This document discusses rethinking local leadership and place-based governance. It addresses the importance of place, what comprises a quality place, and how leadership can shape places. It explores values that motivate public action and new ways of leading change together from different perspectives. The document presents potential pilot projects around roads and infrastructure, community assets, and youth to test collaborative approaches between communities and public services. It discusses strategies for sustaining change, such as adopting an assets-based thinking approach and agreeing on standards for communication and consultation.

1. this place matters
re-thinking local leadership
Leading change together
Professor David Adams
Professor Trevor Davies
Diarmaid Lawlor

2. Diarmaid Lawlor
this place matters
re-thinking local leadership
This Place now: public actions - your views

3. Public actions Success

4. Public actions Success
connect

5. Public actions Success
connect
invest

6. Public actions Success
connect
invest
protect

7. Public actions Failure
infrastructure

8. Public actions Failure
infrastructure

9. Public actions Failure
infrastructure
resource decisions

10. Public actions Failure
infrastructure
resource decisions services

11. Public actions Summary
Need
Resource targetsConnection
Capacity

12. this place matters
re-thinking local leadership
Looking forward: plans, priorities and pilots
Gillian Gillian Taylor
Stirling Council

13. Stirling Council
Community Pilot Projects
• This is a Stirling Council and Community Planning Partners
project
• We want to support our communities to be thriving, well
connected and proud places to live and work
• We want to work in new ways so that we can collectively
identify local needs and priorities
• We want to test community led solutions to local
issues (tangible projects)

14. Why are we doing this?
• Nobody knows a community better than the people living and
working there – need community focussed solutions
• To move away from ‘one size fits all’ method of providing
services and recognise the difference between our rural
communities and the city
• Challenging economic times - need to be more collaborative
and innovative
• This is a way of testing unique and forward thinking solutions
to local issues
Stirling Council

15. Where and Why?
Stirling Council

16. • Scenic rural west area of Stirling Council
• Combined population of 6,642 (Balfron 2061, Killearn
2194, Strathblane 2387)
• Strathblane has more residents in the 85+ age group (2.7%
of population)
• Health outcomes are better than the Stirling average
• Economically active area with higher than average levels of
self employment
Community Profile
Stirling Council

17. Killearn community priorities
Stirling Council
• Roads, traffic and
transport
• Paths and
pavements
• Youth issues
• Environment and
heritage
• Community
involvement and
development
• Housing strategy
• Digital connectivity
• Health and Well-
being

18. • Access to health and social care services
• Natural Environment
• Sustainability
• Build Environment
• Community Communication, Involvement and
Participation
• Employment and Training
Strathblane community priorities
Stirling Council

19. Balfron community priorities
Stirling Council
• Currently engaging with community to identify
priorities
• Management of traffic and shared space
• Encouraging social enterprise and supporting
small businesses

20. Shared community priorities
Stirling Council
• Roads, traffic and transport, including paths and
pavements
• Access to services, including health provision
• Environment, including build environment and housing
• Community involvement and development
• Community initiatives, asset transfers

21. Professor David Adams
this place matters
re-thinking local leadership
Barriers to change

22. What’s getting in the way?
What are the BARRIERS to achieving change?

23. Diarmaid Lawlor
this place matters
re-thinking local leadership
Looking forward : Shared priorities

24. What priorities do you share?
What are the priorities you SHARE?

25. What’s the BIG idea?
What are the big PRIORITIES in this place?
What BENEFITS come from working on them together?
What are the priorities you SHARE?

26. Professor David Adams
this place matters
re-thinking local leadership
Leading Change Together:
Understanding PLACE

27. • Place is the ‘container’ for all the
people, institutions and activities
that occupy it
• Places condition our lives
They matter to human
experience
• Place-making involves economy,
society and environment
• Places can help or hinder our
democracy
• Good places attract - Failing
places repel
Why is place so important?

28. What comprises a quality place?

29. What makes a quality place?
• Good supply and mix of affordable, low energy homes
• Well-designed and maintained public buildings
• Good mix of local shops and pubs etc
• Good transport infrastructure
• Range of accessible cultural facilities
• Easily available public services
• Ample high quality green space
• Built heritage treated as an asset
• Well-designed and maintained streets & public spaces
• Homes and neighbourhoods for everyone - young & old

30. What supports a quality place?
• Good health and care services
• Good schools and child care
• Good public transport services
• Low pollution, noise and congestion
• Activities for young people
• Job opportunities
• Low cost of living
• Community cohesion
• Good relations between neighbours
• Strong community and voluntary groups
• Civic engagement and trust

31. • Local governance is about more
than delivering services
• It is about making places
successful, now and for the future
• It has to involve everyone
• Learning what makes places
succeed or fail should be at its heart
• It’s often no more expensive to
create successful places than failing
ones. It just needs care and
advance thought
Shaping places is about governance

32. • Leadership drives forward action,
breeds confidence, reduces risk
& widens participation
• Leadership is about
vision, culture, motivation,
resources.
• This needs collective local action
within a local democratic
mandate
Shaping places needs leadership

33. Professor Trevor Davies
this place matters
re-thinking local leadership
Leading Change Together: Values

34. Leading change together: values
Shalom Schwartz: (2006)
“values are the desirable goals we set for ourselves, which
transcend specific situations and motivate our actions”

35. action
• Values inspire action
through emotion
• Emotions inform us of
what we value
• Decisions to act follow
emotional judgements
about values
Values into Action
Professor Marshall Ganz

36. Leading change together: values
George Lakoff: (2009)
Our first social experience is the family. Family metaphors
frame our social values.
Based in the brain’s neural maps “metaphors are mental
structures independent of language”. “Metaphorical thought is
ordinary, mostly unconscious and automatic.”

37. 37
S Schwartz 2006 adapted by L Higgins
N Pecorelli 2013 for IPPR
Schwartz’s Values Wheel
Prospector
Settler
Pioneer
Professor Marshall Ganz

38. What personal values led you to public action?SELF: What personal values led you to public action?What personal values led you to public action?
Leading change together: values

39. What personal values led you to public action?
Can you define common ground in your values?
SELF: What personal values led you to public action?What personal values led you to public action?
Leading change together: values

40. this place matters
re-thinking local leadership
BREAK!

41. Professor David Adams
this place matters
re-thinking local leadership
Leading change together :
in each others shoes

42. Leading change together : new ways
TABLE 1 (community participants)
If you were PUBLIC sector what would your focus for action be?
And what would you expect private sector to do?
TABLE 2 (public sector participants)
If you were PRIVATE sector what would your focus for action be?
And what would you expect the community to do?
TABLE 3 (private sector participants)
If you were the COMMUNITY what would your focus for action be?
And what would you expect the public sector to do?

43. What did you discover? What surprised you?
Leading change together: new ways
What new ways can we develop together?

44. this place matters
re-thinking local leadership
Leading change together : strategic thinking
Professor Trevor Davies

45. Leading change together - strategic thinking
Chris Carter: (2014)
“The setting and accomplishment of long-term objectives
recognising the emergent, paradoxical and unintended
nature of organisational life.
“Positioning the organisation and bringing together a
compelling narrative with the people, resources and
techniques to realise the objectives.”

46. ➢ long term objectives
Leading change together - strategic thinking
• ambitious and achievable
• relevant and credible
• eloquent and compelling
• unifying and identity-building

47. ➢ identity
• Who are we - this team in this place?
• Who we are is shaped by our values.
Our values shape our common purpose
• What makes us different from what was done before or by
others?
• And what is it about us that will endure over time?
Leading change together - strategic thinking

48. ➢ techniques
Small things can make a big difference:
• - by changing how people see things
• - by showing how it’s done
• - by making an easy set of steps to follow
• - by tapping into positive beliefs and values
Leading change together - strategic thinking

49. What are your big shared priorities and objectives?
What are the first small 'tipping point” steps?
What is your team and how will it work?
Leading change together - strategic choices

50. this place matters
re-thinking local leadership
Leading change together : narrative
Professor Trevor Davies

51. • confirms our identity and our values
• conveys and illustrates our strategy
• describes the journey towards our goal
• is emotionally compelling
• and invites participation
Leading change together - narrative

52. story of
self
call to leadership
story of
now
strategy & action
story of
us
shared values &
experiences
PURPOSE
Professor Marshall Ganz
Leading change together - narrative

53. Leading change together : Story of Us
Who were the partners? What values did they share?
What assets or services from 2015 were re-configured?
Looking back from 2020:
What project was central to creating collaboration?

54. this place matters
re-thinking local leadership
Leading change together : getting started

55. Leading change together : First steps
Tell the story of getting from now till then …….
So what happens now?

56. this place matters
re-thinking local leadership
REFLECTIONS Feedback and Learning
Diarmaid Lawlor

57. Being involved gives a role,
sense of purpose
Being charge of our place,
empowered
Reap what you sow
Social and
environmental justice
Social responsibility
Positive difference,
personal reward
Reap what you sow
Social and
environmental justice
Social responsibility
Positive difference,
personal reward
Being involved gives a role,
sense of purpose
Being in charge of our
place, empowered
WHY?
Make a
differenc
e in the
commun

58. barriers
INTEGRATION:
Communication, accessing services,
shared activities
PARTICIPATION
Motivations, belonging, knowing
whats going on

59. barriers
Communication and information
sharing:
Volunteering participation-no point in
getting involved:
Too much top down implementation:
G Postcode-implications, issues,
contradictions :
Navigating Council services-point of
contact:
Silo working, not just the Council:
Lack of community spirit? Individualism,
silos within communities
Integration participation

60. PILOT
PROJECT BRIEFS

61. 3 collaborative focus areas
Roads and
infrastructure
Community assetsYouth

62. Joint commissioning
Communities Public services
Roads and
infrastructure
Community assetsYouth

63. Statement of benefits
Involvement and planning
Participation and impact Co-ordination and support
Communities Public services
Roads and
infrastructure
Community assetsYouth

64. Purpose
To test an approach to
localising co-ordination and
communication around
accessibility and
infrastructure to support safe
and sustainable community
activity
Scope
• Involvement: Local
involvement in repairs
planning, co-ordination and
budgeting
• Integration: Explain what is
happening across the
movement system, when,
where, why
• Benefits: Local accessibility
plans linked to community
impacts
• Measure: define success
criteria, evaluate
Outcomes
• Better environment
• Better communication
• Supported communities
• Efficiencies
• Quick win projects eg the Balfron
car park suggestion
Pilot Project Scope Roads1

65. Purpose
To test approaches to
supporting youth in the three
villages collaborate on shared
issues and interests for their
benefit, and the benefit of the
place
Scope
• Engagement: Youth led
approaches to mapping
opportunities
• Scoping: Supporting youth in
the 3 villages to design and
develop shared projects
• Test: Trial service and space
collaborations, with
resources
• Measure: reflect, review,
embed
Outcomes
• User led briefing
• Increased participation in
community
• Intergenerational
collaboration
• Focus areas for
agency/youth/community
joined up action
Pilot Project Scope Youth2

66. 2. Youth
Pilot Project Scope

67. Purpose
To test an approach to
visualising and connecting
community groups and other
service providers as a
resource for users, to co-
ordinate services and plan
resources
Scope
• Map: map current activity by
voluntary groups, community
groups and public services
around shared areas of work
• Communicate: bring all
information together in a variety
of ways to communicate to
whole community and key
groups eg dementia, elderly
• Co-ordinate: target gaps and
opportunities for focused action
• Measure: reflect, review, embed
Outcomes
• Greater participation
• Greater integration
• Clarity of offer
• Efficiencies and targeting
• Vibrancy
Pilot Project Scope Community assets3

68. ‘but what would it look like

69. Civic crowd

70. Being involved gives a role,
sense of purpose
Being charge of our place,
empowered
Reap what you sow
Social and
environmental justice
Social responsibility
Positive difference,
personal reward
Reap what you sow
Social and
environmental justice
Social responsibility
Positive difference,
personal reward
Being involved gives a role,
sense of purpose
Being in charge of our
place, empowered
SO…
…will the
pilots help
do this,
make the
difference?

71. SUSTAINING
THE EFFECTS

72. STRATEGY
PROJECTS
But HOW?

73. Culture of decisions
From deficits thinking….problems and gaps
To assets thinking….what we have and can do

74. The ‘must do’ criteria…
Efficiencies:
Value for money and effective
service delivery
Coherence:
Different community groups,
different demands-community
councils meet?
Priorities:
Come collectively, communicate,
invest in people and community
Need:
Responsive to community need

75. …achieved by…
Think COMMUNITY + PLACE
Single principle, all actions,
all decision makers
Push BOUNDARIES:
Start with possibilities, outside the
box thinking
Agree STANDARDS:
Fair and effective communication
and consultation
Widen BENEFITS:
Solving more than one problem with
each action

77. Objective Team Tipping point
• Sustainable community
• Carbon reduction and
congestion
• Pedestrian friendly village
• Transparent
communication channels
• Hospital site into
retirement village/support
for all ageing
• Feasibility
• Carbon reduction and
congestion
• Fix some pavements
• Roads forum
• Work with Local
Development Plan to kick
off
• Everyone
• People committed to
action, not dragging heels
• Forth Valley NHS ,
community, services
STRATEGY In ten years….

78. PUBLIC NARRATIVE ….
Balfron bus
Air BnB for cars
All generation access
Open space…nearly
there
New school as
community hub….
Roads forum set up,
collaboratively
Staff and operatives,
beyond roads only
Community council as
focus on the ground
Specific input, specific
area, specific time
Older people, tension
with LDP
Single village focus
Cradle to grave service
Manage tensions kept
people onboard

79. this place matters
re-thinking local leadership
INFORMATION
www.thisplacematters.org.uk