Memorandum from Communities and Local
Government
SUMMARY
1. This memorandum sets out:
— The vision and work of Communities
and Local Government and the importance of empowering and involving
citizens and communities, how it can deliver improved services
and help tackle increasingly complex challenges such as community
cohesion.
— Explains some of the work of the
Department, in particular the recent Local Government White Paper
and its implementation.
— Places the involvement of citizens
and service users within a wider framework—a wider approach
of putting people at the centre of public services, which includes
local accountability and the performance framework.
— Highlights several key issues which
this agenda raises: where involvement is appropriate, involvement
for all and community cohesion, and the need for capacity building.
— Provides some further examples of
involvement in the work of the Department.
INTRODUCTION
2. The vision of Communities and Local Government
(hereafter referred to as the Department) is of prosperous and
cohesive communities, offering a safe, healthy and sustainable
environment for all. The work of the Department is therefore focussed
on "place", and the communities and people within them;
recognising the need for different public agencies to work together
at the local level to tackle increasingly complex issues such
as health and deprivation, and to secure services that best meet
the needs of citizens and users.
3. Empowered and confident communities,
with higher levels of democratic participation and citizen engagement
are central to achieving this vision. Our role is to build the
capacity of communities to shape and protect their own future.
Service providers therefore need to build "involvement"
into all aspects of policy and delivery, providing a range of
opportunities which are accessible to all.
4. Opportunities for citizen and service
user involvement need to be wide ranging, from people being able
to provide feedback and express views; through to co-production,
with citizens and service users working with service providers,
becoming responsible for contributing towards solutions. Crucially,
involvement also needs to be part of a wider approach of putting
people at the centre of public services. This includes a performance
framework providing accountability to and reflecting the voice
of citizens, and local public services which have the freedom
to respond to local priorities. When citizens and service users
become involved in local services or identify innovative solutions
to local problems, they need to be confident of action.
5. The Department has therefore set out
in Strong and Prosperous Communities[75]
a framework to give local people and communities more influence
and power to improve their lives, and a stronger role for councils
to lead their communities. This new settlement between central
government, local government and citizens aims to put in place
the incentives and opportunities for local government and its
partners to improve radically the services we receive and the
places in which we live. This vision is already starting to be
delivered through for example the Local Government and Public
Involvement in Health Bill. [76]
THE CASE
FOR EMPOWERMENT
AND INVOLVEMENT
6. The quality of public services has been
improving, but people increasingly expect the speed and range
of services available on the high street and on the internet to
be mirrored in the public services they receive. People also want
to be treated as individuals and to receive a service that is
tailored to their personal situation or community.
7. We are also facing complex challenges
such as anti-social behaviour and community cohesion, which need
public agencies, citizens and the Voluntary and Community Sector
to work together. However efficient public agencies may be at
delivering their particular service, they will struggle to make
significant and lasting improvements if the underlying issues
which require partnership working are not addressed. Partnership
working is now a normal way to do business for most local authorities,
but effective partnerships needs strategic leadership.
8. Local Government is a vital part of our
democracy and has an important role to play working with local
partners. The vast majority of interactions between citizens and
the state take place through local government and councillors
are democratically elected representatives; its strength is its
closeness to its communities. It therefore has an important role
in working with citizens and communities and partners, as a strategic
leader and place-shaper.
9. There is clear and growing evidence from
both the UK and abroad that community participation is a highly
effective way of driving up the performance of public services;
and while there is much that can be learnt from the non public
sector and overseas governments, there is significant good practice
within UK public services and local government. For example involving
tenants in the management of their homes has led to better services
and improvements on the ground. "When tenants influence services
they are more effective, efficient and responsive".[77]
Manchester City Council runs an annual campaign to encourage local
people to help make their area a better place to live. This year
the focus was on issues facing young people, in particular school
attendance. The campaign on school attendance involved all the
schools in the city and resulted in more than 4,000 extra days
attendance during the 100 day campaign, compared to the same period
in the previous year.
10. But despite the good achievements, the
challenge is for all local services to reach the standard of the
best. A recent Audit Commission report found that authorities'
approach to consultation and involvement of users and residents
is at "different stages of maturity".[78]
Some authorities engaged well with residents and understood their
needs; others were unclear about how engagement fed into decision-making.
Independent evidence suggests that only a third of people believe
they can influence authority decision-making and a similar number
report that their authority had provided opportunities to give
their views on services or issues. [79]
ACHIEVING THE
VISION
11. Transforming communities and delivering
responsive local services needs local partners, citizens and voluntary
and community groups to work together. The Department has therefore
set out in Strong and Prosperous Communities a framework
to give local people and local communities more influence and
power to improve their lives through a rebalancing of the relationship
between central government, local government and local people:
— A stronger role for councils to lead
their communities, shape neighbourhoods and bring public services
together.
— Freedom and space for councils to
respond with flexibility to local needs and demands.
— New powers and support for communities
to be empowered and involved.
— Recognising and supporting the different
roles of the voluntary and community sector—shaping and
designing effective services, representation and advocacy, lobbying
and influencing policy.
12. We are now working with stakeholders
to deliver the vision set out in the White Paper. This includes
the Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Bill, which
will play a key role in delivering the Government's public service
reform agenda, key provisions include:
— A new duty on best value authorities[80]
to inform, consult and involve people in local services and policies,
where appropriate, with local areas deciding how best to meet
this duty given their particular local circumstances.
— More visible leadership including
a ward Councillor with a stronger role in representing the needs
and concerns of the local community.
— A right of response for local people
through the Community Call for Action.
Examples of other steps we are taking to implement
the White Paper are covered in the section below paragraphs 16—23,
a full implementation plan will be published later in January
2007.
13. We also continue to build empowerment
and responsiveness into other policies and area of work. This
includes for example our approach to consultation (see paragraphs
31-34 for further information).
THE FRAMEWORK
FOR EMPOWERMENT
14. Central to the White Paper and the work
of the Department is the principle that citizens and users should
be more involved in the design, delivery and assessment of local
services; with service providers offering a range of opportunities,
which are accessible to all. Involvement in public services can
be very wide ranging, and should encompass all aspects of policy
development and services.
15. For this to become a reality, a shift
in an organisation's culture may be required, with involvement
being built into key aspects of an organisations activity—informing
decision making and priority setting from the start, rather than
a "bolt on" at the end of a process. Involvement also
needs to be part of a wider approach to putting citizens and services
users at the heart of public services. In practice this means
that the following key aspects should be in place locally:
16. Local strategic leadership and governance—places
need strong strategic leadership, councillors who champion the
needs of their local area, and the freedom to respond to local
priorities. The White Paper supports this vision: the performance
framework will provide greater space for local priorities and
the forthcoming Bill will include:
— A duty on the local authority and
named partners to co-operate with each other to agree targets.
[81]
— A strengthened role for ward councillors
through the Community Call for Action.
— Provide a new power of well-being
for Quality Parish Councils.
17. The role of citizens and service users
in local governance arrangements is also be strengthened, through
for example the new power for Parishes and the cross-Government
Citizen Governance Project, enabling more citizens, particularly
those from under-represented groups, to become community leaders.
18. Performance framework—for
local areas the White Paper sets out a performance framework that
provides space for local priorities, as noted above, and strengthens
accountability to citizens and communities (through for example
more effective means of redress) and places the citizen "voice"
as central to important aspects of the performance framework.
The citizen "voice" includes for example:
— A small set of citizen perspective
indicators, encompassing citizen experience, perceptions, expectations
and satisfaction, as part of the national outcome indicators set.
Indicators on the views of citizens can be used alongside other
performance indicators to take a view on performance. This is
being taken forward as part of the wider CSR07 process. Satisfaction
on its own is not sufficient to either understand how services
are experienced, or to judge performance if not analysed alongside
expectations, other performance indicators and the external factors
which may impact upon satisfaction. [82]
— Working with the Audit Commission
to ensure that audit and inspection have a greater focus on citizen
experience and perspectives, and that the results of audit, assessment
and inspection become more publicly accessible.
— Supporting the use of business process
improvement techniques that, in line with the recommendations
of the Varney Review, enable services to be designed around the
needs of customers with benefit both for outcomes and for efficiency.
19. In its issues and questions paper, the
committee raises the issue of minimum standards. There will also
be some instances where it is appropriate to set national standards,
for example to provide protection for the most vulnerable, this
must be as part of the performance framework and must provide
space for local priorities. Locally, in some services it is possible
to locally set minimum standards, for example research suggests
that at the local level it is possible to set minimum standards
for liveability (see paragraph 36 for further information). This
could for example be included as part of a local charter. [83]
20. Citizen intelligence—while
citizens and service users should have opportunities to be more
involved and able to voice their views, good quality and responsive
services should not be dependant upon high levels of active involvement.
Authorities should therefore make effective use of "citizen
intelligence" to inform policy and service planning, design
and assessment. Fully understanding their citizens' needs, wants,
expectations and views, through a variety of sources of information
including focus groups, surveys, citizen assessments; socio-economic
and demographic data; location and use of local services, complaints;
and information from frontline staff. To achieve this we are working
with the sector to identify and share good practice, ensuring
that it is central to the transformation agenda[84]
and working as part of the cross government Customer Insight Forum.
21. Information for citizens—citizens
and users need reliable and timely information on how to get involved
or raise an issue, and how services providers are performing.
This is the basis for citizens and service users knowing what
they can expect, to compare performance and to effectively make
their voice heard—increasing local accountability. The new
duty of involvement, being introduced as part of the Bill, will
encompass the need to inform local people. The Department will
also work with the sector to develop and share good practice,
as shown by examples such as the Portsmouth Report Card, which
provides citizens with accessible information on achievements
and improvements in key areas, remaining challenges and how local
people can get involved, or the "We asked ... you said ...
we did" campaign by South Tyneside Council which is used
to show residents how the council has listened to their concerns.
22. A range of involvement opportunities—of
which information for citizens is one aspect, through to expressing
views or becoming actively involved. The range of opportunities
need to reflect how citizens and service users can or want to
get involved, as well as how this can be effectively used to improve
services and outcomes. The forthcoming Bill will include a duty
on authorities to involve local people (see paragraph 12) covering
informing, consulting and more direct forms of involvement, it
will be for authorities to decide how best to involve their communities.
Involvement could encompass:
— Choice, the simplest and most direct
way to increase people's control. In the White Paper we aim that,
wherever practical, individual users should be offered a choice
over what is provided and how it is provided. Current examples
include Choice Based Lettings, which aims to enable social housing
applicants to choose their homes. Supporting People has also been
included within the piloting of the Individual Budget approach,
which puts the person who is supported at the centre of the process,
giving them the power to decide the nature of their own support,
how the support is delivered and who delivers it. The Department
is developing further approaches to strengthen user choice and
control over housing support and associated services.
— Providing views and feedback at the
point of receiving a service, or responding to consultation questionnaires.
For example the Help Us Plan the Future campaign by Chelmsford
on the new Local Development Framework. It was an innovative,
highly visual campaign, which has been highly praised, with more
than double the target number of questionnaires completed.
— Involvement in for example priority
setting or the assessment of services, such the Tenant Auditors
Project at the Wrekin Housing Trust which gives tenants a hands
on role in monitoring Trust services and widens the base of tenant
involvement to reach those not engaged in formal structures. The
tenants decided to audit three different areas by work shadowing,
interviewing employees, telephone call monitoring, satisfaction
surveys, inspecting properties and mystery shopping. The service
managers set out how the findings will make a difference to the
service they provide.
— Some communities will wish to go
a step further through co-producing solutions or taking over the
management or ownership of a public asset. Co-production of solutions,
with citizens and service users working with service providers,
such as the Pembroke Street Estate Management Board which is resident
led and works in partnership with the local authority, which has
resulted in greatly increased tenant satisfaction and retention
of tenants in the long term as well as significantly decreased
vandalism, among other things. We are also increasing opportunities
for citizens and communities to take on the management and ownership
of local assets and facilities, and simplifying and extending
the scope of tenant management.
23. Effective redress mechanisms—there
are a number of ways that local people can seek redress, for example
through complaints, seeking help from their councillor or raising
a petition. However, there can be frustration if there is a lack
of responsiveness. Through the Bill, we are giving people a new
right to an answer by strengthening the role of local councillors
through an expanded Community Call for Action (CCfA). [85]Complaining
about local services is also becoming easier through a variety
of media and new approaches. For example, local authorities are
increasingly introducing single points of access to report issues,
covering both their services and co-ordinating with those of other
providers; and Direct Gov "my council"[86]
has introduced direct links to report problems and complaining,
as well as accessing helpful information about services.
INVOLVEMENT OF
CITIZENS AND
SERVICE USERS—KEY
ISSUES
Where involvement is appropriate
24. There should be a presumption for involvement,
however, the nature of that involvement will need to vary according
to the specific circumstances. This includes where:
— There are differences between types
of services in particular universal and personal services. Recipients
of personal services want to be treated as individuals, and to
receive a service that is tailored to their personal situation;
this provides many opportunities for active involvement of individual
service users, where appropriately supported. Many of the public
services we use are of course more universal, however, that does
not mean that we do not want a say in what and how services are
delivered, but the nature of that involvement may vary.
— Authorities also need to consider
the cost of involvement activities, balancing it against available
resources and competing priorities. Cost, however, shouldn't necessarily
preclude involvement, indeed there is growing evidence that citizen
engagement leads to more effective, efficient and cost effective
services.
Involvement for all and community cohesion
25. The opportunities for citizens and service
users to get involved and make their views heard, must be accessible
if they are to be effective and encourage a wide range of individuals
and communities; this could be in terms of the different types
of opportunities, the degree of time commitment needed, the geographical
or virtual location, through to practical issues such as if support
is available in terms of transport or child care.
26. Involvement of all citizens and communities
is also crucial to community cohesion; there is an association
between feeling able to influence decisions and community cohesion.
[87]The
challenge of cohesion goes beyond measures such as preventing
terrorism, reducing inequalities and modern race relation legislation;
we need to forge cohesive, self-confident and prosperous communities
that are at ease with themselves. Improving the responsiveness
of services to communities, increasing citizen and service user
involvement and enhancing the role for community all contribute
to cohesion.
27. Accessibility and support to take up
opportunities is particularly important for the most vulnerable
and those who may not typically have their voice heard. The Third
Sector, particularly small community groups operating at the neighbourhood
level, have a tradition of reaching out to groups that government,
central and local, may not. It can often help provide solutions
and assistance in both service design and delivery to respond
to user needs.
28. A study[88]
looking at which factors influence peoples perceptions of racial
discrimination, found that for some people, within some services,
perceptions were directly related to their experiences of the
service. The research underlined the need to improve customer
service, especially in face to face encounters; improved communications
with service users; and involvement and consultation of minority
ethnic communities. It also highlighted that services need to
demonstrate transparency and accountability, to ensure that they
are perceived as treating people fairly.
Capacity building
29. It is also important to take into account
the need for support and capacity building so that authorities
engage and empower communities effectively and that citizens and
service users are able to make use of those opportunities. Through
the White Paper the Department has set out a number of proposals
to support and build the capacity of:
— Community groups—this
includes: encouraging public bodies who fund capacity building
and service providers to work together; greater citizen awareness
of how to make a difference through systematic publicity; promoting
the use of Take Part, the national framework for active learning
for citizens, especially for the disadvantaged; and implementing
the cross-government Citizen Governance Project to enable more
citizens to become community leaders.
— Authorities and councillors—through
for example re-launching the Connecting with Communities resource
providing authorities with access to practical support; the National
Improvement Strategy focussing on the delivery of Local Area Agreement
priorities; launching with the Cabinet Office a Beacon Theme in
2007 Transforming Services: Citizen Engagement and Empowerment;
and supporting the role of non-executive councillors as democratic
champions for local areas.
"INVOLVEMENT"
IN OTHER
ASPECTS OF
THE DEPARTMENT'S
WORK
30. The following provides examples of citizen
and user involvement within the work of the Department and different
service areas, and reflects some of the key issues identified
throughout the memorandum.
The Department's approach to "involvement"
31. The Department is committed to engaging
and involving citizens and service users as an important part
of our policy development process. This is done primarily through
consultation, which complies with the Government's Code of Practice
on Consultation. For example, while developing a national Supporting
People strategy, we produced an easy-read version of the consultation
paper and held a series of service user events. We received over
600 responses from members of the public/service users. This has
given us a greater understanding of what users expect in terms
of both service provision and delivery.
32. The Department also works with representative
bodies, such as the National Community Forum, to gain a better
understand of policy issues. A review of the Forum has shown positive
benefits in assisting the department to understand the impact
of its policies on deprived communities especially where the Forum
has been asked to consider a specific issue. The REACH project
group, sponsored by Phil Woolas, has been set up to make evidence
based recommendations aimed at influencing policy-making across
Whitehall and the Regions on raising aspirations and achievement
among black boys and young men.
33. The Department also supports more active
forms of involvement. For example, since 1994, council tenants
in England have had the statutory right to manage (RTM). The RTM
empowers groups of council tenants to create Tenant Management
Organisations to collectively manage their homes. Around 250 groups
now manage 85,000 homes, with a further 30 groups currently in
development.
34. The Department also sponsors and provides
strategic support to a number of Non Departmental Public Bodies
and similar bodies, which have service delivery roles. This includes
the Academy for Sustainable Communities (ASC), which is working
with communities to increase people's ability to shape the future
direction of where they live and work. It is developing a range
of learning programmes aimed both at helping local communities
to engage more effectively and at increasing and improving the
skills of community leaders, local government members and officers,
and Local Strategic Partnerships.
Neighbourhood Management
35. Neighbourhood management is all about
involving residents and bringing them together with service providers
to agree and implement improvements in local service delivery.
They can also act as a co-ordination point for their neighbourhood,
so local people can either complain through the neighbourhood
manager or get information on how to complain directly. In areas
where it operates, satisfaction levels with the police service,
street cleaning in particular and with the area as a place to
live have all gone up. [89]The
Department is encouraging further take-up of neighbourhood management
in all areas, through for example working with local authorities
pioneering the approach to promote their achievements and learning.
36. Some neighbourhood management initiatives
have service level agreements or other formal arrangements which
set minimum service standards and embed service improvements.
The liveability of a place is determined by often complex interactions
between local factors and conditions and the actions and interventions
of a range of service providers; making it crucial that any standards
are set locally to relate to local priorities, which can vary
considerable between and within neighbourhoods. In general, safety
and security are top priorities for people in more deprived areas
where crime and disorder is at its most acute, compared to the
least deprived areas where issues such as community and cleanliness,
were deemed more important.
Business Improvement Districts
37. Business Improvement Districts (BIDs)
give local businesses the opportunity to do more in their local
vicinity, over and above that provided through public services,
eg focus on the specific areas of concern to business, be that
marketing, clean up, safety or public space enhancements. Proposals
to establish a BID need to be agreed by a majority of business
and a majority by rateable value making the process of engagement
and participation in defining the proposals critical to their
success.
Housing
38. The Tenant Empowerment Programme (TEP)
provides funding and support for Tenant Management Organisations.
It also provides funding for tenant groups to explore the feasibility
of options for tenant-led management or ownership of their homes.
The Local Government White Paper sets out the Government's commitment
to simplify the regulations for tenant management, and provide
opportunities for residents to manage other neighbourhood services.
Stakeholders views on what barriers still exist to this approach
have been received in response to our discussion paper published
on 7 June and will be considered to see if anything can be done.
Fire and Rescue Authorities
39. The Department is encouraging all Fire
and Rescue Authorities to consider the best ways to involve and
communicate with all parts of their communities to ensure their
safety. A number of Fire and Rescue Authorities have very successfully
used advocates recruited from hard-to-reach parts of their communities
to spread fire safety and prevention messages to the most vulnerable.
January 2007
75 Strong and Prosperous Communities-The Local Government
White Paper. October 2006. Back
76
The Bill was laid before Parliament for first reading Deember
2006. Back
77
Audit Commission/Housing Corporation report called Housing:
improving services through resident involvemnt, (2004). See
also the NAO report, English Regions-Getting People Involved:
Community Participation in Neighbourhood Renewal (2004). Back
78
Audit Commission's Comprehensive Performance Assessment for 2005. Back
79
Perceptions of Local Government in England: Key findings from
qualitative research. October 2006. Back
80
Including Local Authorities and combined fire and rescue authorities.
Police Authorities will be exempt from the duty to involve local
representatives because they already have statutory consultation
requirements. Back
81
As part of the Local Area Agreement, setting out key targets for
an area. Back
82
Evidence suggests that factors such as recent use of a service,
changes in taxation (eg council tax) and other factors not directly
related to a service can impact upon customer satisfaction. Back
83
Pioneered by councils, charters are used to set out service standards
and priorities for action which local people expect from the local
authority/partners, as well as any obligation that the community
has taken on itself. In implementing the White Paper we will encourage
the use of local charters. Back
84
Transformational Government is about creating conditions
in which government transforms itself, putting citizens and service
users at the centre, delivering more responsive services. Back
85
CCfAs are being introduced for crime and disorder issues through
the Police and Justice Bill, Through the forthcoming Bill we are
now seeking a similar remedy to cover local government matters
more generally. Back
86
http://local/direct/gov/uk/mycouncil/ Back
87
85% of respondents who felt they were able to influence decisions
affecting their local area thought that their neighbourhood was
a place where people from different backgrounds get on well together,
compared to 76% of people who felt they could not influence decisions
affecting the local area. 2005 Citizenship Survey. Back
88
Qualitative research with 120 Black and Asian respondents, commissioned
by the Race Equality Unit in Communities and Local Government
in order to better understand how to challenge people's perceptions
of racial discrimination by public services. Back
89
Neighbourhood Management: An overview of the 2003 and 2006 Round
1 Pathfinder Household Surveys. Communities and Local Government
2006.
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