District View


Alan Goodrum

The District Councils Network (DCN) is going from strength to strength. It was reported at the newly-formed executive meeting in early March that 165 local authorities had joined the special interest group, councils had been continuing to sign up, and recruitment for two staff was currently under way (see advert in The MJ, 25 February).

This is an exciting time for districts, where we will have a much stronger voice and play our full part in two-tier local government.

"Districts have an essential offer to make to Total Place. We are close to the people, focused on place, and our purpose is central to Total Place aims. "
Agendas at the DCN tend to be focused on the recession – and the problems it creates for our communities, spending cuts and the vexed question of concessionary fares, but we are increasingly thinking about where we go from here.

One such discussion took place around Total Place. As the 13 pilot areas have reported, this is topical. The areas tend to have an urban feel about them, and only four involve two-tier areas which gives the initial programme a rather unitary feel.

Districts have an essential offer to make to Total Place. We are close to the people, focused on place, and our purpose is central to Total Place aims.

Many of us are tackling major growth or regeneration projects which put joined-up thinking at a premium, with multi-skill and multi-agency expertise.

Our strength as districts is in community engagement. The roll out of a neighbourhood action programme by the police has, in the best practice areas, hugely benefited from involvement from district councillors and staff, both in terms of engagement and delivery.

The local strategic partnership has proved the best place to stand Total Place, making it relevant to local people – perhaps ‘Local Place’ would be a better title.

We have all got to find savings, from increased efficiency and reprioritisation. But let’s not overlook the local skills needed to shape co-operation and delivery.

Districts have these in abundance, and service innovation is a bottom-up process which cannot be centrally driven.

The district and district-based LSP building block is an ideal way of achieving this. It is essential our voice is heard in shaping the future programme, and that we have a seat at the table.

Alan Goodrum is chief executive of Chiltern DC



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