Community planning and national planning – where next? MG Lloyd The Geddes Institute University of Dundee The Social Inclusion Partnership Monitoring and Evaluation Group Partnership and Network Conference ‘Community Planning and Community Justice’, Dundee, May 18, 2004

“ Our people deserve better…..what is required is creative institution building and a democratic opening – and confidence that men and women can shape their world”. (Will Hutton, 1995, The State We’re In. London, Jonathan Cape, p xviii).

Changing times and ideas  Social democracy ( ) – active government and people  Neo-liberal phase ( ) – markets, private interests and space  Third Way (1997 to the present) – modernisation of the public sector

Modernisation Modernisation is not an homogenous concept:  it can involve trying to put some order on the fragmented delivery of services that was a consequence of the neo-liberal agenda;  it can involve attempts to join up areas of government and governance;  it can involve a search for cost savings and efficiency gains – decentralisation of the civil service out of London and Edinburgh.

Community planning  to improve the service provided by Councils and their public sector partners to the public through closer, more co-ordinated working;  to provide a process through which Councils and their public sector partners, in consultation with the voluntary and private sector, and the community, can agree both a strategic vision for the area and the action which each of the partners will take in pursuit of that vision; and,  to help Councils and their public sector partners collectively to identify the needs and views of individuals and communities and to assess how they can best be delivered and addressed.

Perceived benefits  an increase in the collective capacity of public sector agencies to tackle problems which require action from more than one agency;  strategies linked more closely to the needs and wishes of individuals and communities;  an increase in community involvement and the avoidance of conflicts between programmes.

The Local Government in Scotland Act (2003) “making sure people and communities are genuinely engaged in the decisions made on public services which affect them; allied to a commitment from organisations to work together, not apart, in providing better public services”.

In isolation?  National Planning Framework  City visions and city-regions  Local Economic Forums  Development plan changes  Urban Regeneration Companies  Business Improvement Districts………………

National Planning Framework  National Plan 1965  Select Committee on Land Resource Use in Scotland 1972  National Planning Framework 2004

National Planning  to support the development of Scotland’s cities as the main drivers of the economy;  to spread the benefits of economic activity by promoting environmental quality and connectivity;  to enable the most disadvantaged communities to benefit from growth and opportunity;  to promote economic diversification and environmental stewardship;  to sort out patterns of transport and land use;  to invest in water and drainage infrastructure to support development;  to realise the potential of Scotland’s renewable energy resources;  to extend broadband coverage in every area of Scotland.

The Emperor is still naked…  The ways in which Scotland perceives itself, organises itself and defines the relationships between sectors, policies and players are being reconfigured again.  Expectations are also changing.  Community planning allows local flexibility according to institutional capacity.  Yet, it is not taking place in a vacuum – in effect, we are planning forwards, backwards and sideways.

Community planning and national planning – where next? MG Lloyd The Geddes Institute University of Dundee The Social Inclusion Partnership Monitoring and Evaluation Group Partnership and Network Conference ‘Community Planning and Community Justice’, Dundee, May 18, 2004