The Sustainable Communities Act

Ameneh Enayat

Local Works

Activity

How do you influence change at the local level?

How do you influence your local authority?

The Sustainable Communities Act

“Britain’s best kept secret”

A channel for influencing change

Ghost Town BritainThe New Economics Foundation

• Decline in independent shops • Decline in banks and post offices• Decline in public services• Decline in political involvement• Communities fragmenting

Local Works Formed

• Coalition of over 100 organisations• Sustainable Communities Bill• 5 year campaign to pass the Act• Grassroots campaign• Thousands supported the Bill

The philosophy of the SCA

• Communities face overwhelming challenges which no council or community can resolve on their own

• Central government is very powerful, they should be able to help, not dictate, with the solutions

• Local people should be the experts to the problems they are facing in their area – they should have a voice

The Sustainable Communities Act, 2007

• A channel through which local people, together with their councils, can drive government action in their local area

• ‘Bottom up’ power

• You say what you want, rather than Whitehall dictating it

• “I regard the Sustainable Communities Act 2007 as one of the most important pieces of legislation to be enacted in over a decade” Greg Clarke, Minister for Decentralisation, 2007

The Sustainable Communities Act

Reversing Community Decline

• Post offices and shops closing• Protecting parks and public spaces• Alleviating fuel poverty• Encouraging people to have more say• Influencing public services

Achievements

• Saved post offices in Sheffield• Discounted business rates to help local shops• Promoted Renewable energy schemes• Closed planning loop holes

How Does The Act Work?

• Anyone can use the Act, it is not prescriptive

• A council must resolve to use the Act

• The key that unlocks the process

Activity

• Your council is not using the Act, write down ways you can make your council resolve to use the act

Please ask your council to use the Sustainable Communities Act!

Write to local councillors requesting that they pass a motion at resolving to use the SCA

Further details: www.localworks.org

Proposals•Must help the community in a sustainable way

• Promote local economy• Help the local environment• Encourage greater democracy• Encourage greater social inclusion

•Must require government action

• Not valid If the council can already do it

NOT just another consultation

• Councils must actively seek out proposals

• A legal duty to ‘reach an agreement’ with proposals put forward

• Turning power upside down: “reaching agreement is where you say ‘I can do this and I can’t do that’ and

then have a dialogue about the final decision to be taken together.” Hazel Blears, Secretary for Communities and Local Government in 2007

The Process

NOT just another consultation• Government has legal duty to co-operate and reach

agreement on proposals

• Councils have a legal duty to reach agreement with communities regarding ideas they have for help and

action from central government

• The only process that gives local people the power to drive the action central government takes to create local

sustainability

ACTIVITYYour council is using the act, write down ideas for proposals that would help your area

Environmental - promoting renewable energy, increasing recycling and protecting green spacesLocal Economies – promoting local shops, local businesses and local jobsSocial inclusion – protecting local public services and alleviating fuel poverty and food povertyDemocratic involvement – increasing ways that local people can participate in local decision making, promoting new ways in which people can influence what happens locally

Must be something that requires government action

www.localworks.org

Local Works team can offer advice and assistance

ameneh.enayat@unlockdemocracy.org.ukTel: 0207 278 4443

Thank You!