Part 4. From Ideas to Action

Using the Act to Make Your Ideas Work

In Parts 2 and 3 of this guide we give some examples of the kind of ideas that might enable people to re-invigorate their communities. You’ll have many more. But ideas are not enough. The real issue is – how can you get the government to actually implement the suggestions that you make.

To achieve that, an understanding of the Act is needed. In a nutshell the Act sets up what is called a ‘double devolution’ process. That means that:

-The Act gives the government a legal duty to ‘assist local authorities in promoting the sustainability of local communities’. Local authorities will be invited to make suggestions to the Secretary of State (SoS) – i.e. the government – as to how it can help them. It’s your council that is in the driving seat as to what the government must do.

-The Act specifies that your council cannot make its suggestions to the SoS without involving ‘local people.’ The way this is done is also specified: councils must set up ‘panels of representatives of local people’ – which must include people from usually under-represented groups: ethnic minorities, young people, older people, tenants etc.

Getting your ideas accepted

Step 1. Ensure your council ‘opts in’. As explained councils are ‘invited’ to submit suggestions to central government – not required to, as we did not want to put any further centrally imposed duties on councils.
They should be answerable to local people – YOU – not the government.
So make them answerable – see the article opposite on how to ensure that your council ‘opts in’ to the opportunities created by this Act.

Step 2. So you’ve got an idea? Check that it is covered by the Act. The Act defines promoting the sustainability of local communities as: encouraging the economic, social or environmental wellbeing of an area and social wellbeing is defined to include ‘participation in civic and political activity’.

These 4 limbs of sustainability – economic, social, environmental and participation – give wide scope for ideas. Saving post offices, shops, pubs etc are clearly included; as is promoting local jobs and businesses; reducing pollution and preventing climate change; and alleviating poverty and food or fuel poverty. But so, under ‘participation’, are devolving power to communities and parish councils – and promoting proportional representation!

Step 3. Use the ‘schedule’ for ideas and inspiration. The schedule to the Act (see page 2) ‘fleshes out’ the definition. If you can link your suggestions to a provision in the schedule, then your council has a duty to consider them. But don’t worry if you can’t: the schedule is NOT exclusive. Providing your ideas are covered by one of the ‘four limbs’ in Step 2 you can use the Act to promote them.

Step 4. Drum up support. In your community: The more people and organisations support the idea, the more likely it is to influence the ‘local panels’ (see Step 5 below). Outside your community: If the same idea is put forward by many communities to their own councils it is more likely to be ‘short listed’ for action (see below) and it will be more difficult for the SoS to reject it.

Step 5. Lobby your local panel. For your idea to be one of those put forward to the government. Your council must allow local people to easily access the local panels. In addition you could try to become a member of the local panel. Get other people and organisations to nominate you. Ask your council for details of how to do this.

Why bother? Isn’t this another useless consultation?

NO! The Sustainable Communities Act is not another consultation! It is about a wholly new way of decision-making: co-operation. Councils have a legal duty to ‘try to reach agreement’ with the panels re your ideas.

Note those words – ‘try to reach agreement’: this is NOT consultation in which all decisions are made at the centre: instead councils have a legal duty to co-operate with panels of local people in deciding which suggestions to make to the SoS as to how s/he can help reverse community decline. And don’t worry if your ideas are not included: this is NOT a one-off process. It will be repeated, so try again next time.

What happens next?

Councils’ suggestions will need to be prioritised; as there could be large numbers (if every council put forward just 5 ideas, there would be nearly 2,000). This will NOT be done by the government but by the body representing all councils – the Local Government Association (LGA) – in co-operation with the government. And, finally, the government has to try to reach agreement with the LGA on the suggestions that will be acted on. Again: note those words – try to reach agreement. Again: the Act provides for bottom-up co-operation not top-down consultation.

Timescale

The first invitation to councils by the SoS will go out in September/October 2008. So you can start lobbying your council to opt in and set up local panels then – or in advance to ensure that they are ready. Good luck!

other parts:
Part 1. Worried about...
Part 2. Sounds too good to be true
Part 3. So how can this Act help us?
Part 5. Why should councils get involved?