Talk given to local authority Chief executives on the way in which local government could re-imagine its own role - with a real commitment to supporting citizenship.

1. Personalisation
and
Local Government

4. What’s the difference between Barnsley & Athens?
• Population of Barnsley - about
250,000
• Population of Athens at peak of
its achievements - about
250,000
• Do we see ourselves as a weak,
dependent, needy community?
• Or, as a gifted, rich and diverse
community that needs to fulfil its
potential?
• Are we citizens or subjects?

5. Citizenship is undermined by passivity
and this is reinforced by
the current welfare settlement:
• Services as gifts - not as rights or entitlements
• No duties - passive recipients, no expectations
or contribution
• Services controlled from above - no
personalisation
• Services isolating people from community
• Standardisation - community innovation
discouraged

8. But it doesn’t need to be this

9. Local government has already shown the way:
the development of personalisation
• Flexible entitlements - not
services
• Partnership between services and
citizens
• Services accountable to local
people
• People playing a fuller role in
community life
• Local services and local
enterprise

14. Different is possible - now...
• Personalisation was created
subversively by local people and
local government
• Local leaders led the way in
developing good practice
• There is often more slack in
how systems work than we
realise
• Central government often plays
Bottom-up
catch up
Change

15. We could shift to a citizenship model
• Fair tax system for all
• Minimum income and
housing rights - an
entitlement for all
• Individual Budgets for
all people who need
extra help and advice
• Core local services -
free to all

16. What difference would citizenship
make to councils?
1. Clarify local rights and duties for all citizens
2. Define core universal free services
3. Extend individual budgets (all social care, healthcare, some
education and other forms of personalised support)
4. Clarify authority of local community bodies
5. Create opportunities for local innovation
6. Support local citizens to achieve national entitlements
7. Open up local democratic process
8. Seek more authority locally - reduce reliance on centre

17. But we will need to be very smart
• The UK has most centralised welfare
system in the world
• Westminster-centric media circus
• Cuts target local government
• Politicians and media scapegoat local
government
• We have got used to our dependence on
Whitehall
• Lack of constitutional checks on
centralisation

19. Where does all the money go?
• As a proportion of state
spending there is £900
million missing from
Barnsley’s economy.
• Benefits biggest expenditure
- no local control
• NHS largest service - no
local control
• Education - now centrally
controlled
• Employment support -
centrally commissioned

20. What are our
options?
1. Accept current relationship and trends - adapt to the assault on
local democracy
2. Innovate within current structures - create new citizenship-
focused model of local government as model for future
reformed system
3. Challenge current relationship - reassert the role of local
government - find allies for real localism - build new policy
position - advocate for local citizens rights
4. Do all 3 of the above at the same time...

21. 1. Government policy is confused:
but ripe with opportunities
• Total Place - requires local
government leadership
• Health Reforms - integration of
PHBs into ASC model
• Localism - consistent with
neighbourhood approach
• Big Society - consistent with local
community partnerships
• Personalisation - can be extended
to healthcare, children, education,
criminal justice, employment...

22. 2. Systems don’t innovate:
people with problems do
• Build on existing innovation - some
of the best innovations already exist
in our communities
• Shift resources down - identify more
areas to extend personalisation
• Integrate deeper - create genuine
points of integration - earlier
• Learn & network - share ideas
quicker, celebrate achievements
• Share responsibility - share the
problem with the community

23. 3. Central bodies rarely give away power:
power must be taken
• Connect to other places - learn and
develop with like-minded leaders
• Develop evidence - ask the right
questions, gather data, share stories
• Create a new policy position - define
the constitutional changes necessary
to support real localism
• Long-term thinking - be strategic
and seek sustainable reform
• Build an alliance for real localism -
develop a leadership cohort

24. Ask new questions.
Focus on citizenship.
1. Purpose - Do our lives have meaning?
2. Control - Can we make our own decisions?
3. Money - Can we pursue our own projects?
4. Home - Do we belong to our communities?
5. Needs - Do we get the help we need?
6. Gifts - Are we sharing our gifts?
7. Responsibile - Do we take responsibility?

25. For more information go to
www.centreforwelfarereform.org
These slides are © Simon Duffy 2011 ￭ Publisher is The
Centre for Welfare Reform ￭ Slides can be distributed subject
to conditions set out at www.centreforwelfarereform.org ￭