educating for professional life Taking Stock of Community Involvement in England Nick Bailey Director of Postgraduate Studies School of Architecture & the Built Environment

educating for professional life “Our guiding principle is that people must come first. Our policies, programmes and structures of governance are based on engaging local people in partnerships for change with strong local leadership.” Foreword by John Prescott. Urban White Paper. November 2000

educating for professional life “We know that an urban renaissance will not be achieved and sustained without the direct engagement of local people. So our policies will empower communities to determine their own future with support and co-ordinated action at the neighbourhood, local, regional and national levels.” Foreword by John Prescott. Urban White Paper. November 2000

educating for professional life My aims Review recent policy developments in England; Discuss early outcomes from setting up LSPs; Some thoughts on what’s missing from the government guidance; The future

educating for professional life Key strategies Policy Action Team report on Community Self-Help. 1999/Policy Action Team 16: Learning Lessons A New Commitment to Neighbourhood Renewal. Social Exclusion Unit 2000 Our Towns and Cities: The future (White Paper) 2000 Local Strategic Partnerships: Government Guidance DETR

educating for professional life Policy developments Neighbourhood Renewal Unit; New Deal for Communities (£2bn going to 39 most deprived areas of people); Urban Regeneration Companies; Local Strategic Partnerships;

educating for professional life Local Strategic Partnerships An LSP is a single body which “brings together at the local level the different parts of the public sector as well as the private, business, community and voluntary sectors, so that different initiatives, programmes and services support each other and work together.”

educating for professional life Characteristics of LSPs Non-statutory, non-executive; Aligned with LA boundaries; No additional funding except in 88 most deprived areas; £900m Neighbourhood Renewal Fund available in most deprived areas; £36m Community Empowerment Fund; Annual accreditation process by Government Offices; Use Public Service Agreement (floor) Targets.

educating for professional life Objectives Work in ‘effective partnership’ with all sectors; Act strategically to deliver decisions and actions which join up partners’ activities; Enable local stakeholders to address issues which matter to local people; Cut out duplication and reduce bureaucracy by rationalising existing partnerships; Promote equity and inclusion of faith, black & minority ethnic communities.

educating for professional life Experience so far Early days - LSPs still ‘bedding down’, but 1.Representation: what proportion of total represent local communities and how are they elected/selected? 2.Does anyone report back to their ‘constituency’? 3.Involving the private sector; 4.Relationships with the LA & accountability; 5.Use of NRF – is it being used strategically? 6.Revenue funding for LSPs;

educating for professional life 7. Two-tier LSPs in non-unitary authorities 8. Rationalising existing partnerships? 9. Adding value? “We have received no evidence to suggest that LSPs add value to the regeneration process.” House of Commons Select Committee Report 2003

educating for professional life What’s missing from the guidance? Multiple objectives for community involvement: To assist in delivery, to make sustainable, or democratic renewal? Is it a means or an end? Power relations within and between sectors reinforced or changed?

educating for professional life What’s missing from the guidance? Motivations – evidence that age, class, education and level of ‘social capital’ make a big difference Cultural factors – how do marginalised groups and BMEs respond? Social barriers, child care needs etc often overlooked Language and discourse – often intimidating

educating for professional life What’s missing from the guidance? LSPs embody a highly bureaucratic approach to community involvement which will only attract the ‘hardened activist’; Voluntary participation taken for granted; Little understanding of leadership (burn-out) and succession issues

educating for professional life The future More modest, realistic expectations and objectives; More incentives, payments, tax breaks etc. Community involvement as ‘work-based learning’? Need for national strategies to promote civic engagement, citizenship, and community involvement;

educating for professional life The future Create more opportunities for consultation and engagement in ALL organisations; Are there models to learn from? e.g. Development trusts, social enterprise etc Allow time for change to take place