Guardian - Public - Pamphlets - Conservatives

Author: The Guardian - Nov 1, 2008

Thinktanks appear to be anticipating a future under the conservatives with a rash of pamphlets looking at what this might hold. Is the Future Conservative?, a series of essays from left-leaning Compass edited by John Rutherford and Jon Cruddas MP, looks at how the left can take on the new conservatism, with a rethink of the neoliberal model, particularly prescient in the current financial crisis.

The authors warns not to write them off as "Tory toffs" and argue that while Cameron has ridden back from the Thatcherite "no such thing as society" model, his idea of a welfare society coupled with a minimal state - with the voluntary sector taking up the slack - is untenable. But, they say, the Labour party's centralising urges have played into the hands of the Tories, who have struck a chord by portraying state intervention as unwanted intrusion.

Localis's pamphlet Big Ideas looks at the argument from the other side of the fence, with Tory council leaders looking at how ideas such as Right to Buy 2 are helping shape Conservative thinking. They highlight approaches such as Westminster council's support for disadvantaged families, and new ways of promoting "parent power" in education, as examples of authorities leading the way in working with charities and social enterprise to "fix our broken society". Meanwhile, The New Blue, from the Social Market Foundation, draws together prospective Tory parliamentary candidates to present their take on Britain's future. The Tories' favourite environmentalist, Zac Goldsmith, calls for regular referenda to get people re-engaged with politics, and Chris Skidmore advocates an overhaul of social housing to create more mobility and greater tenant choice with less dependence on housing benefit.

Localism

Local area agreements come under the spotlight in a New Local Government Network publication arguing that Whitehall could be holding back the success of the partnerships by creating too many hoops for them to jump through.

In Deal or no Deal: delivering LAA success, Anthony Brand says that while most local authorities were satisfied with the buy-in of partners on the agreements, Whitehall has to hold back and allow LAAs priority over central regulations. It also calls for greater incentives to pool funds and a system of rewards, giving areas greater flexibility over grants and local funding if they meet their outlined objectives.

The Sustainable Communities Act, passed in 2007, may give local authorities new powers that they could tap into to develop services and new funding streams, the NLGN argues in another pamphlet, Sustainable Communities Act: the key that finally unlocks real potential. It calls for council leaders to become responsible for public transport in their area and says local authorities should make use of use new powers that allow increases in tax revenues to finance regeneration and infrastructure. It also argues that the communities secretary should explicitly support local area agreements by warning that partners who are not pulling their weight could have their funding and responsibilities stripped.

The Local Government Association weighs into the debate with a pamphlet on changing places: Local Area Agreements and Two-tier Local Government, a how-to manual on forging partnerships. It provides examples of how alliances have been organised in areas with a county and district structure, such as Kent Partnership, and the Hampshire Senate, where leaders of the county and district councils drive the governance of the LAA, in an arrangement modelled on the US senate, with other public sector providers also having seats.

The Improvement and Development Agency has a novel take on organisational development in local authorities. In Making Successful Change Happen, based on case studies from senior managers in five councils, it quantifies the motivations that lead organisations to change using the equation D x V x T > R, where R is natural resistance, which has to be overcome by the urgency of dissatisfaction (D), the power of personal vision (V) and the tangible signs of initial change (T).

Neighbourhoods

Asylum seekers and many Muslim people feel discriminated against as a result of government housing policy, according to a new Joseph Rowntree Foundation study. The Housing and Neighbourhood Impact of Britain's Changing Ethnic Mix says many migrants face poor-quality housing in the private rented sector but argues that the government has not responded by improving things for them, and despite the rhetoric has in fact moved away from a "neighbourhood focus in community cohesion work". Services need to be targeted at new migrants and more research is needed into what works in creating cohesive communities, author John Perry argues.

Innovation needs to be put at the centre of city regions' economic growth plans, according to a paper from the Centre for Cities. But fixing the basics such as transport and housing difficulties should be prioritised over dedicated innovation support, says the Innovation, Science and the City report. The designation of "science city" has helped in some places such as Birmingham and Newcastle, but in others it has been more of a hindrance, so cities should feel free to drop the branding.

Cities must also be realistic about the prospects for university-led economic growth, which should fit into a wider growth strategy, it says.

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Guardian - Public - Pamphlets - Conservatives

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