Transformation or Bureaucratization? The changing role of community representation in local strategic partnerships in England

Bailey, Nick

doi:10.1080/17448680500337483

Cited by 5 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 11 publications

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“…Rowe's recent ( 2006) work on 'abusive partnerships' narrates that LSPs in developing their Community Strategies, contrary to feeling like enabling and pragmatic spaces, are prescribed and directed from above, where partnerships act to 'airbrush out' legitimate political difference resulting in bland pronouncements where only the least contentious elements make it to the final document. Others have also shown how political and institutional inertia may thwart strategic development and restrict the extent to which local government and its partners could operate pragmatically and without being constrained by national government guidance (Coaffee, 2004;Bailey, 2005;Tewdwr-Jones et al, 2006). Davies (2004) also flags up this issue, describing the contemporary as a 'punctuated phase' of partnership working:…”

Section: Pragmatic Local Delivery Vehicles and Strategiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Pragmatic localism uncovered: The search for locally contingent solutions to national reform agendas

Coaffee

Headlam

2008

Geoforum

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This paper analyses the complexity and attempted pragmatism of current practices surrounding the management of current local government policy reform in England. In particular, it focuses on the tensions and contradictions between a national policy dynamic which seeks to encourage locally contingent solutions to be developed for localised problems, and the centralising tendencies of the national state which result in 'blueprints' and 'models' being developed for local policy delivery and a requirement to meet centrally derived targets. These assumptions are explored through the experiences of local government attempts to introduce innovative and experimental praxis in line with the complex cultural and political changes of 'modernisation' agendas advanced by the UK government. This is being rolled out by an overarching project of 'new localism' -an attempt to devolve power and resources from the central state to front line local managers, sub-local structures and partnerships and to deliver 'what works'. It is argued that new attempts at subsidiarity should be more flexible to local conditions rather than directed by national policy and that greater discretion and freedom should be given to local managers to achieve this task. Using the concept of 'pragmatic localism' and grounded examples from a recent initiative -Local Area Agreements -it is highlighted that there are signs that local state management of national policy could be becoming increasingly adaptable, enabling managers to deal with the fluid nature of ongoing public policy reform, although this is far from a completed project with many factors still constraining this change process.

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Section: Pragmatic Local Delivery Vehicles and Strategiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Pragmatic localism uncovered: The search for locally contingent solutions to national reform agendas

Coaffee

Headlam

2008

Geoforum

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“…Evidence from work exploring community engagement in area-based regeneration, has tended to be characterised by qualitative studies. These have focused on a relatively small number of localities at one period of time and findings have offered insights into ways in which participation pans out within specific local contexts (Bailey, 2005;Bailey & Pill, 2011;Beebeejaun & Grimshaw, 2011;Dargan, 2009;Denters & Klok, 2010;Dinham, 2005;Dinham, 2007;Lawson & Kearns, 2010;Mathers et al, 2008;Robinson et al, 2005;Wallace, 2010). Alternatively, evidence from the NDC programme presented in this paper provides an opportunity to explore relationships between engagement and outcomes over time and across 39 regeneration areas, and in so doing addresses three research questions:…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 97%

Outcomes from Community Engagement in Urban Regeneration: Evidence from England's New Deal for Communities Programme

Lawless

Pearson

2012

Planning Theory & Practice

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The New Deal for Communities (NDC) programme was one of the most intensive area-based initiatives (ABIs) ever launched in England. Between 1998 and 2010, 39 NDC partnerships were charged with implementing 10-year, locally informed strategies designed to improve conditions within deprived neighbourhoods each accommodating around 9,800 people. More than any other previous English ABI, the NDC programme placed a strong emphasis on informing and engaging the 39 local communities in all aspects of the regeneration process. The programme can be seen as a laboratory within which to assess relationships between community involvement in regeneration and any associated outcomes. Change data indicates that at the area-level there is nothing to suggest NDC areas saw more change than other deprived localities, or that NDCs doing more in relation to the community dimension saw greater change than those doing less. Data showing change for individuals, however, reveals that those involved in NDC activities saw more gains than those who were not involved. This positive individual-level change is not reflected in area-level data because absolute levels of involvement remained essentially low. This was for a number of reasons, some of which relate to the evolving NDC narrative: greater control from central government, diminishing community interest in the initiative, and overoptimistic assumptions on the part of local residents as to what the programme could ever achieve.

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Who is at the table? Civic engagement in small town housing decision-making

Odeyemi

Skobba

2020

Local Government Studies

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Transformation or Bureaucratization? The changing role of community representation in local strategic partnerships in England

Cited by 5 publications

References 11 publications

Pragmatic localism uncovered: The search for locally contingent solutions to national reform agendas

Pragmatic localism uncovered: The search for locally contingent solutions to national reform agendas

Outcomes from Community Engagement in Urban Regeneration: Evidence from England's New Deal for Communities Programme

Who is at the table? Civic engagement in small town housing decision-making

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