Fortnightly Issue 56921 June 2014

News and views from the Local Government Association

P8 Highlighting political leadership

Councillors must continue to develop their skills and strengths to meet future challenges

P10Green belt

New advice on controversial planning issues

“Parents want their child educated within a safe environment and to the highest level possible. Councils are best placed to ensure that happens.”Cllr David Simmonds, Chairman of the LGA’s Children and Young People Board, p2

P13 Future librariesA national digital network for sharing good practice?

P14 IT for older peopleTailoring support and provision to needs and interests

2 FIRST NEWS

EDITORIAL

Small stepsBack in 2008, I was Chairman of London Councils when it spearheaded a campaign to ban plastic shopping bags in the capital.

As the organisation’s then chairman, it was something I fully supported – as has my (Labour) successor. Single-

use bags cost £10 million a year to clear up when littered on our streets. They also clog our waterways and poison marine animals and other wildlife.

London Councils pushed for an Act of Parliament that would have empowered the city to ban free bags, but the move was shelved following assurances by ministers and civil servants that the issue would be tackled.

The Climate Change Act 2008 included a clause allowing government to implement charges in England, but retailers promised to take voluntary measures to cut bag numbers. And initially, they had some success in doing so. However, from 2010 to 2012, bag numbers started going up again in England, by 12 per cent to 7.1 billion bags. During the same period, a 5p charge in Wales produced a decrease in usage of 81 per cent.

This Government has now finally seen sense, with confirmation in this month’s Queen’s Speech that a 5p charge will be introduced in England from October 2015, with profits going to good causes.

What this demonstrates to me is that when you have a good idea, you have to keep plugging away at it despite those that tell you it can’t or shouldn’t be done. It’s a lesson the LGA has taken to heart, from its lengthy campaign to retrieve local authority money held by the failed Icelandic banks, to its Rewiring proposals for how we can deliver public services in a tough financial environment. Be ambitious and keep plugging away!

Sir Merrick Cockell is LGA Chairman

Editor Karen ThorntonDesign Liberata DesignAdvertising Nabeel SaeedWrite to first, Local Government House, Smith Square, London SW1P 3HZT (editorial) 020 7664 3294T (advertising) 020 7664 3157email first@local.gov.ukPhotography Photofusion and Ingimage unless otherwise statedPrint BGP Ltd, BicesterCirculation 18,400 (June 2014)

To unsubscribe email first@oscar-research.co.uk The inclusion of an advert or insert in first does not imply endorsement by the LGA of any product or service. Contributors’ views are their own and do not necessarily reflect the opinions or policies of the LGA.

05 PolicyWork and learning for young people

06 LettersYoung people – reluctant to vote?

07 OpinionDistricts’ manifesto for change

08 first featureLGA development programme for councillors

11 LEPs Arresting economic centralisation

14 ParliamentThe effects of fixed terms

15 last wordChampioning mental health

Inside this issue

8 9FIRST FEATUREFIRST FEATURE 9

The LGA has launched its new suite of development and training courses and resources for councillors, catering for the newly elected to council leaders

Being a councillor is a unique civic duty – one that comes with a democratic mandate, responsibility for important services, and the opportunity to make a lasting impact on local communities.

Despite significant funding cuts, satisfaction with public services has improved or been maintained over the last five years, and we take seriously the trust residents have placed in us to make decisions about how their local services are provided.

Transforming public services demands strong local leadership to strengthen democratic participation and forge a new relationship between citizen and state. As councillors, we must continue to develop our strengths and leadership abilities and must build the new skills we need to meet future challenges and keep local government relevant, representative and reliable.

Developing the leadership capacity of local government is central to the ethos of the LGA’s sector-led improvement programme. Over recent months, the leadership development support we offer to councillors has evolved, ensuring our programmes remain relevant and ambitious yet flexible enough to respond to the changing local government agenda and provide value for money for councils.

So we are delighted to have now launched Highlighting Political Leadership – a suite of development opportunities and resources for councillors, from those just starting out in their political careers to council leaders.

The programme includes a number of new opportunities, such as bespoke support to councils’ top teams, a programme for senior politicians to focus on key

challenges facing the sector, and a new e-learning programme providing resources around core skills for community leadership.

Alongside these new programmes, we will continue to provide national development opportunities we know local politicians really value, with refreshed content to reflect the challenges facing the sector.

For example, the unique chance to develop leadership capacity within party political traditions continues through Next Generation, with 2014 seeing the introduction of a new programme for LGA Independent Group councillors (see right). And our popular Leadership Academy remains, offering cross-party networking and training accredited by the Institute of Leadership and Management,

We want councils to be efficient, accountable, reliable and able to change residents’ lives for the better. Great leadership from local councillors is crucial to this shared vision for local government so we are pleased to be able to offer a clear set of programmes to develop the leadership skills our councillors need.

Highlighting Political Leadership – new programmes

Community Leadership The LGA provides resources for new councillors

in their role as community leaders, facilitators and brokers. These include the annual Councillors Guide and the Political Skills Framework – a self-reflective learning tool to help you identify your strengths and skills, and those that need developing. We are also piloting new e-learning resources covering a range of topics, starting with an overview and guidance on the health system in England.

Leadership Essentials This programme expands the policy-specific

and theme-based leadership development on offer to more experienced councillors. There are new programmes on health and wellbeing, digital leadership and effective scrutiny, as well as existing and valued programmes on planning, children’s services and fire and rescue. For example, the scrutiny programme, delivered in partnership with the Centre for Public Scrutiny, covers key issues for new or aspiring chairs of scrutiny committees or lead members of task-and-finish groups.

The Leaders’ ProgrammeThis new leadership development programme

creates a safe space for council leaders with at least two years’ experience to learn from one another, share their concerns and challenges, work together on addressing the big issues they face, and explore and test new ways of working and leading across their organisations, partnerships and communities.

Highlighting Top Team Leadership

A key area for local politicians is relationships with officers: getting this right is an important contributor to effective local leadership for ward councillors and council leaders alike. Highlighting Top Team Leadership is a key part of the LGA’s overall leadership development offer to local government, which also includes Highlighting Political Leadership.

Leadership for Improvement This programme is designed specifically for

district council leaders and chief executives, and is run in partnership with the District Councils’ Network. Workshops offer space and support for politicians and officers to work together on improving their council’s efficiency and effectiveness and to test the opportunities for collaboration, shared services and making use of more entrepreneurial approaches.

Top Team Programme This is a bespoke support offer open to a

council’s senior political leadership team and, if required, it can be undertaken jointly with the council’s corporate management team. Designed with the council to address its particular key issues, the programme helps to improve the strategic direction and leadership of the council and wider community.

• For an overview of all Highlighting Political Leadership programmes, please visit www.local.gov.uk/councillor-development, or come to our workshops at the Innovation Zone at the LGA’s annual conference in Bournemouth on 8 July, see www.local.gov.uk/events

Next Generation The Next Generation programme supports and encourages ambitious and

talented councillors to be bold and confident political leaders. Each stream – Conservative, Liberal Democrat, Labour and, from this year, Independent – has been uniquely developed in political group settings.

The programme provides all participants with the opportunity to, among other things: look at different styles and approaches to political leadership; better understand their party’s approach to policy and governance; define their ‘vision’ for their council, ward and/or group; increase confidence and awareness of the importance of communication and media skills; learn more about their own personal strengths and weaknesses as a community and political leader; and learn more about policy making and best practice in local groups and councils.

Applications for the 2014/15 programmes open on 8 July.

“For me, the programme helped in developing and honing thoughts about strategic matters facing local government and our communities, as well as building confidence with training alongside a peer group that are facing similar challenges in their own areas.”

Cllr Simon Greaves (Lab, Bassetlaw)

“Ranging from voice coaching to discussions around the importance of community leadership, Next Generation gave all participants the opportunity to consider the theory and approaches we take behind the very real situations we find ourselves in on a daily basis as councillors. The support offered was invaluable.”

Cllr Alice Bramall (Con, Milton Keynes)

“I came into the council a blank sheet in every respect and while you obviously learn a huge amount on the job, taking that next step and what to do when you get there is still a bit of a mystery. Next Generation really helped me improve my understanding of how council operates and how one can function effectively in it. I can honestly say that without it I would not be an executive member now.”

Cllr Patrick McAuley (Lib Dem, Stockport)

“Next Generation is an exciting opportunity open to talented and ambitious councillors who are committed to improving further. The aim is to provide the best possible contribution to our communities and our councils. We are proud to offer this programme as a ground-breaking opportunity for Independent Group members.”

Cllr Marianne Overton MBE (LGA Independent Group Leader)

Cllr Claire Kober is Deputy Chair of the LGA’s Improvement and Innovation Board

‘Restore school powers to councils’

All school intervention powers should be returned to local authorities to bring stability to the system, according to council leaders.

In the wake of investigations in Birmingham, the LGA believes that empowered councils are the solution to holding local schools to account and helping rebuild both pupil and parent confidence. It is calling for local authorities to have the power to trigger Ofsted inspections, challenge governors, scrutinise budgets, offer support and intervene at an early stage in every school within their area.

Local government has always supported school choice and worked with primary and secondary schools converting to academy status. However, far too many schools are under notice to improve. Councils are in many cases left powerless to intervene without negotiating bureaucratic hurdles and obtaining permission from Whitehall.

Cllr David Simmonds, Chairman of the LGA’s Children and Young People Board, said: “Whitehall acknowledges that it lacks the capacity and local knowledge to oversee the more than 3,500 academies and free schools in England, and parents deserve a local organisation to act as a first port of call if they are not satisfied with the response from their child’s school or its governing body.

“The current two-tier system of accountability is extremely confusing for parents, with many not knowing if they should report an issue to their council or the Department for Education. Parents want their child educated within a safe environment and to the highest level possible. Councils are best placed to ensure that happens.

“Rather than creating new local bodies to provide oversight, the barriers to council intervention should be removed immediately.”

3FIRST NEWS

Tougher fines for rogue landlordsBigger fines and a more streamlined prosecution system are needed to tackle rogue landlords who are putting tenants’ lives at risk.

While most landlords are reputable, a criminal minority view fines as ‘operating costs’, to be offset against their profits from exploiting tenants by renting sub-standard properties, says the LGA.

It is calling for a streamlined system, which is fairer, faster, simpler, and awards proportionate fines to criminal landlords and the full costs of bringing prosecutions to councils.

New LGA research finds it can take up to 16 months to prosecute a rogue operator. In almost three-quarters of cases, the average fine for a criminal landlord was £5,000. One landlord was fined £100 in a case where six tenants were left living in a property for a year without fire alarms or proper escape routes. In another example, the property did not have secured front doors and tenants

discovered strangers sleeping on their sofas.

Cllr Mike Jones, Chairman of the LGA’s Environment and Housing Board, said: “The current system for prosecuting rogue landlords is not fit for the 21st century. Criminal landlords are exploiting this and endangering tenants’ lives. We need a system which protects the good landlords, whose reputation is being dragged down by the bad ones.

“Councils are doing everything they can to tackle the rising numbers of rogue landlords arising from the housing crisis. However, they are being hamstrung by a system wracked by delays, bureaucracy and feeble fines.

“In many cases, councils are actually being left out of pocket because they are not even recovering the costs of bringing the prosecutions. It is imperative this changes because, at a time of unprecedented austerity, ultimately the taxpayer foots the bill.”

Wild woods fun day

Rochford District Council hosted its eleventh Wild Woods Day earlier this month, with family friendly activities including a climbing wall, archery and rope bridge building. The event was also one of new council Chairman Cllr June Lumley’s first official engagements. She said: “This is such a wonderful way to start my year in office. It was great to see so many families who weren’t put off by the early morning rain and came to Hockley Woods to enjoy a fun day out together.”

News in brief Public health licensing

The House of Lords is being urged to back plans to give councils the ability to limit the opening of late-night pubs, clubs and off-licences in areas where alcohol-related health problems are rife. A Private Members’ Bill calling for the inclusion of a public health objective in the Licensing Act 2003 has recently been put forward by Lord Brooke of Alverthorpe, and is supported by the LGA.Cllr Katie Hall, Chair of the LGA’s Community Wellbeing Board, said: “With councils currently not able to refuse permission on some health grounds when considering licences, they find themselves in the bizarre situation where they are forced to grant permission and then spend stretched funds on prevention schemes such as tackling alcohol misuse.”

LGA political leadership changesCllr Jim McMahon has been elected unopposed as the LGA Labour Group’s new Leader. He will replace Cllr David Sparks at the LGA’s annual general assembly on 8 July, when Cllr Sparks will be confirmed as the LGA’s new Chair. Cllr McMahon, Leader of Oldham Council, said: “I stood for Leader to give a voice for Labour councillors, to stand up for local government and to deliver the reforms we need in our national representation.” Cllr Gary Porter, Leader of the LGA Conservative Group, has been elected unopposed for another year, but other positions in the group are subject to a postal ballot.

Queen’s birthday honours Councillors and officers from across England and Wales were recognised in the Queen’s birthday honours for their services to the community and local government. Among them were Derek Myers, former Chief Executive of Kensington and Chelsea and Hammersmith and Fulham, who was awarded a knighthood. CBEs were bestowed upon Cllr Andrew Carter, Leader of the Conservative Group on Leeds City Council, and Cllr Bob Wellington, Leader of Torfaen County Borough Council. Among others featuring are David Hill, Chief Executive of Milton Keynes Council (OBE) and Oldham Council’s Cllr Howard Sykes (MBE). See www.gov.uk/government/publications/birthday-honours-lists-2014

4 FIRST ADS

SUPPORTING

BRITAIN’S BRAVEST

CREATING SOCIAL VALUEWITH LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Purchasing high qualityRoad Traffic Signs or Print & Mail Services from RBLI for your local authority helps support Armed Forces Veterans into employment.

© Photo courtesy of MOD. Crown copyright.

Meet us at the LGA Conference to discuss how you can support Britain’s Bravest.Tel: 01622 795900Email: enquiries@rbli.co.uk

STANDP67

This year McDonald’s celebrates 40 years in the UK. To celebrate this milestone, we have published an independent report – ‘Serving the UK: McDonald’s at 40’ – exploring the contribution that McDonald’s makes to local communities.

PROVIDED SUPPORT FOR OVER

25,000COACHES TO ACHIEVE

LEVEL 1, LEVEL 2 AND NEW YOUTH AWARD COACHING

QUALIFICATIONS

WE SOURCE OUR INGREDIENTS FROM OVER

17,500 BRITISH AND IRISH FARMS.

CONTRIBUTED

£40 billionTO THE UK ECONOMY

OVER 40 YEARS

OPERATE

1,200RESTAURANTS IN LOCAL COMMUNITIES ACROSS

THE UK

EMPLOY

94,000PEOPLE

PROVIDED SUPPORT FOR OVER

WE SOURCE OUR INGREDIENTS FROM OVERCONTRIBUTEDOPERATEEMPLOY

I hope you will be able to visit us to explore this research, where you will have the opportunity to find out more about the economic contribution McDonald’s makes in your area, and hear what we will do to serve our communities in the future.

VISIT US AT STAND P3 AT THE THE LGA CONFERENCE ON 8-10 JULY TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT THE CONTRIBUTION MCDONALD’S BRINGS TO LOCAL COMMUNITIES ACROSS THE UK

SERVING THE COMMUNITY: McDONALD’S AT 40

THIS YEAR McDONALD’S CELEBRATES 40 YEARS IN THE UK WHERE WE...

www.mcdonaldsservingtheuk.co.uk

final2.indd 1 13/06/2014 17:02

5

Sport and leisureGrassroots footballThe LGA has called for the Football Association and Premier League to pump more of the £3 billion they make each year into council-administered local football schemes and community facilities. Cllr Simon Henig, Vice-Chair of the LGA’s Culture, Tourism and Sport Board, said: “Grassroots football is played almost exclusively on council-owned pitches but funding pressures are impacting on the quality of facilities and making it difficult for players and clubs to complete fixtures and play games. The FA and Premier League do run some good local initiatives but it is now time for them to dig further into their deep pockets. If funding was increased and administered by councils, the money could be spent more

effectively to increase the number of youngsters playing.”

RegulationChuggers agreementsA landmark 250th ‘chuggers’ agreement setting out standards and behaviour of direct debit street fundraisers has been signed, between Canterbury City Council and the Public Fundraising Regulatory Authority (PFRA). In November 2012, the LGA and PRFA signed a national agreement to tackle growing concerns about the behaviour of some face-to-face charity collectors. Since then, more than 80 councils have signed up and some have multiple agreements covering different sites. Research has shown that in areas covered by site agreements, complaints from members of the public have fallen. Cllr Nick Worth, the

LGA’s Regulation Spokesman, said: “By working with charities, councils have been able to strike a sensible balance between charities’ need to ask people for support and the rights of local people not to be pressured to give.”

Community safetyForced marriagesForcing somebody into marriage became a legal offence in the UK this week, punishable by up to seven years in prison. Cllr Elaine Atkinson, a member of the LGA’s Community Wellbeing Board and Leader of Poole Borough Council, which recently held an awareness raising seminar on the issue, said: “This change in the law rightly sends out the strong message that forced marriage will not be tolerated. Councils have been working behind

the scenes for months now to ensure everyone involved in support services and with young people in schools is educated on the law change.”

WalesCouncil taxLocal councils in Wales have achieved the highest ever rate of council tax collection since the tax was introduced in 1993 – 97 per cent, according to figures for 2013/14. Cllr Aaron Shotton, WLGA Spokesperson for Finance and Resources, said: “The collection of such a high percentage of Wales’ council tax bill is an important achievement because the finances raised play a crucial role in helping councils to deliver frontline public services.” Meanwhile, the Welsh Government has committed to maintaining funding for another two years to offset the UK Government’s abolition of council tax benefit and reduced funding for local replacement schemes.

EnvironmentWinter floodingThe Government must not neglect maintenance of flood defences and watercourses if homes, businesses and farmland are to gain better protection, MPs warned this week in a report triggered by last winter’s floods. Anne McIntosh MP, Chair of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee, said: “We have repeatedly called on the Government to increase revenue funding so that necessary dredging and watercourse maintenance can be carried out to minimise flood risk, yet funding for maintenance remains at a bare minimum. Ministers must take action now to avoid a repeat of the devastation caused by the winter floods. Local knowledge is key and flood risk management priorities must reflect the local circumstances.”

Young people

Skills and trainingAlmost all young people could either be in work or learning by 2020 if local authorities were able to lead on youth employment schemes, the LGA has said. Almost 800,000 young people across England are not in employment, education or training (NEET). In the last five years, councils have overseen a 44 per cent drop in the number of 16 to 18-year-old NEETs, while centrally governed schemes for disengaged 19 to 24-year-olds have seen a 7.5 per cent drop. Cllr David Simmonds, Chairman of the LGA’s Children and Young People Board, said: “Local solutions are clearly proving to be the answer. Government needs to allow councils and their local partners to fully take the lead and develop quality services that are built around the needs of young people and employers rather than complex national bureaucracies.”

firstpolicy

FIRST POLICY

6 FIRST COMMENT

Cllr Graeme Clark (Lib Dem, Brentwood)“First meeting with officers as part of @Brentwood_BC new administration. Came away full of optimism.”www.twitter.com/ShenfieldGraeme

Cllr James Noakes (Lab, Liverpool)“Lot of time for @M_Heseltine Liverpool support and views on over-focus on London and need for rebalance. But you can’t forget he’s a Tory.”www.twitter.com/jimnoakes

Tom Riordan (Chief Executive, Leeds)“V pleased to hear recognition of Cllr Andrew Carter in honours list. A career and working lifetime in local government.”www.twitter.com/tomriordan

Cllr Duncan Peck (Con, Crawley)“Unemployment has been falling consistently for the past year. Let’s keep to our plan and continue forward.” www.twitter.com/Cllr_Peck

Cllr Mathew Hulbert (Lib Dem, Hinckley and Bosworth)“I’ve had an enjoyable afternoon sorting out pieces of residents’ casework. It’s always the favourite part of my role! #Barwell.”www.twitter.com/HulbertMathew

sound bites

‘Reluctant to vote’ (first 568) dwelt on the issue of young people increasingly reluctant to vote, but nevertheless remaining interested, and even having both democratic commitment and faith, in the electoral process.

This seems to connect with a past piece written by Cllr Roxanne Ellis about the financial difficulty of remaining a councillor while unemployed and on benefits (first 526). Many highly qualified and capable young people are currently unemployed, which is a gross waste of talent and energy.

I believe that if expenses are made exempt from being assessed as income and this was very widely advertised, talented and enthusiastic young people, temporarily

unemployed, might consider spending time as councillors while they are job seeking.

There are useful skills to be learned, and young people who begin to engage with local politics early on could be more likely to engage with politics at all levels and with varying degrees of commitment throughout their lives.

Expenses are just that, necessary allowances to cover costs incurred through doing the work: this is not an income.

The only proviso I would add would be a stronger requirement for training and legal protection for local councillors.

Cllr Amanda Dean (Lib Dem)Lewes District Council

STAR LETTER

Young blood

letters

Do you have a blog or a Twitter account we should be following? Let us know. Email first@local.gov.uk

7FIRST COMMENT

OPINION

Districts’ aims

Cllr Neil Clarke MBE is Chairman of the District Councils’ Network. The DCN’s manifesto can be found at http://districtcouncils.info

Target tenants Cllr Whitaker complains of the problems of dealing with ‘nuisance tenants’ (first 566).

The staggering part is that he goes on to suggest registering all landlords might in some way change tenant anti-social behaviour. Surely if there are problems with tenants, the logical suggestion would be to register them?

Landlords do not have powers to control tenants: even councils, as landlords, suffer anti-social behaviour from tenants yet have more powers than private landlords.In Bournemouth, we wanted to encourage good landlords, so decided against licensing and instead have a dedicated officer working in a trial area where licensing was being considered. From analysis of the work done there, most of the enforcement is needed against tenants, not landlords. We don’t need more laws, we need more enforcement focused against the perpetrator of the problem.In times of such dire cuts, we cut enforcement at our peril. If you don’t believe me, try imagining an anti-social tenant saying to him or herself: “I had better behave as my landlord is registered.” It is laughable.

David d’Orton-Gibson (Con)Bournemouth Borough Council

Student votersProfessors Colin Rallings and Michael Thrasher state that Lancaster University ward, with its high number of students, “highlights a problem for the advent of individual electoral registration” (first 568).

This is not a problem; it is a small way to a solution of a problem. Students in Lancaster are enrolled ‘remotely’ by halls of residence or enrol independently, but many are already enrolled in their home towns. I know of one postgraduate student who exercised three votes at the same time. In Lancaster, we have two distinct areas. Wards in

Lancaster parliamentary constituency have a large number of students and lecturers who vote Green and some are absent or phantom. In addition, the students do not pay council tax, and their idealism is not tempered by a bit of cost-awareness pragmatism.

My ward is on the other side of the river, where in the national elections the Conservative candidate polled 18,000 votes, Labour 17,000 and the Green candidate a derisory 800 votes. Yet this distribution is not reflected in seats on our council, which has a Labour/Green coalition.

While university seats may not make a great difference in a large conurbation like Birmingham, in a small city like Lancaster the 15,000 potential university votes grossly distort the voting pattern of local people. People in my ward feel disenfranchised.

Cllr Keith Sowden (Ind) Lancaster City Council

Devolution D-DayWhile we have just commemorated the 70th anniversary of the D-Day landings, another D-Day looms on the horizon – decision day for the people of Scotland. Will they, won’t they leave the Union and go their own way? What is for sure is that, on balance, devolution has worked out better for Scotland and maybe to a lesser extent for Wales.

Here in the North East we blew our chance on a weaker form of devolution when in 2004 the then Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott tried to steer us towards a regional assembly. Hence I am somewhat envious of our near neighbours in Scotland getting more and more prosperous under devolution.

No matter what the result in September, Scotland can’t lose out. But I believe we are stronger together, as the strong support the weak.

Cllr George Dunning (Lab) Redcar & Cleveland Council

As Chairman of the District Councils’ Network, I am delighted that we have published the DCN Manifesto 2014-18, which celebrates the contribution district councils make to their communities.

The manifesto also outlines the major ways the DCN, on behalf of the district councils we represent, will seek to work with the next government to achieve our five priorities.

Firstly, we request that the new government allows district councils to become financally independent by giving us access to additional sources of self-generated funding. We also want to see a streamlined planning system so district councils can respond more quickly to appropriate and responsible development.

We believe that in two-tier areas, district councils should be the government’s default provider of choice for delivering Universal Credit, so our members can integrate benefits with support, such as debt advice and help into work, that is delivered by us or our partners.

We want the incoming government to commit to local government funding settlements across whole parliamentary terms to give budgetary certainty, so councils can in turn provide long-term funding and security for the voluntary and community partners who deliver on their behalf. Finally, we want district councils to be able to work with more families under the Troubled Families programme, through the development of a financial framework that takes full account of their role and upfront contributions to the savings achieved.

As a district councillor I have the legitimacy to speak on behalf of the residents who elect me and address their needs, and my council forges strong partnerships with local and community organisations. As DCN Chairman, I will ensure that the network works hard over the coming months and into the next Parliament to represent its members on these issues. This includes continuing to work with the rest of the public sector where shared interests and concerns exist.

District councillors are rightly proud of their contribution to their local areas and delivering the government’s priorities of growth, housing and welfare reform changes with their residents. The next government will find the network and the district councils it represents willing and vital partners in helping to deliver its agenda.

letters

What do you think? You can comment on these letters online at www.local.gov.uk/first-letters or submit your own letter for publication by emailing first@local.gov.uk. Letters may be edited and published online

8 FIRST FEATURE

The LGA has launched its new suite of development and training courses and resources for councillors, catering for the newly elected to council leaders

Being a councillor is a unique civic duty – one that comes with a democratic mandate, responsibility for important services, and the opportunity to make a lasting impact on local communities.

Despite significant funding cuts, satisfaction with public services has improved or been maintained over the last five years, and we take seriously the trust residents have placed in us to make decisions about how their local services are provided.

Transforming public services demands strong local leadership to strengthen democratic participation and forge a new relationship between citizen and state. As councillors, we must continue to develop our strengths and leadership abilities and must build the new skills we need to meet future challenges and keep local government relevant, representative and reliable.

Developing the leadership capacity of local government is central to the ethos of the LGA’s sector-led improvement programme. Over recent months, the leadership development support we offer to councillors has evolved, ensuring our programmes remain relevant and ambitious yet flexible enough to respond to the changing local government agenda and provide value for money for councils.

So we are delighted to have now launched Highlighting Political Leadership – a suite of development opportunities and resources for councillors, from those just starting out in their political careers to council leaders.

The programme includes a number of new opportunities, such as bespoke support to councils’ top teams, a programme for senior politicians to focus on key

challenges facing the sector, and a new e-learning programme providing resources around core skills for community leadership.

Alongside these new programmes, we will continue to provide national development opportunities we know local politicians really value, with refreshed content to reflect the challenges facing the sector.

For example, the unique chance to develop leadership capacity within party political traditions continues through Next Generation, with 2014 seeing the introduction of a new programme for LGA Independent Group councillors (see right). And our popular Leadership Academy remains, offering cross-party networking and training accredited by the Institute of Leadership and Management,

We want councils to be efficient, accountable, reliable and able to change residents’ lives for the better. Great leadership from local councillors is crucial to this shared vision for local government so we are pleased to be able to offer a clear set of programmes to develop the leadership skills our councillors need.

Highlighting Political Leadership – new programmes

Community Leadership The LGA provides resources for new councillors

in their role as community leaders, facilitators and brokers. These include the annual Councillors Guide and the Political Skills Framework – a self-reflective learning tool to help you identify your strengths and skills, and those that need developing. We are also piloting new e-learning resources covering a range of topics, starting with an overview and guidance on the health system in England.

Leadership Essentials This programme expands the policy-specific

and theme-based leadership development on offer to more experienced councillors. There are new programmes on health and wellbeing, digital leadership and effective scrutiny, as well as existing and valued programmes on planning, children’s services and fire and rescue. For example, the scrutiny programme, delivered in partnership with the Centre for Public Scrutiny, covers key issues for new or aspiring chairs of scrutiny committees or lead members of task-and-finish groups.

The Leaders’ ProgrammeThis new leadership development programme

creates a safe space for council leaders with at least two years’ experience to learn from one another, share their concerns and challenges, work together on addressing the big issues they face, and explore and test new ways of working and leading across their organisations, partnerships and communities.

Highlighting Top Team Leadership

A key area for local politicians is relationships with officers: getting this right is an important contributor to effective local leadership for ward councillors and council leaders alike. Highlighting Top Team Leadership is a key part of the LGA’s overall leadership development offer to local government, which also includes Highlighting Political Leadership.

Cllr Claire Kober is Deputy Chair of the LGA’s Improvement and Innovation Board

9FIRST FEATURE 9

Leadership for Improvement This programme is designed specifically for

district council leaders and chief executives, and is run in partnership with the District Councils’ Network. Workshops offer space and support for politicians and officers to work together on improving their council’s efficiency and effectiveness and to test the opportunities for collaboration, shared services and making use of more entrepreneurial approaches.

Top Team Programme This is a bespoke support offer open to a

council’s senior political leadership team and, if required, it can be undertaken jointly with the council’s corporate management team. Designed with the council to address its particular key issues, the programme helps to improve the strategic direction and leadership of the council and wider community.

• For an overview of all Highlighting Political Leadership programmes, please visit www.local.gov.uk/councillor-development, or come to our workshops at the Innovation Zone at the LGA’s annual conference in Bournemouth on 8 July, see www.local.gov.uk/events

Next Generation The Next Generation programme supports and encourages ambitious and

talented councillors to be bold and confident political leaders. Each stream – Conservative, Liberal Democrat, Labour and, from this year, Independent – has been uniquely developed in political group settings.

The programme provides all participants with the opportunity to, among other things: look at different styles and approaches to political leadership; better understand their party’s approach to policy and governance; define their ‘vision’ for their council, ward and/or group; increase confidence and awareness of the importance of communication and media skills; learn more about their own personal strengths and weaknesses as a community and political leader; and learn more about policy making and best practice in local groups and councils.

Applications for the 2014/15 programmes open on 8 July.

“For me, the programme helped in developing and honing thoughts about strategic matters facing local government and our communities, as well as building confidence with training alongside a peer group that are facing similar challenges in their own areas.”

Cllr Simon Greaves (Lab, Bassetlaw)

“Ranging from voice coaching to discussions around the importance of community leadership, Next Generation gave all participants the opportunity to consider the theory and approaches we take behind the very real situations we find ourselves in on a daily basis as councillors. The support offered was invaluable.”

Cllr Alice Bramall (Con, Milton Keynes)

“I came into the council a blank sheet in every respect and while you obviously learn a huge amount on the job, taking that next step and what to do when you get there is still a bit of a mystery. Next Generation really helped me improve my understanding of how council operates and how one can function effectively in it. I can honestly say that without it I would not be an executive member now.”

Cllr Patrick McAuley (Lib Dem, Stockport)

“Next Generation is an exciting opportunity open to talented and ambitious councillors who are committed to improving further. The aim is to provide the best possible contribution to our communities and our councils. We are proud to offer this programme as a ground-breaking opportunity for Independent Group members.”

Cllr Marianne Overton MBE (LGA Independent Group Leader)

10 FIRST FEATURE

Planning is never out of the headlines – but it’s important for councillors, as local representatives and community leaders, to know the facts about what they can and can’t promise residents when it comes to green belt and other difficult planning issues.

There is a tendency, for example, to see all open or green field land, and particularly that on the edge of towns, as green belt: it isn’t. Some also believe the green belt and its ‘inviolability’ is a matter of law: it isn’t.

Only about 13 per cent of England’s land area is designated green belt, and designation is subject to quite strict ‘purposes’. These are to: ‧ check the unrestricted sprawl of

large, built-up areas ‧ prevent neighbouring towns from

merging into one another ‧ assist in safeguarding the

countryside from encroachment ‧ preserve the setting and special

character of historic towns ‧ assist in urban regeneration by

encouraging the recycling of derelict and other urban land.

In planning, the general presumption is in favour of development, with the onus on the local planning authority to give sound reasons why a planning application should be refused. In designated green belt, the presumption is reversed and the onus is on the developer to demonstrate why permission should be granted.

With the restrictions it brings, local planning authorities with green belt in their areas and local plans to prepare have to make provision for needed development within a very sensitive context.

The Planning Advisory Service is publishing advice notes on controversial planning issues ranging from fracking to wind farms. first takes a look at one of its initial guides, on green belt

DebateThe positive case for green belt is that it

has prevented ‘ribbon’ or ‘strip’ development – where a continuous but shallow band of development forms along the main roads between towns.

The view that settlements should be maintained as distinct and separate places has been served by green belt designation of the intervening land. And given that a lot of green belt is on the immediate fringe of significant urban areas, the policy has also helped to retain this land as a valuable resource – for example, for outdoor recreation for large numbers of people in urban areas, if the land is publicly accessible.

On the other hand, green belt designation implies that, at some entirely arbitrary point in the evolution of a town, it should not grow any more. Even without any claim that the town has reached its ‘right size’ (something rather difficult to justify), it must be the case that places cannot meet modern needs and expectations yet remain unchanged. Why should future generations be precluded by today’s policy from using the available resources to meet their needs as they occur in their time – especially as most green belt was established in the 1950s and has not been objectively reviewed since?

A practical consequence of the green belt and the emotions that it evokes may be that rational decisions about where development should go, based on a balanced judgement of planning issues, are inhibited.

Big issueThe most immediate issue for the green belt is the lack of

housing across many parts of the country, where the capacity to accommodate sustainable development in urban areas is often insufficient to meet the housing requirement.

National planning policy makes provision for changes to be made to the green belt and, critically, these are made through the local plan. There have to be ‘exceptional circumstances’ to justify a review of your green belt boundary: housing is one of them.

The Planning Advisory Service (PAS) provides consultancy and peer support, training sessions and online resources to help local authorities in England understand and respond to planning reform. It is part of the LGA and grant funded by the Department for Communities and Local Government, see www.pas.gov.uk

11FIRST PERSON

Local enterprise partnerships are a bold attempt to arrest a long-term trend in economic centralisation, argues Alex Pratt

In the space of a single lifetime, we have slipped from accounting for 40 per cent of global manufacturing and 80 per cent of world wealth to being laden with massive deficits, huge pension liabilities, and the policies of austerity. While the immediate economic news may be positive, it needs to be set against the long-term decline in our relative prosperity.

We need to reflect on why it is that we have managed to burden future generations with a massive housing shortage, an energy policy in need of international rescue, air transport stuffed to capacity, 30 years of serious under-investment in other

economic infrastructure and a generation of

young people blighted by a

lack of jobs. In tandem

with our underlying declining economic position, we can overlay an increased centralisation of economic

power which has driven

behaviours in support of national

institutions rather than local places and people,

and has created an unhealthy reliance on London.

Local enterprise partnerships (LEPs) are a bold attempt to arrest this long-term trend in economic centralisation by rebalancing strategic influence over the factors of production in order to reverse our relative decline.

In this mission, there is a clear shared agenda with the LGA, including the pursuit of genuine devolution of EU funding – which is why the LEP

Network, which I represent, is delighted to be taking part in the LGA’s annual conference on 9 July (see www.local.gov.uk/events).

The LEPs may have started with what appears to be little more than delegated authority over an initial £2 billion a year Local Growth Fund, but the clear cross-party aspiration is for devolution of funds and freedoms to empower places to make better, faster decisions on matters of local economic importance that impact directly on jobs and growth.

Local authorities and LEPs are natural allies in the need to rebalance aspirations more towards the economic investments driven by coalface opportunities that are emerging from seismic changes like the internet of things and other disruptive economic forces. In this regard it helps greatly that the LEPs benefit both from over 200 active senior business leaders as well as a strong cadre of local authority leaders.

Added valueFor LEPs to amount to a hill of beans

they will need become genuinely equal partnerships between elected leaders with a strong focus on current residents and jobs, and appointed business leaders more free to bring forward opinions in relation to any potential new residents, employees, and generations who can sometimes otherwise have no voice. It is this blended mix of experience, skill and perceptions which lies at the heart of the potential for LEP added value.

In working with the 39 different LEPs it is worth remembering that we are each unique in a multitude of ways; size, priorities, opportunities, governance, politics, business-base, and so on.

It would be a mistake, therefore, to adopt a network-wide approach but we equally need to get the balance right between unique solutions and great practice, to avoid 39 reinventions of every wheel.

The LEPs may be the new kids on the economic block but they have strong cross-party support and look set to be an increasingly important locus for influence on all matters to do with growth. I wager we are more likely to lose Scotland, leave the EU, or see the collapse of the Euro, than to witness the demise of LEPs within the next nine years.

Alex Pratt OBE is Chair of the Management Board of the LEP Network, Chair of the Bucks Thames Valley LEP, and Founder of reading lighting manufacturer Serious Readers

See www.local.gov.uk/events

As part of its wider productivity programme, the LGA launched an Adult Social Care Efficiency (ASCE) programme in January 2012. The programme incorporates 44 projects led by individual and groups of authorities, including one regional and one sub-regional project.

The programme’s objective is to help councils take forward their efficiency and transformation agendas in adult social care. This final ASCE event will bring

together programme participants and others working in adult social care to showcase pragmatic and aspirational approaches developed through the three-year programme.

Topics under discussion will include promoting independence, workforce optimisation, use of assistive technology, joint commissioning and health and social care integration.

Adult Social Care Efficiency Programme Event 17 July, London

12 FIRST ADS

13FIRST PERSON

A national digital network for libraries could help encourage change and the sharing of best practice without conflicting with the need for local approaches, writes William Sieghart

I have been asked by central government to write an independent report on the public library service in England. But it is local authorities and local government leaders who must deliver their library services, and ultimately I need your support to help create and deliver an action plan that benefits us all.

Having undertaken an extensive tour of England and met with librarians, library users and councillors, I am convinced that public libraries are vital now and in the future – as community hubs, especially where they are part of shared services and/or co-location arrangements.

They could be the solution to some of the changes that local authorities are facing, rather than being seen as part of the problem.

I am not considering changing the existing library authority structures. One size does not fit all and although there are some very good models already out there, such as Suffolk’s, I know that their approach would not be appropriate or desirable for every authority.

It is possible to strengthen the service nationally without losing the local approach.

My strong view is that part of the answer can be found through offering a digital network for libraries, which could include a single management system, one library card valid in all libraries in England, and a new Teach First-style programme to attract new graduates to the profession.

Once set up, this network could also be a vehicle for improving the leadership of, and vision for, libraries; more joined-up procurement; the sharing of best practice and encouraging change – without conflicting with the need for local approaches.

It could give users access to a much wider choice of materials, and help facilitate delivery of other services such as health, welfare reform and tourism.

It could also allow library services to be delivered in non-traditional library buildings such as the local pub and shop. Such provision already exists through organisations such as Pub is The Hub, and this could be extended even further to give greater provision to rural communities.

I know that many of these ideas are not new and that many of you have been restricted in the past by lack of resources. That is why I am trying to find the funding to help provide this digital network. There are already pots of money that you can bid for, such as the Transformational Challenge Award run by the Department for Communities and Local Government, and I am seeking to bring as many of these pots together as possible while highlighting the importance of libraries to helping deliver many government initiatives.

My report is not yet finalised, and I welcome your thinking and ideas to help shape it into a plan that can deliver a stronger and more unified library service, as well as allowing you to make the best use of the resources at your disposal.

I would be delighted to visit your local authority to talk about any particular matters that you might be facing now or in the near future (contact library-secretariat@culture.gsi.gov.uk). I will also be speaking at a ‘Future libraries’ workshop at the LGA’s annual conference in Bournemouth on 8 July (see www.local.gov.uk/events) – so please come and talk with me then.

William Sieghart is Chair of the expert panel commissioned by the Departments for Communities and Local Government and Culture, Media and Sport to produce an independent report on England’s public library service

14 FIRST POLITICAL

PARTNERS

IT for older people

PARLIAMENT

Fixed term effects The Fixed Term Parliaments Act was met with little fanfare or attention outside of the Westminster bubble when it became law in 2011.

The Act, which was part of the Coalition programme for government, set exact dates for general elections, sweeping away powers held for hundreds of years that allowed snap ballots to be called at short notice.

Despite the limited attention the Act received, its effect on the stability of the Coalition, and the wider implications for local government, cannot be understated.

The main driver for the Act was to bring stability to the Coalition. If the power to call an election at a moment’s notice had remained, there would have been an almost constant stream of speculation about a ballot and pressure on the prime minister to march to the polls if his party’s popularity rose – or as his partners’ fell.

As a result of the Act, the Coalition, Westminster and most importantly the media have realised that the 2015 election date is now set in stone. An early election can only happen if there is a vote of no confidence in the Government or if two-thirds of the House of Commons support a motion “that there shall be an early parliamentary general election”.

The Act has had some profound effects on both the political process and the LGA’s lobbying work. For Parliament, a five-year timetable has allowed legislation to be spread out over a period of time, as ministers and officials don’t have a potential ballot hanging over their heads that could derail their reforms at a moment’s notice.

However, some MPs, on all sides of the House, have complained that the timetable is too light and they don’t have enough to do.

For the LGA and local government, the five-year cycle has afforded the time to consider what we want from the next government and a clear understanding of what the manifesto formulation timetable will be. The LGA’s Rewiring Public Services programme was timed to focus on the manifesto formulation process,

with an understanding that this would not be cut short by a snap election.

Fixed terms of five years have also strengthened our argument that local government financial settlements should be over a longer period, such as a parliament, to provide greater stability. We are pleased that as a result of our lobbying this is looking close to reality, and longer settlements look set to form part of the next spending round.

In the coming weeks, the LGA will set out more about what it will want from those that form a government after the next general election. For now, you can safely mark the 7 May 2015 in your diary as the general election because it won’t change.

• See www.local.gov.uk/parliament

We are all living longer and the size of the 50-plus population is set to grow significantly. This is an important issue for local government, as the main service provider for older people.

The Sus-IT team, led by Loughborough University, investigated how older people access and use ICT and has identified a key element for increasing digital engagement among older users, with major benefits for individuals and councils

Older people want to use ICT and greatly value its benefits. However, their experience of community ICT provision and support is seldom tailored to their needs and frequently requires participants to obtain a qualification with set goals. Many older people prefer their use of ICTs to be a social process in which knowledge and experience are shared, hobbies and interests pursued and technical problems resolved.

Crucially, ICT skills taught in this tailored fashion are transferable and encourage and empower older people to access local government digital services, such as telecare, as a matter of preference – rather than being compelled to do so.

Local authorities are increasingly under pressure from central government demands and squeezed budgets. But investment now to increase digital engagement among older people via good quality, tailored ICT provision will reap dividends as more older people access services online – allowing them to live independently for longer. It would allow local government to improve the quality of care and support services they provide under the Adult Social Care Outcomes Framework, improving the quality of life of older people and potentially delay or even eliminate the need for institutional care, thus saving costs.

Loughborough University’s Professor Leela Damodaran and Dr Wendy Olphert, and Dr Jatinder Sandhu, of Nottingham Trent University, are members of the Sus-IT team. See http://www.sus-it.lboro.ac.uk/

15FIRST POLITICAL

The Coalition Government announced in the recent Queen’s Speech that it would be introducing a Recall of MPs Bill.

Under the current rules, any MP sentenced to more than a year in jail is automatically expelled from Parliament. The new proposal would see those sentenced for a year or less subject to a by-election if 10 per cent of constituents sign a petition within eight weeks, or if a Commons committee finds them guilty of unacceptable behaviour.

The Bill has caused significant tensions both within the Coalition and among MPs generally, with critics arguing that the public is being duped and that real power will still reside with parliamentarians.

Our own survey work with councillors suggests that while they are largely opposed to recall, they nonetheless want to give local communities a stronger voice. This mood within local government could help inform the recall debate in Westminster.

There is an important principle of representative democracy at stake here. Once elected, should politicians be completely free to get on with their job until the next time they have to face electors? Or should citizens have the right to intervene at any point when they feel politicians have broken their trust?

The problem is striking the balance between establishing rules that govern politicians’ behaviour and creating situations where highly mobilised, though relatively small groups of electors can effectively force the democratically elected out of office.

Recall elections were one of the options listed under ‘initiatives designed to encourage the public to become more engaged with the work of their local authorities’, in an online survey we undertook of sitting councillors facing re-election on 22 May. We obtained 430 responses.

Only three in ten respondents thought the power of recall was a good idea with 48 per cent opposed.

Independent councillors held markedly different views, with seven in ten supporting recall compared to 39 per cent of Liberal Democrats. Some 54 per cent of Labour and 49 per cent of Conservative councillors rejected the idea.

Our survey also asked about councillor perceptions of referendums, and more than six in ten disliked them, whether they were binding or merely advisory.

Respondents were more equivocal about the principle of ballot initiatives. These allow citizens to nominate referendum-style questions that would sit alongside the ballot paper for council members. A third supported this principle, a slightly larger proportion opposed it with a quarter expressing no opinion.

What lies behind these views? Is it a desire to limit the power of electors, to avoid a ‘busy-bodies’ charter or simply to avoid the burden on local expenditure from conducting too many elections?

We can immediately rule out the latter: a clear majority of those surveyed favoured the current arrangement of holding by-elections to fill vacancies.

Councillors also demonstrated a willingness to give a stronger voice to their local communities. More than six in ten approved of ‘have your say’ initiatives that permit citizens to identify policy choices for the council to adopt. Almost half favoured devolution for some council services to neighbourhood organisations.

It is not that councillors are simply opposed to more power for citizens; their views are more nuanced than that. Not all differences over policy can be reduced to a single dimension capable of being addressed by a simple referendum question. Councillors are not averse to listening and consulting, but ultimately they are elected and accountable for delivering local government.

• There have been no recent by-elections. See the next edition of first for the latest updates, or see ‘Green gains’ at www.local.gov.uk/first-news for the most recent by-elections

BY-ELECTIONS ANALYSIS

Recall and ballotsLAST WORD

Championing mental health

Cllr Claire Glare (Lab) is Liverpool City Council’s Mental Health Champion. See www. centreforWmentalhealth.org.uk

I am privileged to be one of the growing number of elected members whose local authorities are signing up to be part of the Local Authority Mental Health Challenge, set up by six national mental health organisations and funded by the Department of Health.

Being Liverpool’s Mental Health Champion doesn’t come with a special responsibility allowance or decision-making powers. But it does give me the chance to influence partner agencies such as the Liverpool Clinical Commissioning Group in their strategic thinking, and to celebrate their innovation when they start something new – like their recent partnership with the Citizens Advice Bureau to get their GPs to provide ‘advice on prescription’.

I am thankful for the expertise of the local service user-led mental health consortium. Their knowledge of the system through lived experience and stories of recovery inspire and challenge me. They keep me focused on how as a local authority we can improve the way in which we deliver our services and support our residents.

They recently produced a deeply distressing report on domestic violence (www.liverpoolmentalhealth.org). At the launch, one of the contributors explained how at a child custody hearing her two brief experiences of depression swayed the judge against her despite all the positive evidence of her parenting ability: her own solicitor whispered to her that it would have been better to not receive treatment for those episodes rather than have them on her medical record! You’ll be relieved to hear that good sense did, however, prevail.

Working with our public health team on issues around suicide and stigma, we are eagerly awaiting a decision about the introduction of a support team for those bereaved through suicide. Did you know that if a close family or friend dies in this way, you are at least 80 per cent more likely to commit suicide too?

Recently I was hearing more about The Prince’s Trust and their amazing work with young people in Merseyside. It was brought home to me in a very real way as a member of my family is about to start the trust’s 12-week course in the south, as he is experiencing significant mental distress.

Professors Colin Rallings and Michael Thrasher are Directors of Plymouth University’s Elections Centre

A global leader with more than 100 years of experience providing award-winning environmental services in partnership with local authorities.

To find out about working in partnership with FCC Environment, call 01604 826200 or visit www.fccenvironment.co.uk for more information.

We provide household waste and recycling collections, street cleaning and grounds maintenance for local authorities throughout the UK.

We operate material recycling and transfer facilities and over 100 household waste recycling centres (HWRCs) for more than 20 local authorities.

We generate electricity from our Energy from Waste facilities, using materials that cannot be reused or recycled.

We provide specialist waste treatment capacity across the UK.

from waste to resource

The PFRA

The Public Fundraising Regulatory Association (PFRA) is the nationally recognised self-regulator for both street and doorstep fundraising across the UK.

The PFRA seeks to guarantee the sustainability of public fundraising by working in partnership with local authorities, town centre managers and Business Improvement Districts.

We now operate Site Management Agreements (SMA) across 86 local authority areas in partnership with councils, town centre managers and Business Improvement Districts.

If you would like to learn more about how SMAs are already working and how it could benefi t your community, please visit us on Stand P4. PFRA staff will be on hand throughout the entire conference to answer your queries.

You can also visit our new website at www.pfra.org.uk for more information and get in touch at your convenience.