8th REGENERATION MANAGEMENT RESEARCH NETWORK

Matching rhetoric with reality: the challenge for third sector involvement in local governance

Wednesday 18th June 2008

Matthew Jackson, Senior Policy Researcher

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About CLES and our work on local governance

The role of the third sector in local governance?

‘The voluntary sector, described by Kendall and Knapp (1995) as a ‘loose and baggy monster’, is made up of many diverse organisations ranging from the multitude of unregistered and unincorporated associations through national and international service providers and multi-million pound organisations, but there is no universal agreement on the exact nature of the beast’

(Myers and Sacks, 2001)

Why are CLES bothered about the third sector?

local economic contributorsservice delivery fairnesssocial equality and justicelocal knowledge – local solutionscompliment the local authority some strategic skillsa variety and diversitylocal government modernisation

The changing view of the third sector

Not fluffy but hardNot grants but contractsNot peripheral but centralNot just volunteering but employmentNot necessarily small scaleNot disorganised but professional

Two Waves?Increasing central value of their roleWave 1 – ‘voice’

Major regeneration programmesCity ChallengeSRBCommunity Empowerment NetworksLocal Strategic Partnerships

Wave 2 – ‘strategic engager and deliverer’Strategic governance

contracts AND grantsSustainable Community StrategiesLocal Area Agreements

The waves of third sector involvement in local governance

What are Local Area Agreements?

Local Community

National Priorities

Monitoring and

Reporting Outcomes

Scrutiny

Sustainable Communities

Strategy

Funding

LAA

Enterprise & Economic DevelopmentHealthier communities, and older people

Safer and stronger communitiesChildren and young people

---------------------------------------------------

LAA Reward Grant

LSPLocal Community

Local Partners

Commissioning

Delivery focused PSA Target Funding for infrastructure, knowledge and capacityStatements of involvement for LSP/LAA/LDF/A central commitment ‘grants’ to ‘contracts’Efficiency AND effectiveness

The policy rhetoric

A mixed picture across the countryInvolvement dependent upon

quality of umbrella representative bodiesapproach of local authority time and capacitysize of organisationUnderstanding of the role of the sectoraspirations around funding

The reality

A range of barriers to engagement

Lack of trustPoor communication‘junior partners’What do the third sector do?Low levels of professional skillsPerceived reliance upon grants

Barriers to engagement

Playing the local governance gameA build upon existing strong relationshipsPlay to your strengthsBase involvement upon effective deliveryCo-ordinate and deliver

The benefits of involvementGrowth and influenceDelivery sustainabilityAn opportunity for engagementAn opportunity to communicate

Good practice in reality

Local Government White Paper Ramped Up Importance of Local Area Agreements:

role of local authority New Duties for development, negotiation and deliveryNew performance indicatorsThe Third SectorFunding the LAA

National indicators, new LAAs and the third sector

A typology of indicators1. Easy to measure through national data sources

NI 151 – Overall employment rate2. Partner dependent

2. N1 152 – Working age people on out of work benefits3. Perceptive and service user focused

3. NI 1 - % of people who believe people from different backgrounds get on well together in their local area

4. Strong link to policy priorities4. NI 117 – 16 – 18 year olds who are not in education, training or employment

5. National priority focusedNI 35 – Building resilience to violent extremism

6. Difficult to measureNI 7 – environment for a thriving third sector

Performance indicators

The spectrum of third sector involvement

How could the third sector be involved in local governance – a spectrum of roles:

Level 1As a

Communicator of activities

 

 

Level 2As a Local Authority/ Community Broker

Level 3As an

advocate of policy

Level 4Through a

Third Sector Infrastructu

re Body

Level 5As a

Thematic Partner

Level 6As a

Strategic Partner /

Lead

Level 7As a

Service Deliverer

Level 8As a

Strategic Deliverer

Organisations need to ask themselves a series of questions:Does the organisation have the capacity to be involved in local governance activities?Does the organisation have the strategic capacity?Does involvement in local governance distract from project activity?Does involvement in local governance correlate with the ethos, aims and objectives of the organisation?Does involvement in local governance come based upon strong existing links or is the organisation in effect moving into new themes and arenas and geographical areas?How will involvement in local governance affect the organisations service users and members?

The future role – what do the sector need to do?

Local governance mechanisms need to:Understand the diversity of the sectorUnderstand the variety of the sectorAssess the strategic capacity of the third sectorLook beyond the usual suspectsBuild up relations with and listen to third sector umbrella bodiesEngage the third sector in service planning as well as strategic governance

The future role – what do local governance mechanisms need

to do?

Are the third sector ready for this?Is there the local authority commitment to third sector delivery?Does it really mean better outcomes and more effective delivery?Are the third sector really a loose and baggy monster?

Further information0161 236 7036 matthewjackson@cles.org.uk

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