Sustainable communities
27. One of the key messages communicated through
the Annual Report 2005 is that the ODPM is uniquely dependent
on the action of other Government departments to achieve its goals.
This is particularly the case with regard to the delivery of its
sustainable communities agenda.
28. Mr Miliband told us that the idea of a sustainable
community is "the defining idea of the Department".[25]
Mr Housden described the sustainable communities concept as "a
very powerful blender…of disparate policy areas" which
brought the Department into important relationships with the Department
for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA), the Department
for Transport and the Department of Health.[26]
Other departments which are involved to a lesser degree in the
promotion of the sustainable communities agenda include the Home
Office, the Department for Education and Skills and the Department
for Work and Pensions.
29. In these circumstances we thought it important
to explore how ODPM sought to influence other Government Departments,
and to persuade them to share its priorities. Our experience as
Members of Parliament tells us that senior figures in Government
can have significantly misconceived ideas about the effectiveness
of co-operation between Departments. Mr Housden, who joined ODPM
as Permanent Secretary from a senior position within the Department
for Education and Skills (DfES), chose the Education White Paper
as an "overwhelmingly…good" example of collaboration
between ODPM and DfES in spite of our pointing out to him that
the White Paper disregards the role of schools as learning resource
centres for the wider community—a role which is highly important
in the sustainable communities agenda.[27]
30. Mr Miliband was closer to the truth when he said
that: "the revealed preference of government is not to be
the most perfectly joined-up organisation in world history".[28]
Yet he, too, was anxious to present a positive image of ODPM's
authority in Whitehall, telling us that he sensed "a real
urgency on the part of other departments to take this [sustainable
communities] seriously". As evidence, he cited inter-departmental
co-operation on development of the Thames Gateway. Yvette Cooper
MP, Minister for Planning and Housing, similarly told us that
"everybody is working together" on the flagship Thames
Gateway project.[29]
31. We were disappointed at the Ministers' reliance
on this single example as evidence of their success in working
through other Departments. While the Thames Gateway is a flagship
project, it is also a highly complex one and is still in its early
stages. It may not ultimately be the success the Department hopes.
Ministers will need to take effective action to maintain the pressure
on other Departments through the years it will take to realise
these goals.
32. Mr Housden told us that each member of the ODPM
leadership team had responsibility for engagement with a specified
Government Department. He believed that the key to effective delivery
through third parties was to commence dialogue at an early stage,
"to understand where they are coming from".[30]
It was also important to have "good, clear arguments that
we can back up with evidence as to why a particular course of
action works".[31]
He did not give us any convincing example of where this was happening.
33. In 2005 the ODPM commissioned both a staff survey
(discussed in paragraphs 35-44 below) and a review of perceptions
by its external stakeholders. One of the most significant findings
of the stakeholder review was a perception that the ODPM's agenda
was poorly connected to the rest of Government (43 per cent),
and a scepticism about the ODPM's ability to achieve its objectives.
While staff within the organisation report that they increasingly
understand what the Department stands for, there is clearly a
need for the ODPM to work harder at communicating its vision outside
its own walls.[32]
34. We recognise that the sustainable communities
agenda sets a significant challenge for the ODPM, in achieving
its objectives through the agency of other Departments. Ministers,
senior officials and other staff throughout the Department are
enthusiastic about this challenge. Nonetheless, like other external
stakeholders we remain to be convinced that the Department will
be able to ensure the co-ordinated Government action needed to
meet its goals.
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