Localism: Why is it important?

We need to cut down our environmental footprint

more globalised but we also crave authenticity and place identity

We live in a global economy but positive and negatives are felt locally

Effective governance operates at different scales, including very local, city/county, sub-regional, regional, pan regional, national etc,,

We increasingly want power spatially closer to us

We are a grossly centralised country

Societal opinion is moving in a localist direction?

Localism: What is policy saying?

More freedoms to local government and functional economies now and in the future

LSP’s, LAA’s and MAA’s and now LEP’s

White paper announced on region’s and economic development

Local government in the driving seat more

Flexible spatial geometry

Power to communities

The Holy grail is an increase in harnessing local wealth/taxes

All political parties are localist. Difference in emphasis/speed only?

General opportunities

Demand for regeneration etc is going up. Just when resources are decreasing!

There will be less cash for projects, but more power for local authorities in administering it?

Green economy/Green jobs?

More for less and can less be more?

Maybe new wave on regeneration initiatives as decline hits hard?

Will big society mean more or less opportunity for the VCS?

Resilience

Conceptual framework

Public economy

This refers to the value of public expenditure in an area and the way in which public expenditure impacts directly on the economy, e.g. procurement decisions on housing and health. Most direct way in which local authorities and partners impact on local economic development!

Social economy

This refers to the contribution that wider community activities make to the local economy through social enterprise, community infrastructure support and local community assets, e.g. community centres, halls etc.

Commercial economy

This refers to the contribution that “private” industry makes to the economy including traditional economic information about investment, local business support, business start up activity and it also considers the labour market, including causes of worklessness.

PORTLAND

• Planning laws which restrict urban growth

• An extensive and vibrant network of civic engagement

• A “local” feel, with some antagonism towards big business?

PORTLAND

PUBLIC

COMMERCIAL

SOCIAL

BROAD ECONOMIC CONTEXT

GOVERNMENT

WORKING WITHIN ENVIRONMENTAL LIMITS

LOCAL ECONOMIC TERRITORY

LOCAL IDENTITY AND CONTEXTHISTORY AND CULTURE

GDANSK

• A local govt working hard to attract business

• A reliance on EU funding

• A weakened social sector, following the break-up of Communism

GDANSK

PUBLIC

COMMERCIAL

SOCIAL

BROAD ECONOMIC CONTEXT

GOVERNMENT

WORKING WITHIN ENVIRONMENTAL LIMITS

LOCAL ECONOMIC TERRITORY

LOCAL IDENTITY AND CONTEXTHISTORY AND CULTURE

CULIACAN

• Local government bending over backwards for business

• State-level economic strategy, again dominated by business

• Little civic engagement

CULIACAN

PUBLIC

COMMERCIAL

SOCIAL

BROAD ECONOMIC CONTEXT

GOVERNMENT

WORKING WITHIN ENVIRONMENTAL LIMITS

LOCAL ECONOMIC TERRITORY

LOCAL IDENTITY AND CONTEXTHISTORY AND CULTURE

COIMBATORE

• Local government providing little more than services

• Impressive network of local NGOs

• Genuine corporate social responsibility, filling the gaps with NGOs

COIMBATORE

PUBLIC

COMMERCIAL

SOCIAL

BROAD ECONOMIC CONTEXT

GOVERNMENT

WORKING WITHIN ENVIRONMENTAL LIMITS

LOCAL ECONOMIC TERRITORY

LOCAL IDENTITY AND CONTEXTHISTORY AND CULTURE

TIME

Disturbance or change

Thriving

Resilient

Survived but weakened

Damaged

Timelines following a shock or disturbance

Resilient Robust relationships between the different spheres of the local economybeen developed in bold and innovative waysArea very well prepared to deal with economic, social and environmental shocks

Stable sound relationships between the different spheres of the local economy. adequate communication between the sectorsmore creative collaboration is required in order to strengthen local economic resilience

Vulnerable significantly underdeveloped relationshipsrelationships may be precarious. limited evidence of the sectors coming together

Brittle NO relationship between elements.Tension and conflict.

Scale of resilience

CLES research and work on place resilience

TIME

Response Recovery Learning

Locality with low place resilience

Readiness

Disturbance or change

TIME

Locality with medium place resilience

Disturbance or change

Readiness Response Recovery Learning

TIME

Locality with high place resilience

Readiness Response Recovery Learning

Disturbance or change

TASK

• Sketch out the economic story of your place in terms of the commercial, public and social economy.

• Draw the size of the three economies in your area

• How resilient is your economy? What are its strengths/weaknesses?

•What are the barriers for the social economy?

TASK

• From the same place you discussed, think of an environmental shock (flood, drought)

•What are the brittle, stable, vulnerable and resilient elements of your place?

• plot this in a line diagram?