Community Rights Made Real: Getting to grips with the Localism Act

Toby BlumeChief Executive, Urban Forum

Most deprived Least deprived0

50

100

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Index of multiple deprivation scores of Urban Forum members

Num

ber o

f mem

bers

About Us

900+ membersSmall, local, grass roots groupsWorking with +10,000 groupsin the most deprived communities

What we do

supporting communities to play a leading role in public policy and improved outcomes

A bridge between community action and policy-making

Localism

Public Service Reform

Spending Cuts

Money doesn’t grow on trees

Community Rights

Community Right to Challenge

Community Right to Bid

Community Right to Build

Neighbourhood plans

Open Government - a Right to Data

Community RightsWhat do we know?

“greater public involvement in the planning, design and delivery of local services”

“empowering local communities to develop their local built environment as they wish”

“the value is the opportunity to keep important ‘assets’ in community hands”

Opportunities

Barriers

Threats

Support

Community Rights Made Real (Dudley)

Dudley Council for Voluntary Service

Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council

Dudley Community Partnership

“You don’t become

empowered by just

having a right”

Local perspective

14/09/10

Nothing ever happens Silos & retrenchment

Laissez faire

Engagement doesn’t

just happenChurn

Differences within the VCS

Reinventing the wheel

Inconsistency

Don’t understand the VCS

Reactive not proactive

BARRIERS and RISKSRight to challenge

Contract obligations

Procurement costs

Privatisation

Scale

Social/Added Value

Right to buy

Transfer of liabilities

Lack of capacity

Added risk

Power of the ‘big boys’

Cost of bidding

Moving Forward

Our Society Our

Solutions

“Anatomy of Services”

Communication

A warning to instigate dialogueFlexibilit

y

Meaningful stories of success Appropriate

partnershipsNetworking /

brokering

The future - ours to shape

Exacerbating inequality

Targeting support towards those who need it most

Find out more…

Still confused?

www.urbanforum.org.uk/policy-pages/community-rights