burachief executivemichael ward empowerment white paper conference michael ward chief executive...

BURAChief ExecutiveMichael Ward

EMPOWERMENT WHITE PAPERCONFERENCE

Michael Ward

Chief ExecutiveBritish Urban Regeneration Association


1: Contents

• BURA• The White Paper• Asset based development• The White Paper in context• Case Studies• BURA’s research• Empowerment: the next steps


2: BURA: regeneration’s independent voice

VISION• Uniting private, public and community sectors to support excellence

in regeneration• Working to ensure no one is disadvantaged by where they live


3: BURA Awards

Support excellence in regeneration through three award schemes:• Best practice• Community inspired regeneration• Waterways

Community inspired regeneration award – long term database on empowerment


4: The White Paper I

“We want to shift power, influence and responsibility away from existing centres of power into the hands of communities and

individual citizens.”

(Executive Summary)


5: The White Paper II

Chapter 8“The Government wants to increase the number of people engaged in

the running and ownership of local services and assets.” • Asset based development• Community Land Trusts• Community share or bond issues• Social enterprise• Enable social enterprises to compete for service contracts


6: Asset based development I

Quirk Review: in 2020, “in every locality a proportion of all public assets are in the ownership or management of sustainable and energetic community organisations.”

• Proposal for Asset Transfer Unit in CLG• Not just local government assets


7: Asset based development II

Development Trusts:• Community owned and led• Use self help, trading for social purpose, and ownership of buildings

and land, to bring about long term social, economic and environmental benefits in their community


8: Asset based development III

Development Trusts 2007:• 423 trusts• Mostly in disadvantaged communities• Over £430 million assets in community ownership• Supporting 5000 community groups and 4000 businesses


9: The White Paper in context

Part of a range of initiatives:• Community Empowerment Networks• Community Anchors

…exciting, imaginative, encouraging


10: Unanswered questions

• Will sufficient resources be made available?• How does this relate to the Sub National Review of economic

development?• To what extent is there a cross party consensus on these issues?• Is the Government up for “double devolution”?


11: Double Devolution?

• Shifting power downwards, from Whitehall and Westminster down to Town Halls, and from Town Halls to communities and citizens

• Moving from initiatives to enabling neighbourhoods to take control of their own destinies.


12: The truth about community empowerment

Empowerment is neither a cheap nor an easy option.

We should choose community empowerment:

• Because we believe it is a better option;• Because we believe it can contribute to addressing the crisis in local

democracy


13: Three case studies

• Covent Garden• Coin Street• The Eldonians


14: Covent Garden I

• Late 1960s plans to relocate wholesale fruit and vegetable market• GLC planned to demolish market buildings and redevelop with major road

building and offices• Campaign in opposition by local residents thorough Covent Garden

Community Assn• Ultimately successful – scrapping of road plans; retention of market

buildings


15: Covent Garden II


16: Coin Street I

• 13 acres of land on London’s South Bank• Old wharfs and warehouses – by 1970s largely derelict• Plans for major office developments• Opposed by local residents, who argued for social housing and

open space• Long planning enquiries – in the end both schemes approved


17: Coin Street II

• 1984 : GLC bought site and sold on to Coin St Community Builders• 1988: 1st housing cooperative opens• Commercial development of Oxo Tower site• 2008 – development still proceeding


18: Coin Street III


19: Coin Street IV


20: The Eldonians I

• 1978: residents of Eldon Street tenement flats in Liverpool faced with plans to demolish flats and relocate residents;

• Formed community association to develop new homes on vacant sites, & refurbish some 1920s flats

• Formed Eldonian Housing Cooperative – largest new build coop in Europe


21: The Eldonians II

Further developments designed to create an attractive and safe place to live, with good quality urban design:

• Village hall• Care home;• Day nursery• Sports centreWon BURA award 1996 – and many others since


22: The Eldonians III


23: The case studies

• Each one based on a physical project• Asset development key to Coin Street and Eldonians• Very long time scales:

- each of these has already been

going more than 30 years

- Coin St and Eldonians not finished

- importance of longstanding leadership


24: The case studies: now

• Success celebrated – often world wide• Supported by all parties• Activists recognised in honours lists and with honorary degrees


25: The case studies - then

• Born in conflict• Each case grew out of citizens opposing their local authority• Need to understand :

- that opposition is legitimate in democracy

- that institutions that can cope with opposition are legitimate• These examples started with awkward, difficult people standing up

and asserting themselves


26: BURA Research: I

• Reviewed experience of 55 winners of Community Inspired Regeneration Awards 2002-7

• 2 stages of empowerment:

* enabling

* empowerment


27: BURA Research II

Enabling:• Acquisition of skills• Building capacity and confidence• Recognizing and pursuing opportunity is a learned skill


28: BURA Research III

Empowerment:

Community organisations empower communities by:• Supporting local entrepreneurship• Increasing cohesion• Establishing and maintaining information networks


29: BURA Research IV

Excellence in empowerment

4 characteristics:• Financial sustainability• Accountability• Transferability• Cohesion


30: Empowerment: the next steps

The White Paper is good news.

Now we need:• Costed plan to achieve Quirk review vision• Serious investment in skills & capacity• Fewer initiatives, but properly resourced• Celebrate and build on success – but learn from failure too

burachief executivemichael ward empowerment white paper conference michael ward chief executive...

Documents

community slide

empowerment slide

community ownership

community owned

community sectors

community groups

white paper asset

development trusts