Just Do It - Getting to grips with the localism agenda

Ivan Annibal & Jessica Sellick

So What’s New?

• The Big Society.... is about liberation –the biggest, most dramatic redistribution of power from elites in Whitehall to the man and woman on the street.’

• Hey you – you’re not their puppet on a string, you can do anything. Its true if you really want to, you can do anything you want to – just like I do!

New Rights and Powers

• Community Right to Challenge – to take over a service – has to listen, agree and procure – Compulsory Competitive Tendering Provisions 1997

• Assets of Community Value – List of assets and the right – when they come up for sale - to bid for them – Quirk Review 2007

• Local Referendums – must take the outcomes into account – Parish Polls Local Govt Act 1972

• Right to approve or veto council tax – No increase 2012/13 – Capping since 1979

Planning Reform

• Neighbourhood Plans – Parish Plans (2004) with teeth or beefed up Village Design statements– have to fit in with NPPF

• Community Right to Build – Subject to a referendum can proceed without a separate traditional planning application

• CIL and other means of returning some of the benefits of development to local people – can already happen – S106 TCPA 1990

Follow the Bill

http://services.parliament.uk/bills/2010-11/localism.html

David Bailey CLG on the enactment of Assets of Community Value

• Land or buildings which further social well-being or have done in the recent past

• “Our target is to get Royal Assent in November. It is then convention for provisions to be enacted and become law around two months later - which would mean early in 2012. In a number of areas, however, including assets of community value - there are regulations that will have to be drafted and laid before Parliament prior to the policy being active.

• Although there are no guarantees we would hope that it would be 'active' by Easter time.”

Community Matters Briefing PaperThe Future of Community Buildings

Community Matters’ work with the Asset Transfer Unit gives us an overview of the scale of the task of safeguarding our community assets.

It is estimated that 5000 community buildings will be disposed of in this way in 2011, but there is only capacity to support 200 community asset transfers.

Public Services White Paper

• Neighbourhood Councils taking on local services - possible national framework

• Commissioned services - switch the default from one where the state provides the service itself to one where the state commissions the service from a range of diverse providers

• Local commissioning of: customer contact, planning, property, back office services, family support, looked after children, trading and environmental standards

• Employee ownership

Summing Up• Localism Bill more about tone

than substance

• Many communities are “doing it for themselves” already - others do not have the capacity

• We need new practical thinking about: community capacity and a vision for what services will look like in (rural) communities as a consequence of permanently reduced resources

• The answer lies in greater local self reliance through mutuality – whilst using different terms all parties agree with this

A Vision – Bristol Accord 2005

Building a Framework for a Resilient Rural– McLean and Clunie

Key: Process OutcomeOutput

The Community Action Plan

Community activists

Parish Council support

Community finance

1. Community Led Plan process 2. Implementation route map through Big Society mechanisms – ACRE 2010

Research the solutions

Gain volunteers

Research needs & priorities

Involve external stakeholders

Raise community finance

Community shop

Affordable housing

New village hall

Renewable energy scheme

Allotments/ community farm

Open space

Local Housing Trust OR community-supported development scheme

Community shop

Community buy out

Assets of Community Value

Wildlife area

Community pub

Heritage building

Open space

Negotiate with public service agencies

Right to challenge

Lunch club

Transport scheme

Youth club

IT suite

Clean room in village hall for outreach healthcare

Good neighbour scheme

Identify options and funding sources

Final Thoughts

What makes a community enterprising and is the process transferable?Should we be more interested in getting by than in growth?Sustainable Livelihoods Assessment: