a lecture from 2008 about Urban Regeneration - Managing and Evaluating Sustainable Communities

1. Combining the strengths of UMIST and
The Victoria University of Manchester
Urban Regeneration
Managing and Evaluating Sustainable
Communities
Lecture 8
Thursday October 30th
2008

2. Combining the strengths of UMIST and
The Victoria University of Manchester
PULLING IT ALL TOGETHER…
• Dry? Structural?
• Too much Jargon?
• Policy-speak etc….
UNDERSTANDING THE ROLE OF THIS FRAMEWORK IS
• IMPORTANT TO YOUR WORK NO MATTER WHERE
YOU WORK.
• IMPORTANT AS ACTIVE CITIZENS TO UNDERSTAND
WHERE DECISIONS ARE TAKEN

3. Combining the strengths of UMIST and
The Victoria University of Manchester
The Local Governance Partnership
Architecture
 PRINCIPLES (PROBLEMS?)
 POLICY
 POWERS
 PRACTICE
 SUMMARY

4. Combining the strengths of UMIST and
The Victoria University of Manchester
PRINCIPLES (PROBLEMS)
Inherent tension and incompatability within core principles ;
• Solve problems of inequality and poverty
• Will not involve visible redistribution
So….
• Creativity and innovation new ways of working
• Partnerships and collaboration are good things
• Managing Change to existing structures/people
• Tightly controlled and demonstrable expenditure and value for
money
Sneaking underlying feeling that local government itself is part of the
problem…

5. Combining the strengths of UMIST and
The Victoria University of Manchester
POLICY

6. Combining the strengths of UMIST and
The Victoria University of Manchester
POLICY STRAND 1 Regeneration Policy
[Alphabet Soup]

7. Combining the strengths of UMIST and
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POLICY STRAND 2 The Local Government
Modernisation Agenda
[turning round the tanker]

8. Combining the strengths of UMIST and
The Victoria University of Manchester
POLICY STRAND 3 Performance
management measurement, audit and
inspection [drowning in documents…]

9. Combining the strengths of UMIST and
The Victoria University of Manchester
Joined up government?

10. Combining the strengths of UMIST and
The Victoria University of Manchester
POLICY STRAND 1 Regeneration Policy
[Alphabet Soup]
• Multiple initiatives
• Time scale
• Funding
• Target regime
• Area of benefit
• Delivery mechanism / model
• Thematic focus
• Client group
• Governance arrangements
• Partnership requirements
• “initiativitis”

11. Combining the strengths of UMIST and
The Victoria University of Manchester
HO PSA Delivery
PSA
5
PSA
3
PSA 2 (Joint
OCJR)
PSA
1
PSA
4
PSA
7
PSA
6
One City
Partnership
(LSP)
Notts Police
GOEM
(43Staff)
5 Police Forces; 9 DATs;
40 CDRPs; 49 Local Auth’s
ProbationPrisonsNASS ASB
Policing
Policy
Policing
Standards
Crime
Reduction
Drugs ACDCCU, REU, F
NDCLCJB
9 Area Committees
NOMS
CJS
OCJR CRCSG CommunitiesIND
Nottingham
City Council
Police
Authority
Probation
Inspectorate
CDRP DAT
CJIP
Compact
CPS
HMIC
Prisons
Inspectorate
Individual Regional Offices
Nott BCU
Probation
Service
YOT
Courts
R
E
G
I
O
N
A
L
N
A
T
I
O
N
A
L
L
O
C
A
L
HMP
Voluntary & Community Sector

12. Combining the strengths of UMIST and
The Victoria University of Manchester
Tony Blair’s Approach - Government by
task-force

13. Combining the strengths of UMIST and
The Victoria University of Manchester
Mission creep…
Growth of SEU membership (Taylor 2000)
January 1998 June 1999
• Civil servants 4 8
• Sub-central government 3 3
• Voluntary organisations 2 4
• Business 1 1
• Ministers 8 12
• Total 19 29

14. Combining the strengths of UMIST and
The Victoria University of Manchester
POLICY STRAND 2 The LGMA [turning
round the tanker]
LGMA shorthand for
policy interventions
designed to improve
(perceived) issues
around
 Efficiency
 Accountability
 Decision making
Process
Finance
Functions

15. Combining the strengths of UMIST and
The Victoria University of Manchester
Tanker in First World War “Razzle-dazzle” camouflage

16. Combining the strengths of UMIST and
The Victoria University of Manchester
Strategic manoeuvring…

17. Combining the strengths of UMIST and
The Victoria University of Manchester
POLICY STRAND 3 Performance
management measurement, audit and
inspection [drowning in documents…]
Meanwhile elsewhere in Whitehall
The Improvement Agenda (close to LGMA but
not totally connected)
Empowered the Audit Commission
Waves of improvement
BVPI – Best Value Performance Indicators
CPA – Corporate Performance Assessment
CAA - Comprehensive Area Assessment
The PSA Regime (Public Services
Agreements)

18. Combining the strengths of UMIST and
The Victoria University of Manchester
Gordon Brown’s Approach – PSA regime

19. Combining the strengths of UMIST and
The Victoria University of Manchester
PSA match to ministers (2007)
• Figure 3 Number of PSAs for which each Cabinet Minister is operationally responsible.
• Minister Department Number of PSAs
• Ed Balls DCFS 5
• Jacqui Smith Home Office 4
• John Hutton DBERR 3
• Hazel Blears DCLG 2
• Peter Hain DWP 2
• Alan Johnson DH 2
• John Denham DIUS 2
• Hilary Benn DEFRA 2
• Alistair Darling HMT 1
• Jack Straw MoJ 1
• Ruth Kelly DfT 1
• James Purnell DCMS 1
• Ed Miliband Cabinet Office 1
• Douglas Alexander DFID 1
• David Miliband FCO 1
• Harriet Harman Government Equalities Office 1

20. Combining the strengths of UMIST and
The Victoria University of Manchester
Local Government unmoved?

21. Combining the strengths of UMIST and
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How not to fatten a pig…?

22. Combining the strengths of UMIST and
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POWERS 1 : Legislative
• Decline of doctrine of Ultra Vires (beyond the powers)
• Modern Local Government in Touch with the People 1998 DETR
• Wellbeing Power of 2000 Local Government Act
• Strong Local Leadership Quality Local Services 2002 DLTR
• Your Region, Your Choice ODPM
• Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act 2007 -
Stronger and Prosperous Communities Local Government White
Paper 2006
• Community Empowerment White Paper 2008 DCLG

23. Combining the strengths of UMIST and
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Ultra vires

24. Combining the strengths of UMIST and
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Parliamentary critique
Lord Greaves Lords Hansard 15 Jun 2006 : Column 379
Perhaps I may conclude by giving a typical example of why that should be so. If you look on the neighbourhood
renewal unit website and do a Google search for "Neighbourhood Management", you will find a glossary
to help you through the nightmare. There are 137 different things that you will have to learn about, ranging
from an "Active Community Unit" until the last on the list, "Working Together Learning Together", which
turns out to apply in Scotland only and is run by an organisation called Communities Scotland. The
glossary runs through the "Building Communities Initiative" and the "Community Empowerment Fund".
Of course floor targets and mainstreaming are absolutely crucial to the whole thing. So, if you want to
engage with your local community, you have to learn about floor targets and mainstreaming before you get
involved. The glossary continues with "Local Public Service Agreement", "Local Strategic Partnerships",
"Locality Budgeting", "Neighbourhood Management Programme", "Neighbourhood Renewal Fund",
"Neighbourhood Support Fund", "New Commitment to Neighbourhood Renewal", "Public Service
Agreements"—which some people will know are an absolute minefield—"Sustainable Communities
Programme", and so on.
Perhaps I may finally read out the public service agreements' definition:
"Deprivation will be tackled through the bending of main Departmental programmes such as the police and
health services, to focus more specifically on the most deprived areas. Departments now have minimum
targets to meet, which means that, for the first time, they will be judged on the areas where they are doing
worst, and not just on averages".
In other words, everything that happens at the bottom has to meet targets, floors and all the rest of it, prescribed
from above. It then says: "(See Floor targets)".
It is all top down. It is a well-meaning attempt to deliver the services but is profoundly undemocratic.

25. Combining the strengths of UMIST and
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POWERS 2 : Extra-legislative.
• Role of legislation is minimal – can only “impose duties”
• Understanding why things are the way they are need to
explore fine grain of institutional and organisational
adaptation and to look at the extra-legislative
• Strategies
• Concordats
• Agreements
• Guidance
• Partnerships

26. Combining the strengths of UMIST and
The Victoria University of Manchester
So…
• LGPIH 2007 rationalised structures into a clear (if
undemocratic?) structure
• Merging the quantitative experience of LPSA with the
more visionary elements of LSPs
• Creating new duties and new statutory based
partnerships
• Mainstreaming regeneration initiatives
• Connecting in inspection regimes

27. Combining the strengths of UMIST and
The Victoria University of Manchester
Police
Duty on local councils and other local partners to work together to agree a
single set of priorities through a Sustainable Community Strategy and a
Local Area Agreement
Three year
delivery plan:
Local Area
Agreement (LAA)
Council
Local
Neighbourhoods
Local
Strategic
Partnership
Long term
Sustainable
Community
Strategy (SCS)
Service
Charter
Service
Charter
Health Private
sector
Community
sector
Local
Neighbourhoods
How it all fits together

28. Combining the strengths of UMIST and
The Victoria University of Manchester
Reinvigorating local regeneration through the LAA
Transforming
Regeneration 2008
argued

29. Combining the strengths of UMIST and
The Victoria University of Manchester
How to link the strategic and the local
• Local Area Agreements

30. Combining the strengths of UMIST and
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LAA Framework
Local
Community
Local partners
National
Priorities
Monitoring
and
Reporting
Outcomes
Scrutiny
Sustainable
Communities
Strategy
Funding
LAA
Enterprise & Economic Development
Healthier communities, and older people
Safer and stronger communities
Children and young people
---------------------------------------------------
LAA Reward Grant
LSP

31. Combining the strengths of UMIST and
The Victoria University of Manchester
PRACTICE
• What does this look like? Different in
different places…
• What does it mean for regeneration?
• What does it mean for regeneration
professionals?
• What does it mean for communities?

32. Combining the strengths of UMIST and
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Local Sustainable Communities Strategies
• Formerly Community
Strategies
• A key output from LSP work
• The 2020 vision
• Intertwine element of
economic, environmental and
social change

33. Combining the strengths of UMIST and
The Victoria University of Manchester
Manchester's 2006 SCS
• The 2006 SCS highlights key
entrepreneurial concepts in its vision of
Manchester becoming a ‘world class
City
The interweaving of
contradictory concepts
(Leary 2008)

34. Combining the strengths of UMIST and
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35. Combining the strengths of UMIST and
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36. Combining the strengths of UMIST and
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37. Combining the strengths of UMIST and
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Cornwall model

38. Combining the strengths of UMIST and
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Wigan borough partnership structure

39. Combining the strengths of UMIST and
The Victoria University of Manchester
Summary
• Current regeneration approaches seek to merge strategic visioning
with performance management
• Regeneration management Its VERY bureaucratic
• Ghosts of prior regeneration are seen in new approaches
• On the ground, poor communities have remained poor
• The ONLY game in town is the LAA
• The LAA tries to merge different logics of regeneration together
• BUT…this is judged by the Audit commission according to
templates – which disempowers local government and local
communities
• Making these structures work is now the role of regeneration
professionals

40. Combining the strengths of UMIST and
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3. Questions?