LOCALISM (& De-centralisation)BILL

What does this mean for Neighbourhoods?

The Workers Educational Association

Manchester March 03rd,2011

PM: The Big Society is a huge culture change

“....where people in their everyday lives, their homes their neighbourhoods, their workplace...

....don’t always turn to officials, local authorities or central government for answers to the problems

they face....

...but instead feel both free and powerful enough to help themselves and their own communities.”

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The Big Society is:

The vision

• “…. We know that the best ideas come from the ground up, not the top down. We know that when you give people and communities more power over their lives, more power to come together and work together to make life better – great things happen.”

• David Cameron• Prime Minister

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HOW MIGHT THIS WORK?Big Society aims to create a better society by pursuing 3 primary goals

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And a huge shift in power & responsibilities

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The Big Society is:

Community Organisers - overview

• These are skilled individuals, trained in bringing people together – in particular the ‘unheard’ – identifying shared issues and opportunities, finding and supporting leaders, helping them campaign, negotiate & access rights, resources & information needed to achieve ambitions.

• Hold service providers, and others, to account• Help communities take action and make change• Community Organisers never do for others that

which they can do for themselves – ‘iron rule’.

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State support has discouraged personal and social responsibility

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“I am certain that government is a big part of the problem – its size has now reached a point where it is actually making our social problems worse. That’s because by trying to do too much, it has drained the lifeblood of a strong society – personal and social responsibility.”2

2. Speech, Let’s mend our broken society, 27 April 2010

How we get there “What we are grappling with, and what

we are aiming for, is nothing less than a huge cultural shift, where people, in their everyday lives, in their communities, in their homes, on their street, don’t always turn to answers from officialdom, from local authorities, from government, but that they feel both free and empowered to help themselves and help their own communities.”

Nick CleggDeputy Prime Minister

How we get there: The Actions• Remove bureaucratic burdens

• Empower people to take action

• Make public bodies and services transparent

• Strengthen democratic accountability

• Let local people control public spending

• Diversify the supply of services

In short..…

Localism

Decentralisation

Big Society

Is the ethos…Doing everything at the lowest possible level and only involving central government if absolutely necessary

Is what we do…Giving away power to individuals, professionals, communities and local institutions

Is what we’re trying to achieve…A society where people, neighbourhoods and communities have more power and responsibility and use it to create better services and outcomes.

Localism affects major areas of life

Crime and ASB have come down round here thanks to the way we all work together with the local police

People are healthier, the health service feels like part of the local community again and we know what to do if things go wrongI am proud of the

local school. Its really improving and fewer kids are skiving off

The Government’s vision Freedom, Fairness and Responsibility

• Fundamental change in the relationship between citizens and the state.

• Individuals and communities have more power and responsibility.

• Freedom from top-down controls.

• Extending transparency to every area of public life.

Localism & NEIGHBOURHOOD PLANNING

• Set the foundations for the Big Society by radically transforming the relationships between central government, local government,

communities and individuals.

• Decisions should be taken as closely as possible to the people they affect.

• Localism can also mean allowing local people to set priorities and become involved in decisions about the future of their area.

• Devolve greater powers to councils and neighbourhoods and give local communities control over housing and planning decisions.

• Giving communities direct incentives to promote and support sustainable growth

Give neighbourhoods far more ability to determine the shape of the places in which people live through ‘neighbourhood plans’

• Empower communities to take control

• Neighbourhood not LPA led.• Light-touch process• Inspire innovation and creativity• Exploring ways of enabling small

scale community development.• Permissive regime

Basic Principles: Planning at neighbourhood level

Highlights of Neighbourhood Planning System

•Community Decides

•Local Authority Role

•Confined decision-making•Fund Examination•Fund and undertake referendum •Duty to Support - Ensure compliance with EU Directives•Duty to Adopt

Highlights of Neighbourhood Planning System

•We are not switching off the TCPA system•Within framework of strategic plans and national policy•Part of Statutory Development Plan•Neighbourhood plans can go beyond local authority policies on development•Promote more but not less development

•Part of Development Plan

•Charging

•Charging development which gains permission through NDO•Contribute to LPA costs in putting NDO in place

VISION

Full Planning

Permission

Planning Policies

Outline Planning

Permission

Other Policies

Other Policies

The neighbourhood should decide what a neighbourhood plan contains– plans are flexible enough to address different needs and expectations

Flexibility -This will put neighbourhoods in control

Community-Right-to-Build will be delivered through neighbourhood planning.

Enables communities to deliver small-scale, site-specific development without the need for a separate planning application.

By following a simplified neighbourhood planning process, communities able to respond quickly to changing development needs.

Benefits of development remain within the community

•CrTB – Further flexibility to the system

Putting it Together – “Neighbourhood Planning” 1. Defining the Neighbourhood

2. Applying to be a Neighbourhood Forum

3. Undertaking pre-application consultation/assessment

4. Local Authority Duty to Support

5. Submit draft plan/order for independent examination

6. Local Authority Validation Check

7. Independent examination – written representations the norm

8. Examiner’s Report

9. Referendum on (modified) plan/order

10. Adoption by Local Authority – part of development plan

Restore the idea that development can be a force for good, rather than

something to be resisted at all costs

Turning Opponents into Proponents of GrowthCapturing Benefits and Incentives

•Radical: Shifting power and control to the community ; delivering increased community input

•Powerful: Plans can directly give full or outline planning permission

•Flexible: Plans can reflect a wide range of community concerns and be detailed or general

•Pro-development: Developers have more certainty about what can be built.

RADICAL

POWERFUL

FLEXIBLE

PRO-DEVELOPMENT

Reforms to the Community Infrastructure Levy

The Bill introduces 3 changes to the Community Infrastructure Levy:

Limiting the binding nature of the examiners’ reports on levy rates.

Clarifying that the levy can be spent on the ongoing costs of infrastructure, as well as the capital costs.

Provisions to make regulations on neighbourhood funding.

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LOCALISM

De-centralising real power to Neighbourhood Groups

Jimmy DevlinChair

North West Tenants & Residents Assembly

Telephone: 01744-634119E-Mail: nwtra@hotmail.com

Thursday March 03rd,2011Manchester WEA Conference presentation