Localism and the third sector: New relationships of public service?

Fenwick, John; Gibbon, Jane

doi:10.1177/0952076715610413

Cited by 20 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 44 publications

(53 reference statements)

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“…However, the NFWI (2013) study demonstrates that not only can the community-managed model enable a library's services to be tailored to the needs of the community, but it can also adapt more quickly as it faces less bureaucracy than it would have faced under public control; volunteers explained how being a part of the community meant they were often able to provide a more personal service. Fenwick and Gibbon (2016) identified the third sectora terrain outside of direct public or private controlto be distinctive in its sensitivity and closeness to users. One of the reasons cited for the success of Croxteth Community Library was its openness to, and extensive connections with, the local community, which is achieved both formally through the managing organisation and informally through staff and volunteers; for example, one member of staff had previously taught at local schools and so knew many of the users (Belger, 2014;Locality, 2012).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

An evaluation of community-managed libraries in Liverpool

Smith

2019

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Purpose Community libraries now constitute a significant proportion of library provision in the UK; however, there is relatively little research on how the transfer to this model has affected those libraries and the wider balance of provision. The purpose of this paper is to broaden the discourse and understanding about the impact of changing libraries to community models. Design/methodology/approach The paper provides a qualitative evaluation of all the libraries transferred to community-managed models within a large city council region in the UK. Structured research visits were made to appraise each library. These are discussed in the context of published literature and data, both specific to the study area and nationally. Findings Transferring the management of libraries to community organisations is often reactive and perceived with negative associations. This study uncovers increases in use and diversification of services following transfer; however, support from the local authority and the previous experience of managing organisations are significant factors. The paper also reveals how the successful transfer of a library to a community organisation led to more being moved out of local authority control, but that the support they receive from the local authority can be inconsistent between them. Originality/value The paper provides a study of community-managed libraries across a large city council area, affording an in-depth understanding of their impact on overall provision over one region. It will be of value to those involved in library management and service provision at both local and strategic levels, including local authorities and community groups considering library transfer.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

An evaluation of community-managed libraries in Liverpool

Smith

2019

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“…Localism Act 2012). Localism deemphasises the role of the state by transferring greater power and, in turn, responsibility to local government in how services are delivered (Fenwick & Gibbon, 2016). The potential for variation in who manages community sport facilities between different local authorities is a consequence of policy prioritising mixed sector service delivery and a blurring of sectoral lines, as outlined in Sporting Future (HM Government, 2015).…”

Section: Uk Community Sport: Policy and Governancementioning

confidence: 99%

Collective organisational publicness versus privateness in community sport: a national panel study of local authorities

Hodgkinson

Hughes

Leone

2020

European Sport Management Quarterly

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Research Question: The role and merit of publicness versus privateness in community sport provision is hotly contested in the sport management field, but is there a relationship between ownership types in local authorities' community sport provision and sports participation levels?Research Methods: The study combines secondary data on sports participation with objective data on ownership types in community sport provision among local authorities in England, between 2009-15. The panel model examines whether the mix of ownership types in community sport is associated with differences in reported sports participation levels. Results and Findings:The study reveals higher collective organisational publicness in community sport is associated with lower sports participation levels among local populations.The opposite is true of higher collective privateness in local authorities' provision, where higher levels of sports participation are observed among local populations.Implications: If local authorities are to influence sports participation levels among their populations, there is a need to better understand how community sport provision should be delivered. Informed by the findings, greater privateness in local authorities' community sport provision is associated with higher sports participation levels.

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“…Once transferred, CATs will still have to react to their market position (e.g. Fenwick and Gibbon 2016;Reid 2018).…”

Section: The Extent Of Community Asset Transfer Of Public Leisure Facmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Similar benefits were identified in Aiken et al's (2011) survey of community organisations. Studies of CATs in leisure a few years after transfer have found the flexibility of management has allowed them to cut costs and to make the services they offer more responsive to local needs (Fenwick and Gibbon 2016;Aiken et al 2011;Findlay-King et al 2018b). The use of volunteers from the community as trustees and in operational roles brings the trust closer to the community to understand and respond to needs (Findlay-King et al 2018b).…”

Section: The Experience Post-transfermentioning

confidence: 99%

The Community Asset Transfer of Leisure Facilities in the UK: A Review and Research Agenda

2020

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This paper reviews recent work on community asset transfers (CAT): a transfer of management of facilities from the public sector to the third sector, largely led by volunteers. The emergence of CATs is placed in the context of the development of community organisations and their relation to the state. Transfer has been stimulated by cuts in local government budgets since 2010. The review focusses on leisure facilities because these are non-statutory and so more vulnerable to cuts in public expenditure. The experience of CATs is reviewed, including: the motivations of local government and volunteers; the transfer process and management of CATs post-transfer; and the market position of facility types. The methodological approaches and theoretical frameworks used in research are contrasted; in particular, how these have balanced agency and structure in analysing a contested neoliberalist discourse. The practicalities of research in this area are considered before concluding with research questions.

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Localism and the third sector: New relationships of public service?

Cited by 20 publications

References 44 publications

An evaluation of community-managed libraries in Liverpool

An evaluation of community-managed libraries in Liverpool

Collective organisational publicness versus privateness in community sport: a national panel study of local authorities

The Community Asset Transfer of Leisure Facilities in the UK: A Review and Research Agenda

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