Two Chips on "Power to the People?"

Two Chips — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 16:25:41 +0100

I read Stuart Weir’s piece with interest, and like he and many others can only hope that the aspirations of Hazel Blears are realised, to offer communities a voice when it comes to their local services.

As far as policing is concerned great strides have already been made in relation to ‘new Slocalism’ in the area where I live. Governments do set targets in relation to violent crime and burglary amongst others and I believe the Police should be measured against some common indicators as they are, within their ‘Family of Forces.’ There is however an increase in community priority setting opportunities for communities to become involved in.

The Neighbourhood Policing Programme Team devised a model for community priority setting (Access, Influence, Intervention and Answers) that allows communities to become involved in setting priorities that are current and relevant in their localities. These community engagement opportunities are growing in number, effectiveness and support in my local area. They are called Forums or Panels depending on your locality, but they are a genuine opportunity for communities to set policing priorities.

Crime is generally going down, with large reductions in domestic burglary and vehicle crime in recent years. This downward trend in crime is not always matched by a raised sense of well being. Community Priority Setting through panels or forums allows communities to set the police agenda with the issues that are important to them. I have sat on a Neighbourhood Forum and witnessed the community placing their priorities firmly on the Police agenda. The results of activity delivered against those community priorities has raised the general sense of well being and lowered the fear of crime in the area.

I do accept the point made by Stuart Weir……“How will the government achieve any kind of balance in power between the middle and professional classes who dominate participation in political and community affairs in ways that reinforce their greater power and those who most need voice and influence?”

To deliver true community cohesion with a high sense of well being is many years away, but this is an excellent start, a start that is continuing to be rolled out as part of the programme of Neighbourhood Policing. The challenge is to spread the message to ‘those who most need voice and influence’. This is a difficult challenge, but one that is being met head on in my local area. As the results of community priority setting are delivered, tangible outcomes need to be publicised so as to instil confidence that all voices are listened to and that action follows those voices.

Power to the People?, Stuart Weir

Stuart Weir — Fri, 16 May 2008 09:59:34 +0100

Stuart Weir (Cambridge, Democratic Audit): There was the official welcome from the chair, "Hazel Blears is here", following an informal clue to her arrival as a man in black slid two blocks behind the speaker's plinth from which she was to speak. So in she bounced to deliver a brisk and rousing speech to local council delegates from across the country at the Local Government Information Unit's "Power to the People" conference in London. I think the delegates were roused, and I myself was not immune to her spirited commitment to empowering people; and also, to the general spirit of optimism that seems to have overtaken many in local government about the government's commitment to "new $localism".

Blears promised a white paper on empowerment in a few weeks which was, she said, still open for ideas. It is all part of the Queen's Speech agenda introducing bills to increase accountability in the NHS, police, local government, schools, housing and regeneration policy. And while she is at it, she is also promising empowerment for local authorities who desperately need it. Quite whether she or her master will go as far as speakers and delegates at the conference were demanding is another matter. Among their proposals, for example, were a merger of primary care trusts and local authorities, handing the proceeds of the business rate back to local councils (this would apparently double their money at a stroke) and finally resolving the whole of local government funding and the future of council tax. It was I think Chris Leslie, the former minister who is now director of the New Local Government Network, who said that council tax could be revalued so long as government would chuck £4 billion at people in the form of transitional relief - money that could be raised by a one-off tax on the super rich. Now there's an idea that would secure Gordon Brown's fortunes (with me at least). Read the rest of this post...

open Democracy News Analysis - Power to the People?, Stuart Weir - Comments

Two Chips on "Power to the People?"

Power to the People?, Stuart Weir