Presentation by Tony Thapar and Anna Hraboweckyj from Moseley Community Development Trust given at BVSC Third Sector Assembly event in Birmingham, 21st September 2012.
Localism and Decentralisation - Moseley Community Development Trust
1. Third Sector Assembly
21st September 2012
The Localism Act
Can it work for us?
Moseley Community Development Trust
Registered charity no. 1087949
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2. About us
Local community anchor Driving social change
organisation.
Committed to community
Local neighbourhood forum
enterprise
helped to create the DT
Key members of Locality in the Developing assets
region Independent
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6. The Government’s Localism Act
Royal assent on 15th Nov 2011
1. New freedoms and flexibilities for local
government
2. New rights and powers for communities
and individuals
3. Reform of the planning system
4. Reform to ensure that decisions about
housing are taken locally
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9. RIGHT TO BID
Sounds great; our questions:
‘Community’ geography?
Timing -6 months not long
Relationships LA, owners, community
Conditions of building
LA decides community value
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11. RIGHT TO CHALLENGE
Sounds great; our questions:
Do we want to deliver public services?
If we do, how do we fit in with procurement ?
Risks in launching procurement process ?
Best bidders, may not be best providers?
Trojan Horses & Bid Candy; corporate charities and
private sector companies?
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12. RIGHT TO BUILD small scale, site-specific
developments without planning permission
NEIGHBOURHOOD PLANNING Neighbourhood
planning powers give people the chance to
decide how their local area should develop
and what should be built.
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13. NEIGHBOURHOOD PLANNING
Sounds great; our questions :
Access to expertise – will we get any?
Capacity - does our community have enough?
Managing expectations- can’t buck approved
planning policy? “Nimbyism”
Consensus- often hard to get in communities?
What makes a ‘valid’ Neighbourhood forum?
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14. Our Learning to Date
• Resources and skills in the public and third sector
• Culture change and partnership
• Motivated and supportive Councillors
• Local leaders
• Community participation and
inclusion
• Funding
• It’s not a quick process
• It’s early days
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16. Challenges Opportunities
Rights not well Starts bottom up approach
known yet
Helps participation
Competition brings
private sector in as Encourages ownership
well Can help recycling wealth
Shrinking market within neighbourhood.
Potential for conflict Greater collaboration
with LA
New ventures
Rights don’t always
empower Better services
Greater resilience
Promote equality
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18. Birmingham City Council
It’s early days
Discussions between senior officers and members
have begun.
Likely to develop protocols next year.
Localisation and CAT
There will be a learning phase and opportunities for
collaboration – engage with the 3rd sector?
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19. Neighbourhood Planning
2 pilots in Birmingham, Handsworth/Soho and Balsall
Heath
BH will be complete next year
Tensions between LA and community
Understanding the Planning System
Resources, technical skills
It’s a slow process
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22. Issues and Lessons from Moseley
Ensuring community priorities and vision can be
retained through process
Resources to undertake the process
Conformity
Means to achieve ambitions?
- ownership of land, property, assets
- a problem at the heart of “localism” more generally
but especially relevant in Moseley
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23. Progress elsewhere
Redevelop a former milk processing plant as a low
carbon live/work space – Totnes, Devon
Community Library Service – Huddersfield
Seaside town neighbourhood plan – Lynton and
Lynmouth, Exmoor.
Community Hospital, created by residents to be
protected – Cranleigh, Surrey.
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25. Local support agencies
Locality members: Birmingham Settlement, Moseley
CDT, Norton Hall, Heartlands Older Peoples
Forum, Come_Unity Arts, Witton Lodge Community
Association, Castle Vale Tenants and Residents
Alliance
Asset Transfer Unit
BVSC
Digbeth Trust
Chamberlain Forum
Birmingham City Council
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26. What next?
Third sector needs to survive if it’s to engage
Each has to decide its position on public service cuts,
enterprise and the growth of the big society
Support services to help understanding at the
grassroots
Develop a dialogue with the City Council’s localisation
plans.
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27. Anna Hraboweckyj and Tony Thapar
www.MoseleyCDT.com, 0121 449 6060
or administrator@MoseleyCDT.com
www.Locality.org.uk
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Editor's Notes
The second driver is decentralisation, A variety of hub and spoke models are available and in the 3rd sector we’ve been using these models for a long time now but from the other direction –this pressure on small local groups to man up for competition by linking in to bigger networks and consortiaIntro to next slide 5:Nick Clegg and Greg Clark for the Government describe six essential actions that have the power to turn words into reality REF Decentralisation and Localism an essential guide dec 2010..The first two actions are the most fundamental, because decentralisation can’t get started without them. They are to: Lift the burden of bureaucracy – by removing the cost and control of unnecessary red tape and regulation, whose effect is to restrict local action; andEmpower communities to do things their way – by creating rights for people to get involved with, and direct the development of, their communities.The next two actions provide the resources and the freedom of choice needed to sustain progress on decentralisation. They are to:Increase local control of public finance – so that more of the decisions over how public money is spent and raised can be taken within communities; andDiversify the supply of public services – by ending public sector monopolies, ensuring a level playing field for all suppliers, giving people more choice and a better standard of service.The final two actions complete the picture by enabling local people to take complete control of the process of decentralisation as it affects them in their communities. They are to: Open up government to public scrutiny – by releasing government information into the public domain, so that people can know how their money is spent, how it is used and to what effect; andStrengthen accountability to local people – by giving every citizen the power to change the services provided to them through participation, choice or the ballot box.