Wednesday 04 Apr 2012 @ 13:10
Think Tanks
Think Tanks
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New report demonstrates the value of neighbourhood working to strengthen active citizenship and devolve control to neighbourhoods
A new report published recently by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF) shows how neighbourhoods are the key focus for the Coalition's Localism policies to devolve control over services, assets and decision-making to citizens, and to create a 'Big Society'. It is not an easy task to get public services and citizens to work together effectively to tackle neighbourhood problems, and generate more active citizenship.
The report found that when decisions – for example about building new homes – are made by neighbourhoods, they need to make sure they do not penalise those with the least resources. And local councillors need to play strong leadership roles. Neighbourhood working can help to make devolution, active citizenship and partnership working happen. But the crucial service of neighbourhood working is vulnerable to austerity measures in many local authorities.
This report offers lessons for local authorities, neighbourhood practitioners, and communities, drawing on direct experience from practitioners in Bradford, and many other places.
Working in neighbourhoods, active citizenship and localism: lessons for policy-makers and practitioners, was written by Liz Richardson from the University of Manchester. It has contributions from 250 experts in Bradford and the UK, and is based on an 18-month action research project. It was carried out in partnership with a Bradford Action Learning Network, set up by the JRF to bring together civic leaders, residents, volunteers and officers to share best practice on working in neighbourhoods.
The report highlights four areas that are vital to ensuring neighbourhood working is a success:
Strengthening partnership working
Partnership structures bring together agencies such as the police, council, housing associations and others to tackle problems that no single agency could hope to solve alone. Together, they tackle littering, fly-tipping, crime, anti-social behaviour, using a flexible approach, and targeting hotspots based on sharing information. They bring derelict land back into use and many other things of community benefit. These structures rely on skilled individuals with good local knowledge. This local knowledge can only be gained through experience, talking to local people and front-line workers, as well as being 'out and about' in neighbourhoods. Bradford's Ward Officer Teams pull together a number of agencies at ward level. From this base, ward officers and street wardens work with neighbourhood bodies as creative problem solvers or 'civic entrepreneurs'. Organisations could do more to nurture civic entrepreneurs by giving them more flexibility at the front-line.
Encouraging active citizens
Citizens can contribute to making neighbourhoods better places to live. Bradford has developed its Active Citizen Framework to increase the pool of 'willing localists' who are prepared to get involved, whether in more formal activities such as neighbourhood forum meetings or in less formal settings such as 'clean up' days in the local park, restoring allotments, holiday play schemes or bowling tournaments. The District, like other Local Authorities, is also looking at a range of techniques to 'nudge' citizens into adopting more proactive and responsible behaviours.
Maximising the opportunities of devolution
Localism has many opportunities for neighbourhoods to use resources in a more tailor-made way to fit their needs and assets: gone are the days of 'command and control' forms of governance. At the same time, the devolving of powers and resources out to neighbourhood bodies can involve risks, such as encouraging unhealthy competition between neighbourhoods, that those who 'shout the loudest' will get an unfair share of resources, or that it is too risky to transfer more control to communities. The study shows how honest dialogue between (like that in the project's Action Learning Network) can help officers manage risk. 'Fit for purpose' assessments and schemes for sharing risk and reward between statutory and voluntary bodies can also be useful.
The community leadership role of councillors
Elected members play a key role in the District’s neighbourhood working policies, working alongside neighbourhood officers and community groups. The study found evidence that good support, learning and development programmes are useful in preparing councillors for this difficult role. The work is often challenging, for example when balancing competing demands (such as the different needs of deprived and more affluent areas), or dealing with community tensions between residents from different ethnic, faith and cultural backgrounds. In Bradford it was found most effective to address these issues head-on: residents appreciated local councillors being honest about what is possible, or acceptable. Councillors sometimes need to resist demands from minority interest groups for special treatment, regardless of the electoral consequences.
Author of the report Liz Richardson, from University of Manchester, said:
We all live in neighbourhoods, and lots of us want them to be the best they can be – clean, friendly, inclusive, and well managed, with ‘ready for anything’ communities. But working in the complicated world of neighbourhoods is rarely straightforward. It often calls for creative thinking, a bold approach to taking risks and doing things in new ways. Using the lessons from Bradford as a guide, people living, volunteering and working in communities should be able to develop effective models of neighbourhood working.
The report found that when decisions – for example about building new homes – are made by neighbourhoods, they need to make sure they do not penalise those with the least resources. And local councillors need to play strong leadership roles. Neighbourhood working can help to make devolution, active citizenship and partnership working happen. But the crucial service of neighbourhood working is vulnerable to austerity measures in many local authorities.
This report offers lessons for local authorities, neighbourhood practitioners, and communities, drawing on direct experience from practitioners in Bradford, and many other places.
Working in neighbourhoods, active citizenship and localism: lessons for policy-makers and practitioners, was written by Liz Richardson from the University of Manchester. It has contributions from 250 experts in Bradford and the UK, and is based on an 18-month action research project. It was carried out in partnership with a Bradford Action Learning Network, set up by the JRF to bring together civic leaders, residents, volunteers and officers to share best practice on working in neighbourhoods.
The report highlights four areas that are vital to ensuring neighbourhood working is a success:
Strengthening partnership working
Partnership structures bring together agencies such as the police, council, housing associations and others to tackle problems that no single agency could hope to solve alone. Together, they tackle littering, fly-tipping, crime, anti-social behaviour, using a flexible approach, and targeting hotspots based on sharing information. They bring derelict land back into use and many other things of community benefit. These structures rely on skilled individuals with good local knowledge. This local knowledge can only be gained through experience, talking to local people and front-line workers, as well as being 'out and about' in neighbourhoods. Bradford's Ward Officer Teams pull together a number of agencies at ward level. From this base, ward officers and street wardens work with neighbourhood bodies as creative problem solvers or 'civic entrepreneurs'. Organisations could do more to nurture civic entrepreneurs by giving them more flexibility at the front-line.
Encouraging active citizens
Citizens can contribute to making neighbourhoods better places to live. Bradford has developed its Active Citizen Framework to increase the pool of 'willing localists' who are prepared to get involved, whether in more formal activities such as neighbourhood forum meetings or in less formal settings such as 'clean up' days in the local park, restoring allotments, holiday play schemes or bowling tournaments. The District, like other Local Authorities, is also looking at a range of techniques to 'nudge' citizens into adopting more proactive and responsible behaviours.
Maximising the opportunities of devolution
Localism has many opportunities for neighbourhoods to use resources in a more tailor-made way to fit their needs and assets: gone are the days of 'command and control' forms of governance. At the same time, the devolving of powers and resources out to neighbourhood bodies can involve risks, such as encouraging unhealthy competition between neighbourhoods, that those who 'shout the loudest' will get an unfair share of resources, or that it is too risky to transfer more control to communities. The study shows how honest dialogue between (like that in the project's Action Learning Network) can help officers manage risk. 'Fit for purpose' assessments and schemes for sharing risk and reward between statutory and voluntary bodies can also be useful.
The community leadership role of councillors
Elected members play a key role in the District’s neighbourhood working policies, working alongside neighbourhood officers and community groups. The study found evidence that good support, learning and development programmes are useful in preparing councillors for this difficult role. The work is often challenging, for example when balancing competing demands (such as the different needs of deprived and more affluent areas), or dealing with community tensions between residents from different ethnic, faith and cultural backgrounds. In Bradford it was found most effective to address these issues head-on: residents appreciated local councillors being honest about what is possible, or acceptable. Councillors sometimes need to resist demands from minority interest groups for special treatment, regardless of the electoral consequences.
Author of the report Liz Richardson, from University of Manchester, said:
We all live in neighbourhoods, and lots of us want them to be the best they can be – clean, friendly, inclusive, and well managed, with ‘ready for anything’ communities. But working in the complicated world of neighbourhoods is rarely straightforward. It often calls for creative thinking, a bold approach to taking risks and doing things in new ways. Using the lessons from Bradford as a guide, people living, volunteering and working in communities should be able to develop effective models of neighbourhood working.
