An influential coalition led by the Carnegie UK Trust has criticised the Empowerment White Paper, published this week (9 July 2008), for ignoring the power of community action. Carnegie, along with four partner organisations, believes that community action is fundamental to empowerment, but that the Government’s White Paper focuses too much on devolving power to individual citizens, bypassing the potential strengths of community groups.
Carnegie joined forces with the National Association of Local Councils (NALC); Urban Forum; Action for Market Towns (AMT) and Action with Communities in Rural England (ACRE) to urge Government to back ‘Community Led Planning’. Community Led Planning is about local people and community groups coming together to develop a plan for the future of an area, to tackle local problems and influence local services. The group made a detailed submission to the Empowerment White Paper consultation, setting out the case for Community Led Planning. They argue that:
- Community Led Planning results in a locally agreed plan for a better quality of life, tackling issues such as the sustainability of local services
- Community Led Planning enhances, rather than replaces, the political process
- Initiatives such as participatory budgeting and community kitties, while positive, would work better if structured through Community Led Planning
Carnegie and its partners provided CLG with examples of where this approach has reaped dividends, in both rural and urban settings. Around 4,000 communities in the UK have successfully used Community Led Planning tools such as parish plans, market town action plans and New Deal for Communities master plans.
Kate Braithwaite, Director of the Carnegie UK Trust’s Rural Programme, said:
“The White Paper makes much of the link between individuals and the state, but bypasses communities and the groups that represent them. Nobody would argue against promoting democracy, but supporting collective community action is the smartest way of getting people involved in the political process.
“It is local people, knowing the advantages and shortcomings of their area, who are best equipped to decide how their future needs should be met. The sheer quality of Community Led Planning has impressed us during our own Action Research programme. With such a range of techniques and skillful people implementing them, we have evidence that Community Led Planning can translate into very real actions on the ground. This should be the foundation that all strategies are based on.”
Sylvia Brown, Chief Executive, ACRE said:
“Results from Community Led Plans across the country show that this is an extremely powerful way of getting more people involved in deciding the future for their area and taking action for themselves. The number of local authorities now adopting this approach for engaging with local residents shows that they have recognised the long lasting benefits to both local government and communities alike”.
Chris Wade, Chief Executive, Action for Market Towns, said:
“We joined forces with our four partners on this because we believe a joint effort is more effective than a thousand different voices – and that principle is true of empowerment. Community Led Planning offers a way of simplifying multiple voices into an inclusive community-wide view, which is easier for the public sector to respond to. The 4,000 successful community plans already in existence across the country make the case for this approach better than any rhetoric. We think Government is missing a trick by not fully recognising that body of evidence.
“What we need now is for CLG to back Community Led Planning with financial investment and political support. We will be seeking further opportunities, as the paper moves through the consultative and legislative timetable, to persuade the Government of the value of Community Led Planning.”
