Almost a month into the new government, questions arise over the future of Total Place. Does this mean this is the end of the policy?

The MJ and Capita last week gathered together some of the top experts on Total Place – including former communities and local government secretary, John Denham – around the table to ask what the future holds. Heather Jameson reports

The Total Place picture for local government is mixed.

As we met for The MJ/Capita round table debate – part of a two-day Total Place conference in London – there were still no clear messages from the new government about local government’s flagship project.

A policy from the previous government, and still very much a ‘work in progress’, it is unsurprising that the new administration might be somewhat sheepish at taking the concept on, wholesale.

A rebranded Total Place is more likely, but so far, there are only hints at possible ways forward – and no name for any new joint public sector working policy.

Nevertheless, the signs look promising. The conference heard from local government minister, Bob Neill, and, as far as he is concerned, it is still very much on the agenda. Efficiency guru, Lord Bichard, is also positive, claiming the ball was very much in local government’s court.

But, as former communities and local government secretary, John Denham, pointed out, there was ‘an absence of one mention of Total Place in the coalition document’, and many people in local government were keen to consider what this might mean going forward.

Mr Denham continued: ‘We made a lot of progress last year... We did introduce a series of radical options on how to take Total Place forward, published after the budget.’ But, he claimed: ‘If we don’t have a high level of commitment [at a senior level, inside government] it will be hard to drive Total Place through.’

As yet, it is not clear how far this commitment goes under the new regime. Mr Denham also called into question what plans for directly-elected police commissioners could mean for Total Place.

So far, it seems the Government has been concerning itself with sorting out the coalition, tackling the budget deficit, and outlining its top priorities to the public. Unsurprisingly, Total Place seems to be quite far down the agenda.

But the strong view around the table was that local government must push on with the concepts behind Total Place or the momentum would be lost.

‘It’s probably unrealistic at the moment for the Government to be proactive on this. What local government needs to do is say these are the things we need to achieve more efficiencies and savings.’

It seems unlikely that any government would ignore local government if it came to the table with potential savings. In Mr Neill’s speech to the conference dinner, we were told he repeatedly used the word ‘outcomes’. What local government needs to do is be specific about the outcomes it can deliver through Total Place to push the process forward. ‘To simply say we would like the burden reduced is not enough.

‘We need to make sure that engagement [with central government] continues, and that enables things to happen,’ one debater claimed. And, as far as the Total Place report was concerned, he added: ‘It stands until we are told otherwise.’

Another debater had considered the new government’s position and said: ‘The difference between the last administration and this one is that there is a much more of a hands-off approach. I think there’s going to be far less legislation and inspection.

‘Total Place as a concept fits absolutely with the Conservative vision of local government. It’s in our gift now, but I don’t think its good enough for central government to sit back and tell us to get on with it.’

Another of the experts around the table told us: ‘If I was honest, reading the [Total Place pilot] reports, there was a lot of “invest to save” stuff. By and large, we are not great at doing that in government – and there isn’t any money to invest anyway. ‘There are things we are going to have to accept,’ he continued. ‘The Conservatives always said they would take schools out of local government... and [health secretary] Andrew Lansley’s first commitment was that not a single A&E department would go. ‘But if nothing is being taken out... well... you do the maths.’ The schools will halve the budget of counties and health commitments will squeeze local government spending further.

But it was not all gloomy for local government, he added. There was a role to play in keeping an eye on the spending across the public sector ‘The key is transparency of local spending. It will help local government. If we start to look at the spend, it’s up to local government to say, “This is mad”. If we are not responsible for it, move the space and be a champion for the people.’

Another debater said: ‘The core conclusion from the pilots is that it is possible to get better outcomes and shed costs.

‘But the question is whether central and local government thinks Total Place is the right way to tackle the current crisis…. For me, it’s not clear. In too many places, Total Place is an add-on to the main corporate thinking of how to tackle the major problem [of the lack of money].’

He continued: ‘Those who can influence the terms of reference really need to, and it’s in our gift in local government to see how Total Place will get on in the next few years.’

For others, it was all about mainstreaming the process. ‘It’s dangerous at times... if we keep calling it Total Place. We have stopped calling it that because when we do, people say, “Call the Total Place officer” not “call the director of children’s services”. Until we do that, it will remain one of the things the chief executive asked us to do, not something which is embedded in the organisation.’ Someone else agreed. ‘We feel we can mainstream this because it’s about changing behaviours and it is starting to ripple.’ He suggested there were three things which needed to be done: Change the language, make it coherent, and ‘we have just got to get on with it’.

‘The big issue is, we know all the tried-and-tested methods of salami-slicing and it isn’t going to work anymore.’

There is an issue that local government will not be able to continue to do everything it currently does, so it will have to decide what it will continue with, and what will have to be cut.

‘If we all sacrifice the same services, we will be in a stronger place,’ one said. And another debater agreed: ‘We need to be very clear about “this is what we do, and what it delivers” and “this is what we will stop doing”.’

Despite the new government and ever-decreasing grants, one element remains the same within Total Place – the importance and delicate nature of culture within negotiations. ‘Local authorities do have a first among equal role, but there has to be some careful cultural work around that,’ we were told. ‘It’s very important to talk about culture. It’s surprising how often the unspoken stuff is what people trip over.’

But there have been powerful advantages. ‘Total Place has been about thinking big and acting small.’ It is the ‘small’, personal stories which have brought home to people the importance of public services in their area.

‘As someone said, it is about “the softer things about getting people in a room to create some space thinking time”.’ She added: ‘Some of the mapping out and the story-telling gives us a guilty knowledge that we can’t continue the way we were.’ And there is another upside: ‘Don’t underestimate the energy that Total Place gave to the process. As well as looking a the structure.’

‘What we found really challenging,’ one person around the table told us, ‘was finding a language to talk to the civil servants to convey what we were going through. The system only has square holes. If we can’t get the civil service to work together, then this won’t work.’

Central government was perhaps not the best place to look for guidance when considering Total Place.

‘We need to re-fashion regional government to take this on, but that is not on the agenda at the moment,’ Mr Denham said. The notion of a ‘decentralisation minister’ might be good, but he said Greg Clark’s job ‘needs to be more powerful than that role looks right now on the organogram’.

Mr Denham claimed there was a ‘lack of urgency’ around Total Place, particularly in the health sector, where he said there was unlikely to be a debate of this nature. ‘We need to push it forward.’ he said.

The prospect of Whitehall embracing the agenda across the board under the new government seems unlikely, as another of our participants added: ‘Mr Lansley just does not get Total Place.

‘Why are we waiting for central government to tell us what to do? We are in a vacuum?’ he said. There were two ways to go: ‘On the one hand, we have a duty to carry out Total Place. I don’t think that will happen. It doesn’t fit with the laissez faire attitude of the new government. Or we can have a pressure to do Total Place.’ By the autumn, and the next spending review, the pressure will be there.

Anne Bowers Total Place programme manager Croydon LBC

Cat Parker Total Place programme manager Coventry, Solihull and Warwickshire

Jane Bench Head of city finance Be Birmingham

Janet Horton Development director Capita

Jim Graham Chief executive Warwickshire CC

Joe Simpson Director of politics and partnerships Leadership Centre

John Atkinson MD Leadership Centre

John Bruce Jones Programme adviser Lewisham LBC

John Denham Shadow communities secretary MP

Jonathan Flowers Managing partner Veredus

Mike Attwood Total Place programme director Coventry, Solihull and Warwickshire

Michael Burton Editor The MJ (chaired discussion)

Nuala O’Rourke Total Place programme manager Wigan MBC

Phil Swann Project director Bournemouth, Dorset and Poole Total Place pilot

Cllr Richard Stay Deputy leader Central Bedfordshire Council

Roger Britton Total Place programme manager Worcestershire CC

Steve Nicklen External programme lead Leicester/Leicestershire

Tanya Oliver Director of strategic development and public access Kent CC

Heather Jameson Deputy editor The MJ