Thi

s m

eets

a c

omm

itmen

t in

the

G

over

nanc

e of

Brit

ain

Gre

en P

aper

, pub

lishe

d in

Jul

y 20

07.

Thes

e pr

inci

ples

ref

lect

the

way

in w

hich

the

rel

atio

nshi

p be

twee

n ce

ntra

l and

loca

l go

vern

men

t is

man

aged

cur

rent

ly. T

he G

over

nmen

t is

com

mitt

ed t

o co

nstit

utio

nal

refo

rm a

nd w

ill w

ork

with

the

LG

A t

o en

sure

tha

t th

e ro

les

and

resp

onsi

bilit

ies

of lo

cal

gove

rnm

ent

are

refle

cted

in p

ropo

sals

as

they

are

dev

elop

ed.

1.

Loca

l are

as f

ace

sign

ifica

nt c

halle

nges

, fro

m g

loba

lisat

ion

and

soci

al a

nd

dem

ogra

phic

cha

nge.

Our

citi

zens

rig

htly

pla

ce in

crea

sing

dem

ands

on

publ

ic

serv

ices

, bas

ed o

n th

eir

risin

g ex

pect

atio

ns a

nd a

mbi

tions

. To

mee

t th

ese

chal

leng

es

and

aspi

ratio

ns, c

omm

uniti

es n

eed

stra

tegi

c le

ader

ship

and

pub

lic s

ervi

ces

mus

t co

ntin

ually

impr

ove

in q

ualit

y an

d ef

ficie

ncy

and

mus

t tr

eat

ever

yone

fai

rly. W

e be

lieve

it is

the

res

pons

ibili

ty o

f el

ecte

d po

litic

ians

and

app

oint

ed o

ffic

ials

in c

entr

al

and

in lo

cal g

over

nmen

t to

ens

ure

that

loca

l pla

ces

and

publ

ic s

ervi

ces

rise

to t

his

chal

leng

e, f

or a

ll ci

tizen

s, in

eve

ry p

art

of t

he c

ount

ry, s

o th

at e

very

one

can

enjo

y a

bett

er q

ualit

y of

life

.

2.

Parli

amen

t pa

ssed

the

Loc

al G

over

nmen

t an

d Pu

blic

Invo

lvem

ent

in H

ealth

Act

in

2007

. Thi

s, a

long

side

oth

er p

olic

ies

set

out

in S

tron

g an

d Pr

ospe

rous

Com

mun

ities

–

The

Loca

l Gov

ernm

ent

Whi

te P

aper

, mar

ks a

mom

ent

of s

igni

fican

t an

d la

stin

g ch

ange

. Tog

ethe

r, th

ey s

et a

new

bas

elin

e fo

r re

latio

ns b

etw

een

cent

ral a

nd lo

cal

gove

rnm

ent.

We

will

wor

k to

dev

elop

the

rel

atio

nshi

p fu

rthe

r fr

om t

hat

foun

datio

n.

3.

Cen

tral

and

loca

l gov

ernm

ent

both

der

ive

thei

r le

gitim

acy

from

Par

liam

ent

and

the

elec

tora

l man

date

gra

nted

to

them

by

indi

vidu

al c

itize

ns w

ho lo

ok t

o ce

ntra

l and

lo

cal g

over

nmen

t to

tak

e th

e le

ad in

ens

urin

g be

tter

pla

ces

and

bett

er s

ervi

ces.

108

The

LGA

rep

rese

nts

coun

cils

in E

ngla

nd a

nd W

ales

. The

UK

Gov

ernm

ent

will

, as

far

as a

ppro

pria

te,

have

reg

ard

to t

hese

prin

cipl

es in

rel

atio

n to

the

res

pons

ibili

ties

whi

ch W

elsh

loca

l aut

horit

ies

have

in

non-

devo

lved

are

as. R

elat

ions

bet

wee

n th

e W

elsh

Ass

embl

y G

over

nmen

t an

d W

elsh

loca

l gov

ernm

ent

are

gove

rned

by

the

Loca

l Gov

ernm

ent

Part

ners

hip

Sche

me,

as

set

out

in t

he G

over

nmen

t of

Wal

es

Act

200

6.

Com

mun

ities

in c

ontr

ol: r

eal p

eopl

e, r

eal p

ower

140

4.

This

mea

ns t

hat

cent

ral a

nd lo

cal g

over

nmen

t ar

e pa

rtne

rs in

del

iver

ing

impr

oved

se

rvic

es a

nd in

str

engt

heni

ng o

ur d

emoc

racy

. In

part

icul

ar, w

e sh

are

obje

ctiv

es t

o:

up t

heir

fam

ilies

and

ret

ire; w

here

the

y ca

n re

ach

serv

ices

; and

with

acc

ess

to

dece

nt h

omes

at

a pr

ice

they

can

aff

ord

mea

sure

s th

at e

ncou

rage

gre

ater

inde

pend

ence

and

wel

lbei

ng f

or o

lder

citi

zens

wea

lth a

nd r

isin

g pr

ospe

rity,

sha

red

by a

ll

and

soci

al e

nter

pris

es

hear

t, w

ithou

t sp

ace

for

polit

ical

or

relig

ious

ext

rem

ism

In

del

iver

ing

thes

e ob

ject

ives

, the

re s

houl

d be

a p

resu

mpt

ion

that

pow

ers

are

best

ex

erci

sed

at t

he lo

wes

t ef

fect

ive

and

prac

tical

leve

l.

5. C

entr

al g

over

nmen

t ha

s th

e re

spon

sibi

lity

and

dem

ocra

tic m

anda

te t

o ac

t in

ac

cord

ance

with

the

nat

iona

l int

eres

t. A

ctin

g th

roug

h Pa

rliam

ent,

it h

as t

he o

ver-

ridin

g in

tere

st in

mat

ters

suc

h as

the

nat

iona

l eco

nom

ic in

tere

st, p

ublic

ser

vice

im

prov

emen

t an

d st

anda

rds

of d

eliv

ery,

and

tax

atio

n.

6. C

ounc

ils h

ave

resp

onsi

bilit

ies

for

serv

ice

perf

orm

ance

but

als

o fo

r th

e pr

ospe

rity

and

wel

l-bei

ng o

f al

l citi

zens

in t

heir

area

and

the

ove

rall

cohe

sion

of

the

com

mun

ity.

They

hav

e a

gene

ral p

ower

to

prom

ote

com

mun

ity w

ell-b

eing

and

a r

espo

nsib

ility

to

141

do a

ll th

ey c

an t

o se

cure

the

soc

ial,

econ

omic

and

env

ironm

enta

l wel

l-bei

ng o

f th

eir

area

s. T

he L

GA

and

cen

tral

gov

ernm

ent

will

wor

k to

geth

er t

o en

cour

age

all c

ounc

ils

to m

ake

effe

ctiv

e us

e of

the

wel

l-bei

ng p

ower

and

to

cond

uct

a gr

owin

g sh

are

of

the

busi

ness

of

gove

rnm

ent.

7. I

n th

is r

elat

ions

hip,

the

re a

re r

ecip

roca

l rig

hts

and

resp

onsi

bilit

ies.

8.

Cen

tral

gov

ernm

ent

has

the

rig

ht

to s

et n

atio

nal p

olic

ies,

incl

udin

g m

inim

um

stan

dard

s of

ser

vice

s, t

o w

ork

with

loca

l are

as t

o su

ppor

t th

em a

nd, a

s a

last

res

ort,

to

inte

rven

e to

avo

id s

igni

fican

t un

derp

erfo

rman

ce. I

t pr

opos

es t

o Pa

rliam

ent

the

legi

slat

ion

with

in w

hich

loca

l gov

ernm

ent

wor

ks.

9.

Cen

tral

gov

ernm

ent

has

the

resp

on

sib

ility

to

cons

ult

and

colla

bora

te w

ith c

ounc

ils

in e

xerc

isin

g th

ese

right

s. It

und

erta

kes

to p

rogr

essi

vely

rem

ove

obst

acle

s w

hich

pr

even

t co

unci

ls f

rom

pur

suin

g th

eir

role

, inc

ludi

ng r

educ

ing

the

burd

en o

f ap

prai

sal a

nd a

ppro

val r

egim

es, t

he r

ingf

enci

ng o

f fu

nds

for

spec

ific

purp

oses

and

th

e vo

lum

e of

gui

danc

e it

issu

es.

10. C

ounc

ils h

ave

the

rig

ht

to a

ddre

ss t

he p

riorit

ies

of t

heir

com

mun

ities

as

expr

esse

d th

roug

h lo

cal e

lect

ions

and

to

lead

the

del

iver

y of

pub

lic s

ervi

ces

in t

heir

area

and

sh

ape

its f

utur

e w

ithou

t un

nece

ssar

y di

rect

ion

or c

ontr

ol.

11. C

ounc

ils h

ave

the

resp

on

sib

ility

to

prov

ide

lead

ersh

ip t

hat

is a

ccou

ntab

le, v

isib

le

and

resp

onsi

ve t

o th

eir

com

mun

ities

and

to

wor

k in

par

tner

ship

with

the

loca

l st

atut

ory,

bus

ines

s an

d th

ird s

ecto

rs, a

nd c

olle

ctiv

ely

to d

rive

cont

inui

ng

impr

ovem

ent.

12. B

oth

part

ners

hav

e th

e re

spo

nsi

bili

ty t

o us

e ta

xpay

ers’

mon

ey w

ell a

nd d

evol

ve

pow

er, a

nd t

o en

gage

and

em

pow

er c

omm

uniti

es a

nd in

divi

dual

citi

zens

– a

t na

tiona

l lev

el a

nd a

t lo

cal l

evel

– in

deb

ate

and

deci

sion

mak

ing

and

in s

hapi

ng a

nd

deliv

erin

g se

rvic

es.

13. C

entr

al a

nd lo

cal g

over

nmen

t w

ill a

lso

wor

k to

geth

er t

o de

liver

the

Pub

lic S

ervi

ce

Agr

eem

ents

set

out

in t

he C

ompr

ehen

sive

Spe

ndin

g Re

view

(CSR

07) a

nd t

he n

ew

Perf

orm

ance

Fra

mew

ork

set

out

in t

he W

hite

Pap

er a

nd 2

007

Act

, thr

ough

aro

und

200

natio

nal i

ndic

ator

s an

d a

com

mitm

ent

to a

gree

no

mor

e th

an 3

5 ta

rget

s in

any

on

e ar

ea (p

lus

stat

utor

y ed

ucat

iona

l att

ainm

ent

and

early

yea

rs t

arge

ts).

Cen

tral

-Loc

al C

onco

rdat

ann

ex

Com

mun

ities

in c

ontr

ol: r

eal p

eopl

e, r

eal p

ower

142

14. C

entr

al t

o th

ese

new

arr

ange

men

ts w

ill b

e th

e ne

gotia

tion

of n

ew s

tyle

Loc

al A

rea

Agr

eem

ents

bet

wee

n lo

cal p

artn

ers

and

betw

een

them

and

Gov

ernm

ent,

as

the

key

mea

ns o

f ag

reei

ng, d

eliv

erin

g an

d m

onito

ring

the

outc

omes

for

eac

h ar

ea

whi

ch a

re d

eliv

ered

by

loca

l gov

ernm

ent

on it

s ow

n or

in p

artn

ersh

ip w

ith o

ther

s.

We

acce

pt t

hat

this

obj

ectiv

e w

ill r

equi

re m

ajor

cha

nges

in b

ehav

iour

and

pra

ctic

e fr

om c

entr

al g

over

nmen

t de

part

men

ts, t

heir

agen

cies

, gov

ernm

ent

offic

es, c

ounc

ils

and

loca

l par

tner

s. W

e sh

are

a co

mm

itmen

t to

lead

ing

the

effe

ctiv

e im

plem

enta

tion

of t

he n

eces

sary

cha

nges

.

15. C

entr

al a

nd lo

cal g

over

nmen

t sh

are

a co

mm

itmen

t to

del

iver

ing

serv

ices

tha

t re

pres

ent

valu

e fo

r m

oney

; to

ensu

ring

that

pub

lic s

ervi

ces,

incl

udin

g ne

w

oblig

atio

ns im

pose

d on

cou

ncils

, are

pro

perly

fun

ded;

and

tha

t lo

cal t

axat

ion

is

guid

ed b

y pr

inci

ples

of

tran

spar

ency

, cla

rity,

and

acc

ount

abili

ty. W

e w

ill w

ork

toge

ther

to

prov

ide

grea

ter

clar

ity a

nd t

rans

pare

ncy

to lo

cal p

eopl

e on

the

leve

ls o

f pu

blic

fun

ding

goi

ng in

to lo

cal a

reas

, and

wor

k to

war

ds g

ivin

g co

unci

ls g

reat

er

flexi

bilit

y in

the

ir fu

ndin

g, t

o fa

cilit

ate

the

wid

e de

gree

of

auto

nom

y re

ferr

ed t

o in

th

e Eu

rope

an C

hart

er o

f Lo

cal S

elf-

Gov

ernm

ent.

109

16. W

e w

ill w

ork

toge

ther

to

deve

lop

a ne

w r

elat

ions

hip

betw

een

loca

l bus

ines

ses

and

coun

cils

; to

incr

ease

loca

l dem

ocra

tic a

ccou

ntab

ility

of

key

publ

ic s

ervi

ces,

in

part

icul

ar t

he p

olic

e an

d he

alth

ser

vice

s; a

nd t

o ex

plor

e op

tions

for

ref

orm

ing

the

adul

t ca

re a

nd s

uppo

rt s

yste

m. W

e sh

are

a co

mm

itmen

t to

wor

king

with

the

thi

rd

sect

or, u

phol

ding

the

prin

cipl

es in

the

Com

pact

.

109

Euro

pean

Cha

rter

of

Loca

l Sel

f-G

over

nmen

t, C

ounc

il of

Eur

ope,

198

8, P

ream

ble:

“A

sser

ting

that

thi

s en

tails

the

exi

sten

ce o

f lo

cal a

utho

ritie

s en

dow

ed w

ith d

emoc

ratic

ally

con

stitu

ted

deci

sion

-mak

ing

bodi

es a

nd p

osse

ssin

g a

wid

e de

gree

of

auto

nom

y w

ith r

egar

d to

the

ir re

spon

sibi

litie

s, t

he w

ays

and

mea

ns b

y w

hich

tho

se r

espo

nsib

ilitie

s ar

e ex

erci

sed

and

the

reso

urce

s re

quire

d fo

r th

eir

fulfi

lmen

t.”

143

Cen

tral

-Loc

al C

onco

rdat

ann

ex

17. T

he p

artn

ers

to t

his

agre

emen

t w

ill c

ome

toge

ther

reg

ular

ly in

a r

enew

ed C

entr

al-

Loca

l Par

tner

ship

. One

of

the

role

s of

tha

t pa

rtne

rshi

p w

ill b

e to

mon

itor

the

oper

atio

n of

thi

s ag

reem

ent,

and

to

revi

se it

for

the

fut

ure

as n

eces

sary

.

Rt. H

on. H

azel

Ble

ars

MP

Cllr

Sir

Sim

on M

ilton

Se

cret

ary

of S

tate

for

C

hairm

an

Com

mun

ities

and

Loc

al G

over

nmen

t Th

e Lo

cal G

over

nmen

t A

ssoc

iatio

n

Com

mun

ities

in c

ontr

ol: r

eal p

eopl

e, r

eal p

ower

144

Stak

eho

lder

an

nex

Wh

o w

as in

volv

ed

On

5 M

arch

200

8, C

omm

uniti

es S

ecre

tary

Haz

el B

lear

s an

noun

ced

plan

s fo

r a

new

W

hite

Pap

er f

ocus

ed o

n em

pow

erin

g ci

tizen

s an

d co

mm

uniti

es –

Unl

ocki

ng t

he

tale

nt o

f ou

r co

mm

uniti

es.11

0

Th

is a

nnex

giv

es a

sho

rt a

ccou

nt o

f ou

r ac

tiviti

es a

nd t

he p

eopl

e w

e m

et t

o ga

ther

id

eas

and

view

s on

thi

s W

hite

Pap

er, l

eadi

ng u

p to

pub

licat

ion.

We

are

very

gra

tefu

l fo

r al

l the

ver

y m

any

exce

llent

con

trib

utio

ns m

ade

and

have

trie

d to

ref

lect

the

se in

th

e W

hite

Pap

er.

In

tot

al w

e m

et r

epre

sent

ativ

es f

rom

ove

r 20

0 or

gani

satio

ns t

hrou

ghou

t th

is p

erio

d.

On

line

eng

agem

ent

W

e in

vite

d vi

ews

and

sugg

estio

ns t

hrou

gh a

n ‘u

nloc

king

tal

ent’

onl

ine

foru

m w

here

w

e po

sed

a nu

mbe

r of

que

stio

ns r

elat

ing

to k

ey t

hem

es in

the

Whi

te P

aper

. In

addi

tion,

we

rece

ived

ove

r 30

0 em

ails

to

our

unlo

ckin

g ta

lent

em

ail a

ddre

ss a

nd

upda

ted

stak

ehol

ders

with

a n

ewsl

ette

r de

taili

ng p

rogr

ess

in p

repa

ring

the

docu

men

t.

Reg

ion

al s

emin

ars

Fi

ve e

vent

s, o

rgan

ised

by

Gov

ernm

ent

Off

ices

, wer

e he

ld a

cros

s th

e co

untr

y. E

ach

even

t fe

atur

ed f

our

sem

inar

s, f

ocus

ing

on d

iffer

ent

aspe

cts

of e

mpo

wer

men

t.

Thro

ugh

thes

e ev

ents

we

met

ove

r 20

0 re

pres

enta

tives

fro

m 1

64 o

rgan

isat

ions

, in

clud

ing

man

y lo

cal a

utho

ritie

s, P

rimar

y C

are

Trus

ts, L

ocal

Str

ateg

ic P

artn

ersh

ips,

N

ew D

eal f

or C

omm

uniti

es o

rgan

isat

ions

, hou

sing

org

anis

atio

ns, s

ocia

l ent

erpr

ises

, an

d re

pres

enta

tives

of

loca

l vol

unta

ry a

nd c

omm

unity

sec

tor

orga

nisa

tions

. Thr

ough

th

is p

roce

ss w

e re

ceiv

ed e

xcel

lent

insi

ghts

into

the

vie

ws

and

conc

erns

of

loca

l st

akeh

olde

rs.

Dis

cuss

ion

wo

rksh

op

s

In a

dditi

on t

o th

e re

gion

al e

vent

s, w

e he

ld d

iscu

ssio

n w

orks

hops

for

spe

cific

gr

oups

, whe

re t

he a

ppro

ach

was

tai

lore

d to

sta

keho

lder

s’ p

artic

ular

are

as o

f in

tere

st. F

or e

xam

ple,

we

met

rep

rese

ntat

ives

fro

m t

he L

ocal

Gov

ernm

ent

Ass

ocia

tion,

Lon

don

Cou

ncils

, Nat

iona

l Ass

ocia

tion

of L

ocal

Cou

ncils

, UN

ISO

N,

110

ww

w.c

omm

uniti

es.g

ov.u

k/co

mm

uniti

es/c

omm

unity

empo

wer

men

t/w

hatw

eare

/unl

ocki

ngth

etal

ent/

145

Stak

ehol

der

anne

x

Nat

iona

l Cou

ncil

for

Volu

ntar

y O

rgan

isat

ions

, Nat

iona

l Ass

ocia

tion

for

Volu

ntar

y an

d C

omm

unity

Act

ion,

Urb

an F

orum

, Equ

aliti

es g

roup

s, F

aith

gro

ups,

pol

icy

foru

ms

and

acad

emic

s, C

omm

unity

Dev

elop

men

t Fo

unda

tion

and

Nat

iona

l Em

pow

erm

ent

Part

ners

hip,

Nat

iona

l Com

mun

ity F

orum

, the

Net

wor

k of

Em

pow

erin

g A

utho

ritie

s an

d th

e Re

gion

al D

evel

opm

ent

Age

ncie

s.

Exp

ert

pan

els

Th

e Se

cret

ary

of S

tate

als

o so

ught

mor

e sp

ecifi

c in

put

from

key

sta

keho

lder

s on

a

one-

to-o

ne a

nd r

ound

tabl

e ba

sis.

The

rou

ndta

ble

disc

ussi

ons

wer

e us

ed t

o de

lve

deep

er in

to s

peci

fic p

olic

y ar

eas

and

help

ed t

o sh

ape

the

over

all n

arra

tive

of t

he

Whi

te P

aper

.

Co

mm

un

ity

Pow

er P

acks

To

pro

vide

an

oppo

rtun

ity f

or in

put

at t

he g

rass

root

s le

vel,

we

deve

lope

d an

onl

ine

tool

kit

aim

ed a

t vo

lunt

ary

sect

or o

rgan

isat

ions

and

gro

ups.

The

Pow

er P

ack

was

de

sign

ed t

o en

cour

age

and

supp

ort

cons

ulta

tive

even

ts a

bout

em

pow

erm

ent.

The

Pa

ck, d

evel

oped

in p

artn

ersh

ip w

ith In

volv

e, w

as la

unch

ed in

Apr

il an

d pr

omot

ed

wid

ely

thro

ugh

exis

ting

netw

orks

and

onl

ine.

Fol

low

ing

feed

back

it is

now

bei

ng

enha

nced

and

ref

orm

atte

d in

to a

har

d co

py v

ersi

on a

nd w

ill b

e re

-laun

ched

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Acc

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9780101742726

ISBN 978-0-10-174272-6

Communities in control: real people, real power