LSP futures

Topics: LSPs, communties of practice, LSP Futures

I attended an event on Wednesday for LSP Futures. LSP Futures is a non-profit network of partnership practitioners - such as LSP managers - and membership is by subscription. They meet regularly and focus on both policy and the practical issues of managing partnerships.

I was invited along to talk about PM Partner - a collaborative website focused on partnership issues - and about whether LSP Futures might want to use it to share their knowledge over the web. I also talked about the IDeA's new Community of Practice platform at www.communities.idea.gov.uk which is another web-based way of supporting face to face networks.

The event itself was largely focused on the White Paper and Paul Philpott and Cath Docherty from the DCLG helped to clarify some of the issues around LSPs and LAAs in the White Paper as well as improvement support for councils as well as partnerships.

Clearly there is still some room to play for - and interestingly Paul Philpott spoke about local authorities getting more involved in not just advising on guidance as it's developed but also writing guidance. This could be a more open way of going forward - a more mature relationship between central and local government. But - of course - we need to make sure that all local authority views are represented (and increasingly, too, the views of our partners in other sectors.)

We'll be discussing some of these issues in our forums at the Policy and Performance community of practice (registration required - but easy and free).

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I thought it was interesting that one of the things the network wanted to explore Results Based Accountabilty - which we have blogged about here before.



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New communities

Working on PM Partner has been a really interesting experience of collaborative knowledge-building. The site is still active and focused on performance management in partnerships, but we've opened a couple of new communities of practice as well.

These are hosted on the IDeA's community of practice platform - this is a semi-private online space. That is, you have to register to view any of the content - but anyone can join the two communities we've started

Policy and performance: this community is aimed at people who work in the area of developing or implementing improvement policy.

Performance management: this community is for people who want to share the latest developments on performance management - particularly around more detailed or technical aspects.



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Best Value - best value?

It worked, it really worked....
Long-term Evaluation of Best Value: Final report was published last week.

Was it good for you?

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Friday funday: all a-twinkle

The lighter side of local government - Christmas light switch-on special

It's not just the season of Advent, it's the advent of the Christmas shopping season. And everyone knows that means Christmas lights turn-on.


Seasonal cheer:

• Santa and a councillor will switch on the lights in Bromsgrove.
• Spongebob Squarepants flicked the magic switch in Falkirk.
• Brave young cancer patient switches on the lights at Barrow in Furness.
• Local schoolchildren switch on the lights they designed themselves in Bognor Regis.
• Malvern uses "green" lights with low CO2 emissions.

Bah-humbug:

• Parish wins a set of Christmas lights - but has no electricity to turn them on.
• WORST CHRISTMAS LIGHTS IN BRITAIN?
  Council bosses are reported to have only put up one set of christmas lights in Collumpton, Devon, sparking outrage from shoppers. Traders were asked to donate towards the display but refused. A town clerk explained that the council couldn't force people to get involved. (sorry no link)

Personally, I have every sympathy with the council on this one. Why shouldn't seasonal displays be a partnership between the council and local businesses?

• One council is still considering the Health and Safety issues of a big switch-on.
• Christmas is costly and dangerous in one London borough. Staff have been advised not to put up any Christmas decorations.

One worker said: "We only wanted to get into the spirit and brighten the place up. It feels more like the Eastern Bloc than the East End round here now - except slightly less cheery."

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Restless for improvement

Topics: performance management, improvement, City of Westminster Council

On a fairly regular basis, the IDeA brings in external speakers. Invariably these events are always really good, with a fresh take on some aspect of local government or area governance.

Today Peter Rogers, Chief Executive of Westminster, was our speaker and he described his organisation as "restless for improvement". He has a low key, but really engaging speaking style. He covered a lot of really interesting topics, but a couple really stood out for me.

• Westminster had a peer review - an "international peer review" involving the then Mayor of Baltimore and now Governor-elect of Maryland.* Peter Rogers has been a peer reviewer himself, but he also said that peer reviews are a great way to reinforce self-awareness.
• Westminster undertook several studies -a local area study looking at some of their most deprived areas and a customer needs analysis. They also looked at how much money they had been spending in these areas (apparently it was a lot). They took this information to their partners who worked in the area. Funding was occurring in parallel - so much more effort was placed on defining and sharing outcomes and harnessing funding in train to achieve those outcomes. Local Area Renewal Partnerships have been developed to really help area partners focus on the achievement that needs to be made in 1 year, 3 years and 5 years down the line.
• As part of their improvement planning, Westminster mapped all of their services against a matrix of cost versus quality and with their 50 top managers planned how they would achieve improvement in quality and a reduction in cost through increasing efficiency.
• Peter Rogers challenged the notion of improving performance indicators across the board in a bid to improve satisfaction. Council-level performance indicators "average the misery" and don't tell you what residents in different areas prioritise. Tackling the things that really matter to different neighbourhoods means that you can see an increase in overall satisfaction, while the council level PI remains the same, and cost possibly goes down.
  

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*Martin O'Malley had been invited to take part in the peer review particularly for they way Baltimore has been working on policing and quality of life issues through their CitiStat performance management approach. I have blogged about that here.

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Frontline radio

Topics: councillors, communication, personal development

Do you know about podcasting? Here's how wikipedia defines it:

A podcast is a multimedia file distributed over the Internet using syndication feeds, for playback on mobile devices and personal computers. The term, as originallycoined by Ben Hammersley in an article in The Guardian February 12, 2004 [1], was meant as a portmanteau of "broadcasting" and "iPod".[2] Like 'radio', it can mean both the content and the method of delivery; the latter may also be termed podcasting. The host or author of a podcast is often called a podcaster.

Blah, blah, blah. What podcasting really is is an opportunity for people to tell their stories the old fashioned way - orally. But with the added advantage of allowing people to listen to it later, downloading it from the comfort of their own home or office.

Now you can hear "podcasts" by councillors. It's not really, technically a podcast but a "listen later" of the IDeA's new 1 hour radio programme about councillors called Frontline, hosted by the dulcet-toned Pascoe Sawyers. This week's episode includes:

• Councillor Sue Adeney from Malvern Hills, who will reveal why she is giving it all up and is about to leave the council
• Paul Wheeler, who will argue that more people should stand for election as councillors
• Emma Waddingham from the Local Government News, who will discuss the hot topics of the day.

Initially set for a 12 week run, I think this is a fantastic initiative. This is all about helping frontline councillors tell their stories in their own way - sharing ideas and practice.


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Users and community networks

Topics: users, community, network, social capital, co-production

There are two really fascinating briefings from the Joseph Rowntree Foundation on user partcipation and networks. One focuses on local governance and the other is based around using the knowledge of users (e.g. in health or social services)

The user briefing raised an issue in my mind I hadn't thought about in a while. For some years, there has been a lot of talk about trust and government or trust and professionals. How much do the general public or individuals trust their doctor, their local politician, their social worker, etc. JRF found that:

Service users feel that their knowledge is generally not valued or taken
seriously by professionals, policy-makers and services. The closed culture of
health and social care services and their own inadequate resources restrict
service users' capacity to develop and share their knowledge

But this is really about trust in another direction. How much do professionals trust us to choose the right treatment or package of services? How much are we trusted as a neighbourhood or community to know how we want to run our park or choose the right transport plan. Trust is a two-way street.


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Friday funday

The lighter side of local government

Environmental health don't take half measures
Or the wrong content in measures either at Westminster. Westminster City Council's Food Team busted a pub landlady for replacing branded spirits with the cheap stuff.

Councillor Audrey Lewis, Westminster City Council's Cabinet Member for Licensing and Community Protection, said: "When customers order drinks in any licensed premises we expect them to be given what they asked for and not some cheap alternative.

Darn right! I do have to admit to having done this once myself. I filled a Jack Daniels bottle with cheap supermarket bourbon to bolster the liquor table at a party. None of my guests drank it. But a friend of mine (and co-conspirator in the spirit switch) and I did end up drinking the cheap stuff by accident some time later. The next day we both ended up with the hangover of our lives.


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Friday funday

Something smells a little fishy

And it's a chippie!

A chip shop owner is being investigated - because of a complaint that his shop
smells of fish and chips, a council said today.

Of course, councils have to investigate such complaints as a spokeswoman for Wakefield Council pointed out. And they had to check that the proper extraction systems were installed and working properly.

She said: "The law states we have to investigate the complaint. "It is certainly not a case that fish and chip shops should not be allowed to smell of fish and chips."

The owner of the chippie was not quite so understanding of the council's requirements to check out the salty, vinegary odour.

Chip shop boss Steve Morton told The Sun newspaper he was shocked to receive a letter from environmental health staff which told him: "We are investigating a smell of fish and chips."

Mr Morton, 42, said the chip shop had been operating for 40 years without a problem. He said: "You'd think they'd twig that a fish and chip shop smells of fish and chips. It's absolutely crazy."

When we first came across this story in the office a colleague asked "What else would a fish and chip shop smell like?"

"I dunno," I said "Saveloy?"


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PM Partner update

I think I've edited almost every page on the PM Partner site. This is in response to feedback about the site - basically we want to make it easier to navigate. There are now a lot more links between pages with related content.

What do you think of the White Paper? I've added a new topic to the policy discussion page. I've also added a link a new Audit Commission paper on partnerships, schools and better outcomes for children on the Children and Young People page.

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Abuzz about the White Paper

Topics: round up of responses to and opinions on the Local Government White Paper Strong and Prosperous Communities.

Here's a link towhat the LGA and IDeA have said. The LGA response (link to a pdf file) is also a really good summary of what's in the White Paper.

The links below certainly do NOT necessarily reflect the views of the IDeA (my employer)- or even me personally! I just rounded up published responses as I found them.

Council associations:

London Councils - they broadly welcome, but wish there'd been a bit more talk about finance.
Association of North East Councils - welcomed the White Paper, and quite glad it was launched in the North East

Local government in the North East is at the heart of place-shaping, which is about taking responsibility for the economic, social and environmental well-being of citizens and communities. These are the key themes we have committed to in our recently launched 2006/07 Manifesto, which have real resonance with Government thinking, as set out in the White Paper.

Westminster says White Paper recommendations should go further and faster for excellent councils like us.

‘Whilst we warmly welcome these new proposals as the first step, we want the government to go further and faster to give local councils the powers to make a real difference to people's lives. Further powers should also be granted to those excellent Local Authorities, such as Westminster Council, who are efficiently managing their resources and delivering best value public services.

Opposition parties

The Conservative Party: Caroline Spelman, Shadow Local Government Secretary started out with some praise:

"Let me begin on a note of consensus. I entirely agree with the Rt Hon Lady when she said this morning 'local government is in much better shape since 1997'.

...but then...

The reason, of course, is that the Conservative Party is now the largest party of local government, and the Labour councillor is now an endangered species.

She also questioned the timing (why now ahead of Lyons and Barker reviews) and where the real devolution from central to local was to be found.

The Liberal Democrats

Ming Campbell thinks it's a mess:

Until we know what the proposals are going to be for the financing of local government, it seems to be pretty remarkable to discuss the powers of local government because the two - powers and finance - are inextricably linked.

"It's a mess, frankly, and Ruth Kelly, I think, has rushed ahead with this document. She should have waited until we get the Lyons report in January, then we could have had a comprehensive discussion about local government, not least because of the fact that so many people in this country feel entirely disconnected from local government.

And Andrew Stunnell, LibDem shadow Local Goverment minister doesn't think much of it either

"...it was a wasted opportunity and it does not address key issues of
local democracy and accountability."

Think tanks

Involve - a think tank supporting citizen engagement says

At long last Ruth Kelly has launched the much-anticipated Local Government
White Paper: 'Strong and prosperous communities'. After months of speculation as
to exactly what it would contain the final version does not feel like it lives
up to the hype surrounding it.

The Local Government Information Unit was broadly supportive but summed it up as:

“This is a small step towards stronger local democracy that has been presented as a giant leap."

There is point by point commentary here. This being probably the most biting criticism:

“The White Paper fails to provide a constitutional position for local government, as called for by the Lyons Inquiry, and to really commit government to subsidiarity and their obligations under the European Charter of Local Self Government. The words double devolution have gone because there is such limited devolution from Whitehall to Town Hall.”

The Adam Smith Institue appears to have published their response on the basis of the press release and not the official document. On ASI blog, the denounce centralism and say that real localism is about local financial control. They are not optimistic about the details of the white paper:

it is unlikely that Ruth Kelly will endorse any such vision. Centralism will prevail, and along with it, apathy and poor service in local government.

Unions and trade bodies

Unison likes the stronger role for local communities - but is concerned about an environment of cutbacks and pension reductions - and:

no matter how much the Government wills it, you won’t get successful changeunless you bring the workforce with you

The Confederation of British Industry says:

"We welcome the focus on efficiency, user engagement and greater use of
competition in delivering improved services."

But they were less keen on potentially expensive neighbourhood governing bodies.


What the bloggers say:

Rob Hopcott says: Democratic Flaws in New vision for UK Local Government unveiled in White Paper

Ordinary people who have tried to debate local issues sensibly with local councillors and have been confronted by a wall of uncommunicative silence and obfuscation may well question whether genuine benefits will be achieved. They may even hold their heads in their hands and wonder which planet the authors of the White Paper are on.

From the blog Stumbling and Mumbling:

There's much to be said for Ruth Kelly's proposals to reform local government; more decentralization and greater accountability. However, in emphasizing the need for "strong leadership" Ruth is merely betraying New Labour's faith that leadership is always the solution.

And it goes on to compare localism with managing a football team. Me, I love a good sports analogy. Political punditry is a game of more than two halves.

Free Think - a Liberal Democrat blog - didn't think much of the White Paper.

Considering the many ideas that have been floated around for so long (see our Local Heroes debate) people should be more angry by the half-baked proposals here. Local Government needs a radical make-over. With its further proposals for stronger (and longer lasting) council leaders - what is presented here is more a completion of the reforms Labour proposed in 2000.

And also wondered why the White Paper was low on finance details (i.e. why not wait until Lyons findings?)

Looking for a Voice thought it was a "sham".

Real Local Government and real local decisions will only be made with the
benefit of local taxation, if central government is still the tax collector and
not devolving the setting and collecting to local government, this is still more
government, not less.

About Whose News has an interesting post which compares British and French local government systems.

In contrast to France’s structured system, the British one is a shambolic muddle. A typical fudge some would say.

The blogger appears to lament that most services are centralised enough - and local things (like traffic calming and flower displays) aren't local enough in the UK.

Another LibDem blogger is critical (LibDem Voice)

The Government’s new proposals for local government sound like decentralisation. Councils will get the power to create their own by-laws, and public services will get more scrutiny from the public.

But on closer inspection, it’s the sort of decentralisation one would expect from Labour. Without a reform of local government finance, Westminster still plays the tune as it pays the piper. The by-laws are spun as a new way to fine people for anti-social behaviour, as if Labour haven’t realised that enacting more and more laws is not as effective a way to curb crime as better policing of the laws we have.

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Partnership quick hits

Topics: partnerships, crime, business, private sector, parish councils

Links to partnership news and examples

Innovation through partnership
Read about the liveability fund pilots and the successful work with neighbourhoods and communities on IDeA Knowledge

Together we can fight crime

Rising re-offending rates can only be brought under control with the support of local councils and their partners warned the Coalition on Social and Criminal Justice today. The coalition’s report, "Neighbourhood by neighbourhood: local action to reduce re-offending", says local organisations with local knowledge are best placed to work with the prison and probation services to help ex-offenders stay on the straight and narrow.

News from the Local Government Association

Parish pride in partnerships
Award-winning Staffordshire Connects partnership is honouring the role that parishes play in partnership, too.

Private and public sector crime fighting in partnership
An innovative partnership for sharing data and information between public agencies and business.

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Friday funday

The lighter side of local public services

Put it right out
I've fairly recently quit smoking (just over a month ago) and I debated blogging about it here. Would making a public announcement make it easier to quit - or would I be a hostage to fortune? Well one councillor has made his decision pretty clear. As Nottinghamshire County Council declared a county wide smoking ban (including outdoors in country parks!), Councillor Chris Baron has press released his own smoking cessation. And he's going to blog about it on the council's intranet, too. Good for you Chris - and best of luck!


I can't imagine any better publicity
Ambulance trust warning over new horror movie


If you ever, ever doubted the importance of the trading standards team
Dodgy goods uncovered in London


This race is a dead heat
If you haven't heard - the Midterm elections are on in the US and will take place Tuesday November 7th. In these elections, Americans vote for Congressmen (members of the House of Representatives) who are elected whole-body every two years and in some states for Senator - they are elected by thirds every two years to six year terms. And to avoid wasting a ballot or opening a polling station on more than one day, many Americans are also voting in local elections, too -either in the general election next Tuesday or in the primaries which are held between March and October depending on the state.

Despite some high-profile races in the past, most US elections are straightforward, first past the post type deals. But one school board member (a county-wide rather than school-based post) won her race in a highly unusual way.

Katherine Dunton, who died of cancer on October 3, the day of the local election, was re-elected to the Aleutian Region School District board after her opponent, Dona Highstone, called "heads" on a coin toss that landed "tails," state and local officials said.

Lest you think this is the usual way....

"This is the first that I have ever heard about, not only in our state but in any other," said Whitney Brewster, director of the Alaska Division of Elections.

Democracy finds a way
Hawaiian Islanders whose trips to the poll were threatened by bad roads and an earthquake damaged road will have their ballots delivered to them by helicopter.




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I am not your maid

Topics: co-production, communications, littering, user and citizen responsibility, environment

Some years back, I was enjoying lunch with some colleagues outside. We were sitting on the grass on what must have been the first warm, dry day in a while. The wind kicked up and my sandwich wrapper blew away. It tumbled over the grass.

I spent a little while chasing that wrapper. You know, cartoon-style, almost reaching it and then it blowing a little further on - and me chasing it again. Eventually it blew into the road - and while I hate litter, I do have a healthy fear of traffic. I gave up - vowing internally to pick up another piece of rubbish in recompense.

A casual passer-by had watched the whole episode and said to me "I don't know why you bothered, you'd just be doing a council worker out of a job."

Those of us who work in the public sector know it doesn't quite work like that. There are lots of other things that council workers could be doing with their time other than picking up after me or anyone else. But it is astounding how many people casually litter.

Perhaps when you were a kid your parents may have said "I'm not your servant," or "I'm going to stop picking up your mess and soon enough you'll see what a sty we'd be living in." Well, mine did anyway. Some councils are saying the same thing now. "We're going to stop picking up after you for a while - and let's see how the filth mounts up."

It's a publicity stunt, but a worthy one. It shows local residents how much the council does normally, but also shows how we all have a responsibility to help keep our environment clean and tidy. The Local Government Association is encouraging councils to consider stopping street cleansing for a day or so.

Commenting on the idea, Cllr Paul Bettison, Chairman of the LGA Environment Board, said:“Using ‘shock tactics’ like stopping street cleaning services for 24 hours is an effective way of making people face up to how much litter is dropped on our streets every day.“Any council choosing to introduce a suspension in street cleaning services would hope to make people think twice about dropping their litter in the future. “The action would also demonstrate to people that their rubbish doesn’t magically disappear but that a hard working council street cleaner removes and disposes of their litter. Councils strive to keep where you live clean and tidy but if every single person did their bit to keep the local area litter free then tax payers would get an even better deal.”

Of course, it's not as easy all that. You have to tell people what you're doing and why you're doing it. You need to back it up with an effective message encouraging people to look after their own environment by not littering. From my youth in America, I will never forget anti-littering messages that played on both pride in the American landscape:



and negative regional stereotypes:



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