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People power in difficult times

Date of speech	6 May 2009
Location	Mary Ward House, London
Event summary	LGiU/Involve Seminar: Empowerment and the Economy - A Single Agenda

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Draft text of the speech - may differ from the delivered version.

I'm delighted to be here, and to see so many of you - from councils, community groups, primary care trusts, police forces and more besides - up for putting real power in the hands of the people.

Today, I want to celebrate the seismic changes we have seen in recent years, turning empowerment from an abstract idea into practical change that people can see and feel.

I want to look ahead at how we can make more and swifter progress in the months to come.

And I want to explain why I believe empowerment must not be a victim of the downturn, but part of the solution.

Let's begin with good news.

I remember the days when believing in putting 'citizens in control' was as 'out there' as believing in little green men. It wasn't all that long ago. I published a pamphlet called Communities in Control in 2002. In many quarters it was misunderstood, in others feared, in some ignored.

What a change today. We've built up an irresistible head of steam. Where once these ideas were on the fringes of debate, today they inform policy not just in my department but across the whole of Whitehall, and in local authorities and their partners everywhere.

Last June's White Paper was a watershed moment, but if I think back even to the past few weeks we keep on making progress.

On Monday last week I was at an event celebrating the past, present and future of asset transfer. We heard from groups such as Coin Street Community Builders, who have been working hard for 25 years to make the South Bank a pleasant place to live, work and visit. It's thanks to their vision and commitment that we can still enjoy little gems like the Oxo Tower, once threatened with demolition. 'Ownership' is important - but real ownership, without the quotation marks, gives local people the chance to care for and shape and enrich the places they care about. That's why I was delighted to be able to declare the Asset Transfer Unit open for business, helping more places follow Coin Street's lead, and to confirm a further 22 local authorities who want to be part of that change.

Then on Tuesday I gave a lecture, kindly hosted by the Community Service Volunteers. I set out Government's plans to invite experts in the field on Community Finance to help us understand what more we can do to support the spread of community shares, social impact bonds, reinvestment approaches and other financial models that give local communities the means to shape their neighbourhood's future.

When you add these more recent changes to other progress it paints an impressive picture.

Take, for example, the fact that, altogether, people across the country have had the chance to vote on how at the very least £14m of local budgets should be spent since 2005.

Or look at how 'community policing' is giving people the chance to make real choices about making their community safer. Do you want more streetlighting down an iffy backstreet? An extra police community support officer in the market on a Saturday morning? Or is it about keeping things calm in the bars after the football match?

Very soon I aim to publish a Communities Progress Plan, summing up all these points and showing how we will maintain the momentum.

It bears repeating that we're backing it up with real teeth.

In April, the duty to involve came into force, meaning local authorities must involve local people in decisions that matter to them. In due course, we intend that the same duty should apply to other public bodies.

Also in April, the Comprehensive Area Assessment kicked off. It's a new way of measuring the performance of local authorities and their partners. How much people feel that they can have a say in local decisions is an explicit criteria for success. I'm aware the Audit Commission are considering how they assess this vital measure, ensuring that places getting it right get the recognition they deserve - and places with some way to go get the motivation they need.

We all know, however, that we are living through turbulent times. The whole world is coming to terms with the economic slowdown. Families and communities across the UK are feeling it, and there's no bigger priority for the Government than keeping them in a home and a job. We are doing this at the same time as public finances face unprecedented challenges.

Some argue that this means you should keep your head down, stick with the status quo. They say it is time to soft-pedal or even row back on empowerment.

I couldn't agree less. Tough times make empowerment more important, reform more urgent. There are three main reasons why.

The first is efficiency. The budget confirmed that councils will need to find another £600m of efficiencies each year, on top of the already demanding targets.

Now this won't be a surprise to them, because they all already work hard to make taxpayers' money go further. But nor will they underestimate the scale of the challenge.

The fact is that efficiency doesn't mean doing less, it means doing things differently.

Asking people what they want helps you deliver better services, right first time, at a lower cost for the taxpayer.

Look at Copnor Bridge in Portsmouth, completed a month early and 10 per cent under budget - in part because local people knew what it was and why it mattered, and they had a say in how it got built.

Look at Camden's commonsense way of checking their services were easily accessible to disabled people: simply asking local disabled people to be 'mystery shoppers', saving 86 per cent compared to using consultants.

Or look at Northamptonshire's 'Pocket Parks' scheme, giving local people control over the green spaces in their neighbourhood. It means that every £1 the council invests generates and supports £8 worth of volunteer effort.

So when it comes to finding efficiencies, empowerment is part of the solution, not part of the problem.

The second reason that empowerment matters in a downturn is cohesion.

When people feel anxious about their homes and jobs, opportunists are quick to stir trouble and set people from different backgrounds against each other.

Empowerment can help bring those people together.

The transfer of assets to the Sunlight Development Trust in Kent has provided a place where young and old can work together in the community allotment - meaning they aren't afraid of each other.

Last December, 'Your Norfolk, Your Decision' united people from different backgrounds - from businessmen to caretakers to stay-at-home mums - to made decisions about what their area should look like in the future.

Equally, when there are tough choices to be made about the allocation of finite resources, people are likely to be much more critical and unhappy about those decisions - and the bodies who make them - if they don't feel their voice has been heard.

I believe empowerment can bridge that democratic gap, increasing trust in public services.

People who take part in participatory budgeting exercises know they have had a fair say and are therefore much more accepting and understanding of the final decision, even if it's not what they wanted.

You don't have a case of 'us and them'. It's just 'us'.

The third reason that empowerment matters is all about social capital.

The places which will handle this downturn best and be the most prepared for the recovery are those with a strong tradition of self-help, neighbourliness, and solidarity.

And this downturn is an opportunity for government to show it values and encourages what some call this 'core economy' - caring, mentoring, growing, seeking justice.

I believe by opening the door to active citizens in small ways - by inviting them to be part of area forums, say, or to give their view on the local leisure centre - we can help them develop the skills and confidence to go on to bigger and brighter things.

That could mean formal types of community action, such as being a councillor or school governor. But it could also mean informal volunteering, or even new models of reciprocity and mutual service such as timebanking. I think this is the right time to be ambitious and creative about what we could achieve.

That's why I'm very much looking forward to 19 July and the Big Lunch. It's a day when neighbours across the country will sit down together to share food. It will be one great party, that's for sure. But it needn't end there: it could be the starting point for a whole range of conversations and practical action - neighbours working together to make their street a better place to live.

I'll stop there because for me today is about listening as much as it as about talking. The White Paper Communities in Control wasn't the product of Whitehall's ivory towers. It drew on a wealth of ingenuity and experimentation from the grass roots. One year on, it's vital to keep learning from the local level, sharing successes, inspiring and encouraging each other.

So I'm looking forward to hear your thoughts, comments, reactions, accounts of what you're seeing on the ground, challenges to us in Whitehall.

Last of all, let me say I already know there's a phenomenal quantity and quality of work going on at local level. We want to keep working together with you to take it to the next level. I'm hugely encouraged by what's happening and I hope you'll leave today inspired to keep on making a real difference.