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Camilla SheldonDeputy Director: Community RightsDepartment of Communities and Local GovernmentJan 2015

Driving positive change within communities

Commitment & approach to devolution

In 2010 the Coalition Government made a commitment: “to oversee a radical redistribution of power away from

Westminster and Whitehall to councils, communities and homes across the nation. Wherever possible, we want people to call the shots over the decisions that affect their lives……[and] end the

era of top down government by giving new powers to local councils, communities, neighbourhoods, and individuals.”

Approach taken:•Introduce policies, linked to legislative change where necessary, to increase powers of local institutions and enhance local accountability and transparency. •Avoid a ‘one size fits all’ approach and allow different responses to different challenges.

Devolving to local authorities• General Power of Competence (Feb 2012)

– gives councils the power to do anything an individual can do provided it is not prohibited by other legislation

• Local authorities have more control over their own finances:– under the Business Rates Retention scheme £11 billion is now retained

locally rather than redistributed via central government

• Made transparency and open data a key priority: – Local residents have the power to veto excessive Council Tax rises– Local Government Transparency Code issued to local authorities

• sets out the minimum data that local authorities should be publishing

• the frequency it should be published, and

• how it should be published.

– ‘Right to report’ –allows the press and public to film all public meetings of local government bodies.

Devolving powers to communities• Community Right to Bid

– Giving people the opportunity to protect assets important to them– Over 1,800 assets of community value have been listed

• Community Right to Challenge– Giving the voluntary and community sector the opportunity to bid to take

over local services– 51 expressions of interest submitted, 9 procurements triggered

• Our Place – Supporting communities in 130 areas to work with local partners including,

local authorities, councillors and officials, the voluntary and community sector and local businesses to tackle issues in their neighbourhood, shape decision making on public service delivery and spend of public money.

• Community Shares– Sustainable social investment model that gives communities an

opportunity to purchase a stake in their local community enterprise – Over £50million already been raised by communities in England

Devolving powers to communities• Neighbourhood Planning, giving communities a new way to

decide the future of the places where they live and work, including choosing where new housing, industry and employment should go

– Nearly 1200 areas are now designated, and 66 have past referendum– £1 million extension of grant funding for this year and a £22.5 million

support programme for neighbourhood planning for 2015-18

• Community Right to Build, giving communities powers to build local housing, shops, and facilities

– First 3 Community Right to Build Orders now in force (all in Ferring, Arun) giving permission for 24 homes and a community centre.

– More orders are in the pipeline.

Examples of success

Friends of Carnegie Library

pre-feasibility grant for £9,420 helping to develop sustainable business plan

and negotiate asset transfer

Halifax Opportunities Trust

Feasibility grant for £65,000 helped to win £10 million contract with local

authority

Examples of success

Fordhall Farm - first community owned

farm. Charlotte Hollins rescued the

farm through a community share

offer.

Hill Holt Wood - a model for social

woodland enterprise – established by two social entrepreneurs

– now employs 14 people

Examples of successWhite City Enterprises

Social enterprise developed as a part of the

White City Our Place

Hastings pier

Community-led campaign to bring the pier into

community ownership. The community persuaded the

local authority to compulsorily purchase the

pier and raised £500k, alongside grants from DCLG and the lottery – campaign

now has 2500 members

Kiveton Park and Wales Community Development

Trust

Business selling unwanted goods – raising money for the community

and reducing landfill

Going forward, this Government would like to see…

• Increasing numbers of communities genuinely more in control of their physical, social and economic environments – from decision making to delivery

• Establishment of a different relationship with public services

• Development and growth of social investment market – Power 2 Change

• Locally led housing growth and economic development

• Support for deprived areas

My Community Network- peer to peer support

-learning and networking-awareness raising

-championing

Com SharesCom

Shares

Asset Transfer

Com Ec. Dev

First Steps Our Place, inc parishes

N’hood Pl + CRTB

More communities

in control

More communities

in control

More areas with improved neighbourhoo

d services

More areas with improved neighbourhoo

d services

Community led models of service delivery

Community led models of service delivery Locally-led

housing growth

Locally-led housing growth

Supporting deprived

communities

Supporting deprived

communities

New Parishes Delivering

Differently

My Community Network

• Encompasses the breadth of the programme

• Where all those engaged in any aspect of our policies / programmes can support each other

• The Network will:• Network areas and communities• Enable peer to peer support• Build the evidence base for neighbourhood level

working• Champion neighbourhood working

Plugged into the Network

Expanded pool of Neighbourhood

working

Engaging parish and town councils

Promoting neighbourhood level

service delivery

Capturing and sharing learning

Building business cases

Changing Neighbourhood Commissioning - Our Place

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Changing Neighbourhood Commissioning Delivering Differently

Desired outcome: more services being delivered at a neighbourhood level, more models of neighbourhood level service delivery that can be transferred and replicated.

Approach: direct support to up to 12 areas in 14-15 and up to 12 areas in 15-16 to develop neighbourhood based service models

Aim: to gather evidence and learning, including the costs and benefits, both social and financial in order to influence and inform change.

First Steps – enabling community activists

We will support 100 neighbourhoods to:

•engage and inspire high energy but poorly connected communities activists

•connect them to local and national networks and support

•raise awareness of the range of ways communities can take control

•enable them to create community action plans

We will support 100 neighbourhoods to:

•engage and inspire high energy but poorly connected communities activists

•connect them to local and national networks and support

•raise awareness of the range of ways communities can take control

•enable them to create community action plans

Our partners said:

“some communities are further away from being able to access the support and opportunities available – they need more targeted interventions”

“deprivation isn’t the only relevant measure – we need to be more nuanced”

Our partners said:

“some communities are further away from being able to access the support and opportunities available – they need more targeted interventions”

“deprivation isn’t the only relevant measure – we need to be more nuanced”

Community Economic Development

We want to:

•Help communities take more control over their economic destiny

•Enable them to develop a coordinated approach that will allow them be an active part of the solution to tackling negative economic cycles

We will:

•Support 50 neighbourhoods where intensive support will be provided to:

• grow their understanding of local economic issues; and

• help them develop “community economic plans” – clear actions that the community will pursue with local partners

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Community Ownership of Assets

Over 1,800 assets of community value listed

More than 150 assets helped into community ownership

and

the market place for financial support is growing, i.e. Power to Change

Where can DCLG best add value?

Direct support for

50 partnerships

Direct support for

50 partnerships

Facilitate market

development

Facilitate market

development

Pre-feasibility

grants to buy in support

Pre-feasibility

grants to buy in support

Develop / update

toolkits and case studies

Develop / update

toolkits and case studies

signposting

Peer to peer advice

Expert advice

Grants &/or direct support

Lessons learnt

Champions & future peer to peer support

Customer Journey

Feb 2015 •Neighbourhood Planning & Community Right to Build

From April 1 2015•My Community Network & Advice Service •Our Place •First Steps•Community Economic Development•Community Ownership and Managementof Assets

Next Steps

Challenges and opportunities

Challenges•Harnessing individuals and groups in communities – particularly where there is less activity and infrastructure•Creating a sustainable model to support community action and enterprise in the future

Opportunities•Programmes such as First Steps and Community Economic Development: what are the opportunities for social entrepreneurs in disadvantaged areas?•Radical neighbourhood level devolution: can social entrepreneurs provide tailored local solutions?•Digital agenda – government and local authorities are seeking more digital solutions: can social entrepreneurs be providers at a local level?