News
NLGN and Local Trust publish “Rebalancing The Power” report
The New Local Government Network, with support from the Local Trust, has just published its new report, Rebalancing The Power. Rebalancing The Power is structured around five principles by which the relationship between councils and the communities they serve might be improved and made more successful.
As Adam Lent, NLGN’s director, says in his introduction to the report:
“Councils face three big imperatives: to do more with less money; to respond to ever-growing demands from citizens for influence; and to shift towards a preventative model of public services. All three push a council towards seeking a more collaborative relationship with their residents. A relationship that is about a shared sense of ambition for a place rather than a transactional contract between taxpayer and public servant.”
Exactly what that means on the ground is still an open question, of course, but NGLN are particularly interested in the power relationship between communities and public sector bodies, and in exploring how more collaborative approaches might be catalysed by tipping the balance of power toward the communities. As such, they see the Big Local initiatives as exemplary; indeed, Lent says that:
“Big Local may be the most important social initiative currently operating in the UK. It has so much to teach us about how handing over real financial power can create entirely different outcomes for communities that the public sector has struggled for many years to help. Big Local looks to us like the future of public services.”
The report summarises NGLN’s research, which identifies five components to a successful working relationship between communities and public service providers:
- Recognise what each partner is trying to achieve
- Take active steps to build trust
- Maintain ongoing dialogue and honest communication
- Be flexible and adaptable
- Develop shared ownership and accountability
Report author Pawda Tjoa provides a brief introduction to these principles in a blog post; alternatively, go straight to the full report, which is now available for download.