1. The Smaller Authorities Team – DCLG Co-ordinating approaches to the development and delivery of policy for Parish and Town Councils
Sasha Morgan
Department for Communities and Local Government
March 2017

2. What will I cover?
Overview of DCLG
Current approach to Parishes work
Onward Devolution
Departmental Support
Q&A

3. DCLG – An Overview

4. DCLG – What does our department do all day?
What we do:
DCLG is helping to create great places to live and work and giving more power to local people to shape what happens in their area.
The work we do is crucial to some of the government’s key priorities:
driving up housing supply
increasing home ownership
devolving powers and budgets to boost local growth
supporting strong communities with excellent public services.
Polling on resident satisfaction with councils -

5. DCLG – What does our department do all day?
Why is this our priority?
Our department has a driving focus to increase housing supply and make it easier for the 86% of people who say they want to own their own home, to achieve that aspiration.
DCLG will enable a shift in power from central to local government, with decentralisation bringing power closer to local communities. We want cities to have more control over transport, housing, skills and healthcare with elected metro mayors. We support local authorities to help create strong local economies and deliver high quality, value for money services.
Polling on resident satisfaction with councils -

6. DCLG – What does our department do all day?
What’s the scale of what we do?
Single departmental plan outlines our priority objectives for 2015 to 2020.
£4.6bn Total Departmental Expenditure Limit (DEL) in financial year 2015 to 2016
This includes £1.5 billion resource DEL and £3.1 billion capital DEL
£40.3bn Total expenditure for local government in financial year 2015 to 2016
Polling on resident satisfaction with councils -

7. DCLG – Our 14 Main Policies
Housing Supply and Home Ownership
(8 power policies)
Devolution and Local Growth
(3 power policies)
Local Public Services
(3 power policies)
Right to Buy
Devolution Deals
Troubled Families
Starter Homes
Homes for England
Enterprise
Zones &
Northern Powerhouse / Midlands
Engine
Health & Social Care Integration
Estate Regeneration
Shared Ownership
Business Rate Retention
Planning Reform
Local Governance
Homelessness
Public Land and Infrastructure

8. DCLG – What does our department do all day?
Driving up housing supply
Our ambition is to deliver 1 million new homes over the next 5 years. We have the most ambitious plan to build affordable homes since the 1970s and we are focused on accelerating housing supply by speeding up the planning process, bringing forward public sector land and helping small builders.
Polling on resident satisfaction with councils -

9. DCLG – What does our department do all day?
Increasing home ownership
We want more people to have the security and stability of owning a home of their own. We are delivering a major boost to affordable home ownership with Starter Homes and extending Right to Buy to housing association tenants. We are helping first-time buyers by offering an unprecedented 25% bonus, up to a maximum of £3,000, on the money they save with a dedicated Help to Buy ISA.
Polling on resident satisfaction with councils -

10. DCLG – What does our department do all day?
Devolving powers and budgets to boost local growth
For Britain to fulfil its potential, every part of the country must be enabled to achieve its own potential. That’s why we want to see a shift in power from central government to local government, with decentralisation bringing power closer to local communities. While individual cities and towns are strong, if they pool their strengths, they can become stronger than the sum of their parts.
Polling on resident satisfaction with councils -

11. DCLG & Devolution Devolving powers and budgets to boost local growth
Government is committed to devolving greater powers away from Whitehall, where there is an economic rationale to do so.
Brexit makes this even more crucial - Government is clear that powers should not be repatriated from Brussels only to be kept in Westminster.
We understand that a Global Britain requires strong local foundations.
Polling on resident satisfaction with councils -

12. How do we think about Parish and Town Councils in DCLG?

13. DCLG Parish Landscape LOCAL GOV. POLICY LOCAL GOV. FINANCE
LOCAL GOV. FINANCE     h
 General Parish
Policy
CITIES & LOCAL GROWTH
EFFICIENCY & ACCOUNTABILITY 
SMALLER AUTHORITIES TEAM
COUNCIL TAX & BUSINESS RATES
LOCAL TAXATION TEAM
Precepts & Referendum Principles 
LOCAL GOV. STEWARDHSIP 
Councillor Conduct
PUBLICITY & CONDUCT CODE TEAM
Publicity Code
Byelaws
Polling on resident satisfaction with councils -
CITIES & LOCAL GROWTH 
Devolution Deals 
COMMUNITIES & MIGRATION
Service Transformation
COMMUNITIES TEAM
Onward Devolution
Community Rights

14. The Parishes Team
The NALC-administered Transparency Fund, which is currently in its second year and has provided funding to nearly 3,000 councils.
The production of new Community Governance Review guidance.
Taking action to facilitate changes to legislation around parish polls.
Implementation of New Audit and assurance regime
Polling on resident satisfaction with councils -

15. Onward Devolution - Our conversation with the sector
The Government is clear that devolution should include ‘forward’ devolution of service delivery and decision-making to local communities and neighbourhoods.
A grassroots approach - allowing local people to take control of services where appropriate, deciding which outcomes matter most and finding solutions that suit local circumstances. This approach will enable all tiers of local government to work together.
We believe that this will build on the existing strengths and structures of local people and their locally accountable representatives.   
Encourage upper tier authorities to use the local expertise of town and parish councils, and enable town and parish councils to bring their practical experience of neighbourhood level working and connecting with local people to achieve more tailored local services.

16. Context & Sector Strengths

17. Financial and Demographic Pressures on Public Services
Spending on Adults’ Social Care is forecast to continue rising, in large part due to the growth in the numbers of elderly individuals requiring a greater level of support.
Increasing cost pressures in several areas of Children’s Services delivery.
Pressures on Principal Authority budgets.

18. Local Council Efficiency and Innovation
Parish and Town Councils can play a vital role in helping to meet these challenges as:
Our work shows that you can deliver savings of 4.8:1 when services are devolved to you.
Your strong local knowledge allows you to tailor services to the needs of your communities.
Your smaller size allows for greater agility and innovation in approaching local problems.

19. Neighbourhood Level Services – Efficiencies and Better Outcomes
Co-design: Services produced between provider and user
Economies of Scope: achieved through the ‘bundling’ of services
Economies of cost: You have lower cost base and simpler purchasing
Economies of learning: You can respond quicker,
experiment and
take risks
Economies of density: Local knowledge means you can identify where need is greatest
Larger
Appropriate geographic scale
The outcome will be different for different services types
Economies of scale
Smaller

20. The Local Nature of Parish & Town Councils
Parish and town councils are best placed to maintain and build on this high level of trust.
Being able to make your case by explaining how funding for projects and services will benefit your local area.
Your high visibility, accountability and accessibility to the communities you serve.
Polling on resident satisfaction with councils -

21. Support – Policies & Programmes

22. We have….…
£5m of funding to outline the case to run services as part of the “Our Place” programme.
The Community Asset Transfer, to allow local councils and communities to take on public land and building from principal authorities.
The Community Right to Challenge, allowing communities to express an interest in taking on services from principal authorities.
Polling on resident satisfaction with councils -

23. The General Power of Competence
The General Power of Competence was introduced in the Localism Act 2011, and frees eligible parish & town councils to do “anything that individuals generally may do”.
As well as managing devolved services from principal authorities, you can develop or fund your own services in your local community.
The GPC is intended to give you the freedom and confidence to act, so use it where you can!
Polling on resident satisfaction with councils -

24. How you are putting it into action !
Using funding from the “Our Place” Program, Martock Parish Council has set up and run a group to support people seeking employment.
Frome Town Council has invested in renewable energy production at a local community hub.
Shrewsbury Town Council have taken on or developed several services, including delivering their own highways & grounds maintenance.
Stirchley and Brookside Parish Council have been imaginative in co-designing services with Telford and Wrekin. They maintain local green spaces, the skate park and other leisure facilities and deliver services at a reduced cost.
Polling on resident satisfaction with councils -

25. Q&A

26. Over to you! mycommunity.org.uk Smaller Authorities Team
Department for Communities and Local Government