Second Performance Assessment Newcastle City Council

2-6 February 2004

David Agnew, Improvement and Development Agency

Jan Andersson, City of Malmo Alfons Finkers, City of The Hague Julia Brown, City of Birmingham Mike Peverill, City of Nottingham Davide Bergantin, City of Venice

The Review Team

Follow up visit….

To establish the progress that has been made by the City Council following the the earlier assessment in September 2002

Identify emerging issues and challenges within the City

Governance, Integration and Environmental themes

The City Council recognises that strong leadership is important and has sought to strengthen community leadership

The City Council has vision, ambition and aspirations and is using the Newcastle Plan to focus these

Considerable assets (structural and capital) provide opportunities for leading on sustainable development

The City Council is reluctant to share and entrust leadership to others

Ensure outcome-based targets are in place, wherever possible, for what it is trying to achieve, either by itself or with partners

Ownership of and accountability on SD in the City Council is unclear and too dependent on innovative individuals

Leadership

Democratic and Community Engagement

Willingness to test and adopt new forms of governance Community participation is being developed i.e., ‘Area Networks’ Environmental Ward Stewardship is increasing funding (£1m) of local

environmental services Together with local residents new housing based on SD principles are

being considered LSP Theme Partnerships are established and considered work in progress

Other agencies, partners appear unwilling to engage with the City Council

A reluctance to ‘trust’ impedes the councils ability to establish effective relationships

The complexity of City Council structures, procedures and decision-making hinders community participation

The tradition of good ideas/moral leadership outside the council, e.g., Traidcraft and Neighbourhood Energy Action should be embraced

A “we know best” attitude and self-interest within the City Council is compromising leadership and innovation within communities.

Performance management

Progress continues to be made within corporate planning and performance process

Critical success factors are set and monitored around environmental targets

Good work is evident on sustainable purchasing and procurement in Neighbourhood services

Neighbourhood Services Management and Envirocall are examples of improving responsiveness to local needs

Performance management framework established, but SD does not feed into it

The scrutiny function is too service focused - there is limited liaison between individual select committees

Human resource processes and procedures do not recognise SD

Still a way to go corporately on EMAS and sustainable development

SD is not yet fully embedded within organisational cultures, systems or processes

Regional Co-operation Newcastle’s future is inextricably linked to that of the

Region and the City’s success is now seen as a regional success

Newcastle/Gateshead cooperation has been welcomed in the Region

The Council is confident and positive about the City’s role as the regional capital of the North East

The City Council appears to have adopted the view of Newcastle as separate to the ‘Region’ rather than seeing itself as integrated part of the overall NE region

To build a world class city, the City Council will need to co-operate more effectively with other partners within the sub-region

Integration of Social, Environmental and Economic policy – Going for Growth

Strong national and local driver for regeneration Provides a clear focus and clear rallying point for long-term

regeneration within the city Engaged communities in development Has raised aspirations, hopes and expectations Secured the Pathfinder programme Value of Neighbourhood Information Service

Overall momentum of GFG seems to have been lost The commitment of the Council to GfG needs be reaffirmed Potential to lose the investment, time, energy and

commitment The initiative needs to evidence more outcomes to citizens Will the end result be Sustainable?

Environment Green Spaces Nature Conservation Soil Water Air Energy Waste Transport

Public Comments I have been living in Newcastle for four years and have not seen many

things done in terms of sustainable development… Good statements and general policy however much to do on

involvement and practice… The council talks a good environmental policy but usually has to be

pushed extremely hard to take any positive action… Many good ideas but actual success is limited –as with most of these

initiatives a certain amount of momentum needs to be achieved before real progress can be seen other than planned to happen…

Action falls short of words… In the last five years or so Newcastle City Council has become far more

proactive in its approach to green issues… The diversity of community and talent in Newcastle is great, and is

suffocated in bureaucracy and mis-managed projects Still too much emphasis on the use of motor cars as the prime means of

transport… There seems to be a genuine attempt to make things happen in the

city…

Recommendations Use the real opportunities and potential to create a sustainable city

through all the regeneration secure political and corporate ownership for sustainable development

following elections“turning commitment to sustainability into reality”

Champion internal commitment, understanding and ownership of sustainable development - currently “sustainability is persuasion rather than direction”

continue to support and empower leadership within communities built on trust “do not underestimate the capacity of the community”

Ensure that the Strategic Planning, decision-making and Scrutiny processes take Sustainability in to account

Keep it simple “one thing is clear, nothing is clear!”

And next……….? Report in 8 weeks Newcastle and stakeholders provide feedback on the

performance assessment process, this presentation and the report

Consider how to make further advances towards sustainable development

Conference in early September in The Hague

Thank you Newcastle…