Community Led Planning

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1.3 Mainstreaming Community Led Planning 1: making sence of local government

Tim Allen, Local Government Association (LGA), explained the changing role of local government and the opportunities this presents for communities to get involved in local decision making.The Government’s recent emphasis on devolution and community engagement has created new opportunities for communities to get involved in local decision making. This is an agenda that is likely to continue after the next general election. However, cutbacks in local government spending will also mean that communities will need to compete to get their voices heard and their needs addressed as services and policies become rationalised and directed towards those perceived to be most in need of support.

Participants were invited to discuss how Local Authorities could be engaged to ensure the sustainability of support for Community Led Planning (CLP).It was argued that CLP can bring many benefits to both communities and Local Authorities. However, to ensure the sustainability of this approach to community empowerment, Local Authorities must be encouraged to play an active role in supporting communities throughout the process. A number of examples were referred to where this had proved particularly successful. However, delegates raised concerns that Local Authorities either don’t recognise the benefits of CLP, or confuse it with a top down approach to community engagement. It was agreed that protocols and quality standards for CLP should be established to ensure that both Local Authorities and communities can have confidence in the process by knowing what to expect from each other.

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This workshop looked at how communities producing a Community Led Plan (CLP) can be encouraged to consider how the actions they propose for their local area contribute to sustainable development.There are some good examples of CLP groups that have focused on the sustainability of the actions they propose for their local area. Despite this, it seems that some communities are put off by the climate change agenda which can be associated with eco-warriors or something that only scientists research in their ivory towers. Delegates felt that there was a need to counter this image, and work with CLP groups to demonstrate how many of the actions that they already propose, can contribute to sustainable development. It was also suggested that CLP groups should be encouraged to make use of existing toolkits which outline practical ways that they can ‘think globally, act locally’.

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Delegates were challenged to think about how everyone can be involved in a Community Led Plan (CLP), not just the usual suspects.It was agreed that Community Development Workers (CDWs) have a responsibility to ensure that CLPs are inclusive and provide an opportunity for even the most disadvantaged members of society to play a role in their production. There are a number of practical ways that this can be encouraged. Most importantly, CDWs can invite communities to reflect on diversity and work with steering groups to devise methods of consultation that are sensitive to the barriers which may prevent individuals from participating.

This workshop allowed delegates to consider how the Community Led Planning (CLP) approach to community empowerment is best adapted to use in urban neighbourhoods.Using a case study of a community-led project in Marsh Farm, Luton, participants were able to discuss the challenges that Community Development Workers (CDWs) face when supporting urban communities to develop a vision for their neighbourhood. Whilst many challenges were identified, it was argued that CDWs could overcome these by adopting a flexible approach and linking with other organisations which may be able to support the process. Delegates felt there was no major reason why a greater number of urban communities could not be encouraged to undertake a CLP, although it was suggested that this would require more intensive support than is typical in rural areas whilst existing methods of consultation may need to be adapted.

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