Communities in control

"This is not about making people sit in meetings on wet Tuesday nights, it is about helping citizens to get involved when they want to on their own terms - paving the way for a new style of active politics that not only gives people a greater say but ensures that their voices are heard and that their views will make a difference...it is an agenda for empowerment that reaches right across the board"

Rt. Hon. Gordon Brown MP, Prime Minister

Update: New briefing from Urban Forum available (see below).

The Government's new White Paper (policy document) Communities in Control: Real people, real power published in July sets itself the aim of passing power into the hands of local communities, giving real control over local decisions and services to a wider pool of active citizens.

The document details support to be made available to encourage empowerment including a new duty to promote democracy and extending the recently adopted duty to involve.  A £7.5m Empowerment Fund will be made available to support third sector organisations at a national level to help local communities turn ideas into action.

A £70m Communitybuilders Fund to enable community-based organisations to have 'spaces' where people can come together to discuss their local concerns and channel them effectively into local decision-making. Organisations will be supported to bid for and run local services tailored to their own particular neighbourhood.

By Autumn 2008 measures will be in place in pilot areas to increase community and citizen access to information from local authorities.  A Digital Mentor Scheme will be piloted to encourage groups to develop websites, podcasts, photography and online publishing tools.

A new duty on local councils to respond to petitions will allow citizens to call for action and to take their own initiatives in calling for improvements and/or new initiatives. Councillors will be given new rights to champion community issues through Councillor Call for Action powers.

Participatory Budgeting will devolve funding to more local control to be spent on priorities determined at a neighbourhood level.

Empowering Young People will see the extension of a Young Advisers programme who will have direct access to Government Ministers. A scheme for young people to 'shadow' Ministers will be piloted next year. A £6m investment will create a new national body for Youth Leadership which will work directly with the DCLG (Department of Communities and Local Government). A Young Muslims Advisory Group is being established.

The above only lists the raft of initiatives and proposals contained within Communities in Control. The Executive Summary and complete document can be downloaded directly from the DCLG Website.

Also available is the Community Power Pack which is an excellent document which you can use to facilitate a discussion about Communities in control.  Download by clicking here.

The Urban Forum have also produced a useful briefing paper on Communities in Control which is available their website www.urbanforum.org.uk or through clicking here.

This information is brought to you by Blackpool Residents Federation.