Meaningful engagement
- Published: 30 July 2008 12:35
- Author: Mark Faithful
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- Last Updated: 30 July 2008 16:28
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Three councils that have turned 'empowerment' and 'engagement' into reality.
Let the community take responsibility
Chorley BC's efforts to reopen a community centre, closed down following an arson attack, helped the council win a Beacon award for excellence. The north-west council was praised for its management of community facilities.
The Chorley East ward falls within the top 20% of deprived wards nationally and has high rates of poverty, crime and nuisance behaviour. It was here that the Tatton Community Centre opened in 1976 in a local recreation ground and managed by the council. The centre suffered from vandalism and attracted anti-social behaviour, and in 1994 an arson attack forced it to close for 10 months while it underwent £60,000 of repairs.
But out of its ashes rose the Tatton Community Project. This involved setting up a range of facilities and activities run by a partnership set up in 1996 that included the council, Tatton Community Group, local businesses and the police. New facilities included a skate park, children's play area, cycling circuit, seating and picnic benches, street lighting, and roller hockey and basketball facilities on the recreation ground. The project attracted over £200,000 for the area.
In 1999, Chorley and Lancashire CC development officers set up a community safety target area group, Positive Action in Chorley East (PAiCE). Quarterly meetings are held at Tatton Community Centre and PAiCE has provided a blueprint for similar partnerships in two other
deprived wards. A community classroom has also been set up, run by a steering group of volunteers.
Tatton Community Centre is open seven days a week and is popular with community groups, many of which contribute to the facilities on offer. The TYPical Youth Group, for example, won funding for television and video equipment, DJ equipment and lighting. Tatton Community Association, PAiCE and Chorley Play Partnership have also contributed over £28,000 to the Get Up and Go scheme that runs activities for young people. These schemes enable access to grants not available to the local authority itself.
Management of the centre has been transferred to Tatton Community Association, which started handling bookings in 2007 and acting as the first point of contact for users. However, the council warns that proper planning is needed when community groups take on this sort of responsibility.
Lorraine Cross, active people manager at Chorley, says: "Our advice would be: don't underestimate the amount of time and effort this type of project will take, get legal advice and support early in the process, talk to others who have been through the process and don't think that it ends when the facility is handed over if the facility is to flourish."
Make it easy for the public to engage
Integrated public access points provided by Staffordshire Moorlands DC's Connect project have made it easier for the public to make its voice heard in the scattered market towns of Biddulph, Cheadle and Leek.
The project was launched in 1999 and was the result of consultation with Biddulph's local community. The town's geographical isolation from the main administrative centre of Leek and relatively poor public transport links were identified as problems. In addition, the local police station was earmarked for closure, a decision that was unpopular with local people who wanted to keep a police presence in the town.
A partnership of district, town and county councils, along with the police, was formed to develop a 'one-stop shop' for Biddulph. It was called Biddulph Councils Connect and located in purpose-built offices in the town hall. It was equipped to ensure that district staff could deliver services on behalf of all three councils, and also act as the civilian reception for the police.
Its success led to the development of similar facilities at the other main towns; the first was Cheadle Councils Connect, which opened in a central location and included new library services. In 2003 Leek followed. Feedback from customers in Biddulph and Cheadle indicated that space and privacy were issues for them when they used the service, and so these concerns were addressed by developing the Leek service on a much larger scale.
As the initiative has developed, the emphasis has been on working with partner organisations to provide a more complete public service 'experience'. The shops now host organisations including the Pensions Service, Age Concern, Business Initiative, Turning Point, the registrar's service, primary care trust services, Citizens Advice Bureau, Connexions and other agencies. Each of the shops has a partnership forum where the agencies meet.
"The organisations we engaged in the project differed in terms of size, resources and aims — from national bodies such as the Pensions Service through to neighbourhood action teams — and aligning different cultures and outlooks was no easy task," says Peter Dunkley, head of customer services at Staffordshire Moorlands.
"We ensured that we kept in touch with all the players, listened to what they had to say and we also didn't pretend that we had all the answers at the outset, which meant we could respond flexibly when opportunities offered themselves."
Mr Dunkley advises other councils planning similar projects to keep their options open at an early stage.
"Don't over-formalise things at the start. Get to know the people you are working with and understand what they are seeking from working with you. This will also mean that if you're not right for each other you can more easily walk away without finding yourself enmeshed in contracts and the like," he says.
Make benefits more accessible
Despite employment levels above the national average, pockets of deprivation in Tameside mean it is ranked as the 49th most deprived council area in England, with many families and individuals relying on benefits. However, Tameside MBC has a flagship benefits service that was given a top four-star rating by the Benefit Fraud Inspectorate.
The Tameside Joint Pensions Team advises people on a wide range of benefits and entitlements. The closure of the local pensions office in 2004 created the opportunity to combine services with the Pensions service. The result was a better, more 'joined-up' service and operational savings of £30,000 a year. Approximately two-thirds of the £3m-plus of benefits awarded came about through home visits where customers had not previously claimed all their entitlements.
The joint team also provides a service at Age Concern offices and customer service centres, meaning that claims can processed and documents verified without having to put them in the post. In addition, people in sheltered housing have had presentations about what benefits and pension credits they are entitled to.
The team places emphasis on directing people to local sources of help and support. For example, Tameside believes it is unique in having an online application and validation process for free school meals. This allows claimants to make an application which is then checked, validated and an immediate decision given. Successful applications made before 10am will result in the child receiving a free meal the same day.
The system is being developed for other benefits with similar eligibility criteria. Where possible these additional benefits will be approved as part of one claim. And in June a 'benefits bus' — co-owned by 13 Greater Manchester councils and purchased with government funding — made its first official visit to Tameside. This mobile advice centre is designed to be accessible and has private interview room facilities.
Challenges for the Tameside Joint Pensions Team have included "co-ordination of so many people" in terms of logistics and being "on message", says policy manager Emma Thompson.
For such a service to be effective, she recommends regular weekly meetings to keep all parties informed and to brief attendees just before inspectors arrive.
"You need to plan, plan, plan using action plans with deadlines which are updated daily and assign tasks to single people to ensure responsibility," she says. "And lastly, share tasks and delegate to others — the main lead simply cannot do everything."
