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Locals now have the power to influence local authorities' decisions

Local people have been given the opportunity, since last year, to be involved in the decisions made by the authorities in their community. The Duty to Involve became law in England on 1 April 2009 and it requires local authorities and other statutory bodies - such as the police, fire and transport services - to inform, consult, and involve their customers and local communities.

This is the latest in a series of related pieces of legislation driving involvement, bringing with it increased commitments and expectations including a culture change in statutory bodies, which now have to “embed community involvement and community empowerment” in their day-to-day work, says Alison Seabrooke, Chief Executive of the Community Development Foundation, in the guide “Duty to Involve: Making it Work”.

The way we do business
In short, involvement will become the way public sector organisations do business. This will require:

• coordinated approaches between partner agencies
• better understanding of neighbourhoods and local residents
  
• tailored engagement approaches and tools
  
• improved, targeted information and communications
  
• demonstrable changes
  
• measurable results
  
• two-way accountability between organisations and local communities
  

Measuring success
Success will be measured, tracked and enforced by the Audit Commission and others. Comprehensive Area Assessments (CAAs) will be looking at how organisations are meeting their Duty to Involve through:

• increasing citizen and community empowerment
• improving efficiency and value for money
  
• reducing inequality with diversity valued
  
• minimising risk to vulnerable people
  
• promoting sustainable development  
  

What others say
According to the Improvement and Development Agency (IDeA) for local government, “community leadership is about councils, both councillors and officers, enabling local communities to steer their own future”. This means that “it is not top-down leadership but involves councillors and officers using all the tools at their disposal to engage communities in making their own difference. A partnership of shared commitment to promote a shared vision for the locality.”

If you are interested in this issue, contact us for tailored learning packages regarding the Duty to Involve. We can also provide relevant training courses related to this subject in house.

Photo by Breity, available under a Creative Commons license