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Briefing for Commissioners Meeting
Empowerment Paper
Background
1. The Local Government White Paper, Strong and Prosperous Communities (2006) aimed “to give local people and local communities more influence and power to improve their lives”. Overall, the Government aims to devolve power to cities and regions and allow for flexibility to include local issues. It proposes to:
make services more responsive and empower communities;
strengthen the role of councillors;
devolve power to cities and strategic regions;
strengthen the role of Local Strategic Partnerships (LSPs) and Local Area Agreements (LAAs);
provide a new performance framework;
create the `Third Sector Strategy', which sets will set out the framework for engagement with the sector;
set a new standard of representation of voluntary and community sector representation on LSPs;
create a new `Duty to Involve', which will mean local authorities have a legal obligation to consult and engage meaningfully with local communities and affirm the importance of local government working with partners in transforming local services; and
require that community cohesion be central to community strategies and LAAs.
2. The aim is to place the voluntary and community sector on a level playing field with other service providers and to involve communities in shaping local services through petitions, community call for action and local charters. It also emphasises the role of the Third Sector in “shaping localities”, and calls for more sustainable and long-term funding for local voluntary and community organisations. The White Paper became the Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Bill 2006-07.
3. On 19 October 2007, the Department for Communities and Local Government published "An Action Plan for Community Empowerment: Building on Success". The Action Plan, produced in partnership with the Local Government Association, sets out how the Government will deliver on its commitment to bring about greater devolution and empower communities. It contains over 20 actions towards giving residents and communities a greater say in the facilities and services in their local areas.
`Unlocking the Talent of Our Communities'
4. On 5 March 2008, Communities Secretary Hazel Blears announced plans for a new White Paper focused on empowering citizens. At that time a discussion paper was published which sets out the Government's commitment to unlocking the talents of all people and seeks views on the ways to make changes which give people locally more influence, control and ownership of local services such as employment, health, education and transport.
5. The discussion paper contained four sections:
improving deprived areas through regeneration and promoting work and enterprise;
encouraging active citizenship, and reviving civic society and local democracy;
improving local public services by involving local users and consumers; and
strengthening local accountability.
6. The Empowerment White Paper, to be published this summer, has been informed by a series of consultation meetings held by DCLG.
7. WNC attended the DCLG `equalities consultation group', together with Fawcett, Womankind and other organisations representing equality strands. We were concerned to note that connections had not been made between 'empowerment' strategies between state institutions and communities of interest, and the structural inequalities that sustain gender inequality, and women's disempowerment in interpersonal relationships, especially with regards their experience of violence and abuse.
8. WNC, Fawcett and Womankind particularly recommended that the White Paper needs also to recognise that violence against women is both a cause and consequence of gender inequality; that violence against women impacts on women in many ways, and reduces women's ability to engage in productive participation in public life, or to contribute to the decision making processes. The continuation of violence against women significantly impacts on whether national and international targets for gender equality and for women's empowerment are met. Therefore, to facilitate women's empowerment locally, the White Paper must reinforce the need for local and national government to develop an integrated and strategic approach to respond to and prevent violence against women, and to ensure this is incorporated into equalities and mainstreamed into empowerment agendas.
9. WNC has offered to assist DCLG - and we are awaiting a response - by consulting with Commissioners, partners and working groups on publication of the White Paper and to facilitate further consultation via our website.
Eleri Butler
June 2008
WNC/08/02/14
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