Main heading

Influencing Local Services

What is community empowerment?

Civil Renewal is about people and government, working together to make life better. It involves more people being able to influence decisions about their communities, and more people taking responsibility for tackling local problems, rather than expecting others to.

The idea is that government can't solve everything by itself, and nor can the community: it's better when we work together.

There are three key ingredients to civil renewal:
1. Active citizens: people with the motivation, skills and confidence to speak up for their communities and say what improvements are needed.
2. Strengthened communities: community groups with the capability and resources to bring people together to work out shared solutions.
3. Partnership with public bodies: public bodies willing and able to work as partners with local people.

The recent White Paper, Stronger and Prosperous Communities, scheduled to be agreed by Parliament at the end of this year, promotes more power to local communities by :

• More choice for local people in the way local services are designed and delivered
• A new duty for councils and other public authorities such as Police and Fire Service to 'inform, consult, involve and devolve'
• People will have more and better information about their local services and how their public authorities are performing
• People will have the right to an answer when they put forward suggestions to their councils or ask for action
• The Community Call for Action already a success in tackling anti-social behaviour will be extended. This gives local Councillors more power to demand action on behalf of their communities
• More neighbourhood management, where local people are directly involved in the decisions to spend community grants, esp. in disadvantaged areas.
• More opportunities for communities to take on the management and ownership of local facilities and assets, with a new fund to encourage them
• An independent review looking at how to overcome the barriers to community ownership and management of assets.
• A new 'power of well-being' means that Quality Parish Councils will be able to respond better to their communities' needs
• Local charters2 in which communities and their councils can agree the services to be provided
• More coordinated support for citizens and community groups to help them take advantage of empowerment opportunities

A number of news ways of connecting with communities using electronic methods are used elsewhere:

• Webcasting – broadcasting like TV only on the internet
  
• SMS texting and email alerts
  
• Quick polls on council website
  
• Online surveys
  
• Discussion forums on council website
  
• On-street kiosks, e.g. touch screen in a wall or in local shop displaying local information or inviting comment on local issues
  
• E-petitions – petition conducted on website
  
  Can you think of ways of giving local people in our community a greater say in how services are delivered?

1A. Quality Parish Council:
 is representative of and actively engages all parts of its community, providing vision, identity and a sense of belonging;
 is effectively and properly managed;
 articulates the needs and wishes of its community;
 upholds high standards of conduct;
 is committed to working in partnership with principal local authorities and other public service agencies and voluntary groups; and
 delivers local services on behalf of principal local authorities where this represents the best deal for the local community.

2. The Great Lever Charter
In Bolton the neighbourhood management pathfinder has brought together residents and
service providers to negotiate a “Safe and Clean Charter”, covering the Great Lever area.
The charter is signed by the chief executive of Bolton Borough Council and the chief
superintendent of police. The charter sets out responsibilities, standards of service, and
key contacts for residents. Since 2003 satisfaction with the area has risen by 16% and
dissatisfaction with litter and rubbish has fallen by 18%.

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