Women & Resilience

On International Women’s Day we gather, we celebrate and we plan. For women at Brighton and Hove City Council today’s focus is resilience. I have spent a great many hours thinking about what I can relay this morning. I could talk about glass ceilings, about maternity rights, about domestic abuse or rape. And, indeed the power of resilience in women leadership is what has made changes for issues that primarily affect women.

I thought though, what do I bring, that another women can’t bring. What is my voice and my value to our movement. I want to bring something personal to this day. We need to find not only our collective voice but find our power in our own voice too. Today should be a chance to reflect and develop that voice.

I spent time reading what women who had inspired change, stood their ground, endured the frequent and common experience of being disliked whilst doing it said. I reflected on their words:

Queen Latifah “be your own best friend”

Harriet Harman “strength in the women’s movement where I was liked”

Jess Phillips “Yes I am ambitious, ambitious for its own sake. Everyone should be.”

I spoke to twitter women and asked them what made them resilient. They told me that self confidence, friends, supporters cheering them on and, self care like spending time cooking were the keys to their resilience.

But what is my resilience based on? Am I truly resilient? I kept thinking these questions over. And if I told you, would it even be interesting?

Well I hope it’s both. But I guess for me true resilience is trying and being prepared to fail sometimes in the certain knowledge I will try again.

I probably feel like giving up on the challenges of leadership and trying to make change happen about once a week. Almost certainly Friday evening. All my energy is spent… I have mentally had a list of things I wanted to accomplish in that week. Always way too optimistic and sometimes, I am too optimistic about other people and their help, support and ability to achieve. By Friday, at least one thing will have NOT HAPPENED. By Friday night I am overtired. And that ONE THING is a DISASTER and proof that I am not up to any of the things I have put myself forward for. Work, politics, parenting or being a friend. Or something else. Like we have NO PEANUT BUTTER. The depressing return to student life of a women juggling too many tasks and running out of toilet paper and putting kitchen roll by the loo.

FAILING AT BEING AN ADULT.

I can’t even bake.

However, every week I put on the responsibility and the ambition for the changes I want to see and start all over. Hell, I might even take on another ambition.

Fundamentally, both my resilience and my Friday night blues are completely based on my optimism, for myself, for my colleagues, for my city and for the changes I want to help create. And, along the way by taking on 50 ambitions for change… I might achieve 10 of them. Better than aiming for 5 and achieving 5 in the end.

I also think a wide, diverse network of women who support you whether those friends are councillor friends, mum friends, work friends, neighbourhood friends or people connected to an issue I am working on friends. I always have someone who understands, who knows me for good and bad to talk to and problem solve with. To celebrate and cheer me on. I don’t know how people can succeed in work or life without their cheer squad. It’s also vital for me to be a cheer squad right back for them. Networks depend on giving back and participating in. You do get what you give, in my experience.

 

So this is my hard talk. If you aren’t getting support from your networks, are you giving to those networks? Are you the one that will see a colleague bruised from a meeting that went wrong and set them back up again? Remind them of their strengths? Do you introduce yourself to women you think are doing a great job and tell them? Because I do these things. This is a good habit I have.

Do you lean in? This is a habit Labour women in our group meetings have consciously developed. If a women in group makes a point and it seems like it might be getting lost, another women will amplify that point. They will repeat it back to the group. If a women had a success, we literally applaud. LITERALLY. This helps build new women councillors’ confidence and a sense of team. So, lean in for each other. You don’t have to agree with a point to amplify it… you just need to say “that point was interesting, I would like to discuss it”. You get the culture you foster and develop.

You DO have power to make changes that create an environment that women become more successful in.

We all need Anthems – I have some songs I play if I need a boost in mood. I bet all of you have some. But when I am feeling less confident or tired through fighting I purposefully play them. They may be cheesy but I don’t care. I play them anyway. Guaranteed to put me in the zone from wherever my confidence or energy may be is Girl on Fire. Everytime.

I know you all have a song – but get the habit of actually sticking your headphones on when you are feeling less you and let music change your mood.

Frivolity is also part of my resilience. Whether it’s joking around, another part of my optimistic nature is constant “seeing the funny side” including of myself…in fact mainly myself. But also getting a really specific cake I want. And pj bottoms with pockets. Those always make me happy to put on. I have two pairs with pockets. They are the best thing for a FRIDAY NIGHT WAIL calm down. I listen to audiobooks that make me laugh about the human condition in a kind way… Wodehouse and Pratchett are my favourites for that. For me finding the lightness in life is part of my resilience.

You will have your own recipes to resilience. Some will be way more self contained than mine. Introverts will need to spend time alone topping up their energy. But I hope that today you write your own recipe for resilience and then act on it.

Happy Women’s Day

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Wrong Trousers?

I don’t have a problem with Theresa May’s clothes. Not her leather trousers. Nor her tartan ones. I don’t have a problem with her shoes. Nor her hair. Nor the fact she is childless… I think that is frankly none of my business to be honest.

I don’t have a problem with her voice, her speech making ability nor do I think she is stupid.

I have a problem with the inadequate rail service ruining ward residents quality of life and threatening their jobs.

I have a problem with the lack of GPs to replace those retiring and the impact it’s having on people including the remaining GPs.

I have a problem with the level of rough sleeping we have. And that people who are working rely on benefits or go hungry due to the high costs of living and wages that don’t match the living cost rise.

I have a problem with the increasing fear and insecurity that non-British and non-White people feel in this country. I have a deep problem with undermining our values in this way.

I have a problem with meddling with things that don’t need reform…like education whilst social care is on verge of collapse.

But I do like the trousers.

 

 

Speech to Cooperative Party Councillors 2016

I want to talk about what the role of the community and voluntary sector means to a local government leadership committed to cooperative values:

For the Conservative Party nationally, the voluntary sector is a way of doing on the cheap. They like little regulation and the patronising offer of allowing people to “do some good”.

For me as both a socialist and Cooperative Party member, I have found that we in the Labour haven’t communicated well what the role of community action is … And have very little interest in doing so nationally. Previously we grew voluntary sector but focused mainly on the voluntary sector in terms of their service provision and their feedback – a kind of scrutiny role rather than an active role. We grew some organisations as service providers so much we have risked almost making some of it feel  corporate in the process.

Providing safe, dependable and financially well managed services for communities doesn’t need to be amateurish nor does it have to have the hallmarks of a corporate provider.

We need to realise that Labour and Conservative governments have sanitised communities from our consideration of what’s best economically and we have left people isolated and fearful as they move away from their families: Fearful of the people that live around them and this I believe is reflected in the politics we see being played out.

It is my view that for the Labour Party community development has to be considered as an equal to physical development and job creation

In Brighton and Hove are using our grants and investment in community development to foster community owned projects.
– Community hubs –  providing advice, training, youth work
– Credit Union – we made a subordinated loan to our credit union to enable it to grow and hopefully provide accounts in the near future for those that need it

We ran a Fairness Commission over the last 12months and amongst the biggest findings were to change “the way” we work to be in a genuinely empowering relationship. And, yo  provide the support for communities to take up the rights they have.

Continued investment in community development and activity should be the priority of a cooperator in my view.

Empowered communities are more resilient and so are the people within them.
They are safer, better off financially, and healthier.

We need to end a socialist style paternalism and work hand in hand to solve issues with our communities. That way their trust in democracy and politics will also be increased which I think is really crucial as tensions are heightened.

Examples of a projects that came out of this way of working (and there are thousands across our city)
– HOPE (black and Asian women) undertaken a domestic violence awareness project within their own communities
– Mothers Uncovered peer support for mothers using art and creative workshops to help reduce isolation, increase confidence and feel a sense of their new community

The reasons that these projects are successful is because they are run and governed by the people that they benefit.

I think Labour has failed to articulate our vision for empowered communities but I think that the Coop Party, our sister party, has the right values to provide a vision for empowering rather than “saving” communities.

I would ask councillors here these questions:

– In your council how are you investing in this action?
– Are you able to ensure the council effectively supports rather than gets in the way of community action?

Getting the relationship right between public and community ownership and delivery is a huge conversation – for me it’s largely instinctive because of where I have grown into politics.

It’s my background and passion to work with voluntary and community organisations – the principles of the Cooperative Party make sense to me because of that sense of community collaboration and team work.

These values lead us to focus on social value in commissioning and ensuring we do understand and value the social value non profit providers and community owned providers bring.

They have lead us to value community development towards a vision of greater public involvement in decision making for their areas

Those values have led to a project to consider the social value that could be generated in disposal of our assets and the support for communities to take on assets of community value.

Establishing the committee I chair has elevated this priority to the same level as housing, social care and transport. I am proud to lead that work.

I am still optimistic in the face of everything doom and gloom at present. My optimism comes from taking the power that we do have as collectives, as communities and as elected representatives. My work is to ensure communities don’t feel powerless but take power whenever and wherever they can. I believe that’s what the Cooperative Party is all about.

A report on manifesto progress (Neighbourhoods, Communities and Equalities)

A progress report on the manifesto pledges I lead on and contribute to:

Signing up for my East Sussex Credit Union account – please ensure you save with the union!

My role has been to lead on the following aspects of our manifesto:

• Enforce existing laws and reduce anti-social behaviour on our streets – New enforcement officers are tackling issues like littering, fly tipping and dog fouling.
• Work to reduce the levels of rough sleeping in the city and protect the vulnerable – We have just launched our Rough Sleeping Strategy this week
• Establish a cyber safety project to equip individuals and communities to be safe online
• Establish a Fairness Commission to tackle the growing poverty and inequality in our city – The Fairness Commission has recently reported and you can read their findings here.
• Focus on collective energy purchasing and attract funding for home energy improvements
• Set up neighbourhood centres and appoint neighbourhood representatives so that residents can access council services locally. Create neighbourhood teams to tackle community isses – We have established principles of these hubs at committee last November and agreed the first set of actions this week.
• Work with the bus company and credit union to provide discounted fares for those who struggle to afford to travel for work. You can find out more here.
• Show zero tolerance for hate crime and intimidation for residents and visitors – we have supported the Racial Harassment Forum to become independent and I along with police attend every meeting. In the wake of increased Islamaphobia and Anti-Semitism as well as Brexit I have prioritised liason with BAME and Faith groups this year.
• Investigate options for tackling domestic abuse – We prioritised funding for our domestic and sexual violence services despite cuts and the Portal was launched this year.

Speaking at the Dialogue Society’s Iftar Dinner

To ensure that this vision was delivered we established the Neighbourhood, Communities and Equalities committee which is designed to ensure equal leadership and governance is given to communities and tackle the perception of a council delivering for the city centre only. Also, to ensure that we were carrying out our duties in relation to community safety properly and to elevate equalities to the same status as other issues we already had committees for like schools and bins. Because, when you get things right for groups that find it more difficult to access our services…it tends to improve things for everyone else too. I have had the privilege of Chairing this brand new committee.

Launching the Power of Volunteering

I have held monthly surgeries for the voluntary and faith sectors which have been booked up all year and incredibly useful to me, and I hope has improved confidence from those sectors in the council and our commitment to them.

Mothers Uncovered – just one of the amazing groups I have seen at my surgeries

In addition, we have launched our Volunteering Pledge and agreed a Social Value framework which will ensure that we make our money work better for the city and, enable more residents to volunteer. We are incredibly conscious of the power of volunteering to improve lives (and health), reduce isolation, build skills and make neighbourhoods better places to live.

I have also led our work on supporting refugees. Not only were we the first place in the South East to accept households through the Syrian Vulnerable Persons Relocation Scheme and the council that offered the most help to a neighbouring county with unaccompanied asylum seekers, we are committed to taking children who need our safety via the new government scheme. We still need homes for households entering the city which aren’t normally available to us at housing benefit levels, if you can help please email refugeehelp@brighton-hove.gov.uk and we need more foster families… the more provision we have for children the better able we are to offer more support. If you have space and child care experience please click here for more information about fostering.

I also travelled in my own time (and expense) to visit and volunteer in Calais at the end of January 2016. I have written three posts about this on this site if you are interested. I took £1000 in donations for The School Bus project and I would urge you to donate to them to provide learning where it is really needed. It was set up by a local mother and teacher and is really excellent. An education really is a right for every child and it provides hope for the future and a break from harsh everyday survival.

In Calais at the Auberge warehouse sorting donations Jan 2016

A recap on my speeches this year for council:

Speaking at Council – here are some of my council speeches this last year: 

Preventing extremism 

Against the Immigation Bill

Impacts of Welfare Reform on Brighton and Hove residents

 

 

 

Speech to Interfaith Vigil for victims of terror

My name is Emma Daniel, I am a local Councillor, a Labour Councillor and I Chair the Neighourhoods, Communities and Equalities committee. It is my job to prevent and respond to hate crime. To provide a culture of belief and to ensure people are supported. 

I would like to thank the organisers for also remembering our Labour MP, Jo Cox who was gunned down in the street. 

What I see globally, and within our country and within my own party is the sense of being “right” and angry. That sense of right-ness seems to give those experiencing it a sense that their angry is justified and their victims deserve the pain they meter out. 

But I say when the means involve a mother bleeding to death in the street or a child lying alone and dying alone as their parents can’t be traced. When the means aren’t kind they are aren’t justified no matter how “right” you feel. The ends never can justify the  means if the value of kindness is lost.

What I often say to young people in my family and friends when their passions are roused about injustice is this. Being kind is always more important than being right. 

In the midst of emotions, pain, disbelief and despair and problems so huge what I can do to help as just a local Councillor in those small shoes, politically speaking? I turned to a book I read as a child, the Diary of Anne Frank for inspiration

  
In that I found the hope in humanity at a time of global fear and I know that we must focus on the lost children of Europe, the refugee children lost to services and alone. And I must do everything I can to ensure we provide sanctuary and hope to them.

I ask all the Faith Leaders here to please ask their communities to come forward if they have space and love and are able to provide a home for a child who needs it and to encourage them to sign up as foster parents. 

Our city must have the spirit of sanctuary in a world of pain. 

Racism and hate – we won’t stand for it

Grief and national chaos

The grief of the last weeks has been indescribable –  I don’t feel that the ground has settled beneath my feet.

The murder of a British MP, the lovely and brilliant Jo Cox, during the height of the Brexit campaigning and the general mayhem of a result that nobody had a plan for. The most divisive democratic moments our country has faced certainly in a generation if not more. Families divided. Voters remorse. The Prime Minister resigning though he has the support of his colleagues because he won’t press the button and the Leader of the Opposition not resigning though he hasn’t the support of his colleagues. Chaos.

What we need to do right here, right now

Whilst I feel all that I have to bring it back to my leadership role here and now.

I see the fear growing in our BAME and European residents about their safety. Which is why I have made my first priority in the midst of the national context to seek to ensure that communities know that we will not accept hate and racism on our city’s streets.

Our city is a safe and diverse city and has an international outlook. 

We intend to keep it that way. I have been reassured by police that we aren’t seeing a spike in recorded hate incidents which is positive but I will ensure I get the figures that cover the period pre and post Brexit and I will reach out to communities to hear from them directly.

Last night I met BAME Labour and went to the Dialogue Society’s Iftar Dinner as a guest

.

Tonight I attend the Racial Harassment Forum and will take away any comments and experiences from there which require action.

Racism and hate – If you see it or experience it please report it. Here is a link with all the information you need

Our schools, our parks, our buses, our beach, our workplaces must be welcoming and safe for everyone. If you report an incident and you don’t get the response or help you need alert us.

 

 

 

Help us to save our branch libraries

My daughter is now 8 and has loved going to library since she was a baby. The library was basically my children’s centre. It was a haven, I could sit and breastfeed in peace around other parents. I could take the buggy into the toilet with me if I needed a wee. She could crawl around and touch the colourful artwork specially created with children in mind… dress up..ride the squishy caterpillar… do singing with other tots.

My daughter still loves read…everywhere

It felt safe and relevant. I didn’t actually get chance to read much when she was that age and now I am a mum and a Councillor I get virtually no time. But tomorrow, if it’s wet our plan is to go to her favourite indoor space, our library and then on to the museum to try on African clothes.

Our Labour plan to save libraries at a time of colossal government cuts that are part of a vibrant network of civic and community spaces around the city depends  on moving Hove Library out of it’s current building which whilst beautiful, is a very traditional space and expensive to staff and maintain to a beautiful purpose built extension at Hove Museum. Making a lovely space for people to go and visit with a cafe and outdoor space. Somewhere I know I would take my daughter to and I believe would be a really lovely facility for Hove.

This way we can save all the smaller libraries across the city from cuts.

The Greens opposed this plan from the start purely because of the building. This beggars belief. At a time when our budget is being slashed by £20m per year, the Green party has put a listed building (which whatever happens to it will be preserved because the listing applies both inside and outside the building) ahead of jobs and services for ALL neighbourhoods.

At a time when so many are so vulnerable from cuts, and need their branch libraries for computer access and services to help them save money by being digitally included. The Green’s priority is preserve this library in aspic.

The deputy leader of the Greens said, when we won the election, that they looked forward to causing our administration, havoc. As usual, its the public that suffer when politicians put political advantage and not residents first. And it won’t affect the better off people in central Brighton and Hove but once again risks services for less affluent and central neighbourhoods. 

It’s rare I criticise the Greens because I still hope that we can work more positively together even if there are issues we disagree on. There is much that I hope we can work on together, personally I enjoy work with Cllr Littman on refugee issues for example. But their campaign to “Save Hove Library” has been disingenuous and misled the public that the library would close rather than the reality which is moving to a brand new home near to it’s current location. They have endorsed a campaign by a former Green Councillor which has targeted in a vile way a single council officer and reveled in childish and personal nasty behaviour to Labour Councillor, Tom Bewick and they have failed to stop this behaviour or even question it.

Which means ironically, given where the cuts to councils are coming from, that the local Conservatives, are your only hope to save your branch libraries and have this new project which secures the future of both Hove Library and Hove Museum and your branch libraries. 

Our plan is reasonable, positive and protects services at a time of severe funding cuts. Not only protects them but will provide a modern library space relevant to how people use them now… 300 yards from it’s current location.

REMEMBER – Results of the public consultation were in favour of this proposal, ensure your councillor listens to you and saves our library service for the whole city, not just a few. 

You can find your councillor here

You can email your MPs here:

Simon Kirby (Kemptown) simon.kirby.mp@parliament.uk

Caroline Lucas (Pavilion) brightonoffice@parliament.uk

Peter Kyle (Hove) peterkylelabour@gmail.com

 

 

 

 

 

A new focus on neighbourhoods, communities and, equalities

A year ago we set out as a new administration with a clear vision on bringing the council closer to communities…to shift our role from purely one of delivering to residents towards a role where we deliver *with* residents.

The cuts forced down from government are part of the driver, with a third of the funding we have as a council gone by 2019 we can no longer solve things by ourselves.

Even if we didn’t have cuts to contend with, evidence shows that public services needed to have a fundamental re-tuning. Too much has been lead by experts and professionals and too little by communities and individuals who also have a different kind of expertise and knowledge about how to make life better for themselves and their neighbours. To do this properly, we are going to have to let go of some budgets and decisions for areas to decide upon for themselves. Our aspiration is get to this point by 2019.

So far, we have set out a different way of working with the committee overseeing this agenda (which is cross party) by moving the committee around community venues in the city and inviting people affected by the decisions we are making to present to us before we make a decision. It’s important that people can easily access our decision making and participate .. whether formally through questions and petitions to committees or informally by meeting with me at my Voluntary Sector Surgeries (which I hold on a monthly basis and community groups can come and meet with me one to one).

Key achievements to date: 

• Launching The Fairness Commission – helping us make our city fairer for everyone which will report in late June and come to committee in July
• A road map to a more accessible and collaborative council online and in neighbourhoods – coming to committee in July. The principles are set out in this report
• Protecting funding for services in domestic and sexual abuse following a presentation on the new Portal (please share information on the Portal to everyone!) – the website is here http://theportal.org.uk/
• Launching the Power of Volunteering – taking action to increase volunteering in our city…because it is good for our city, good for people who do it – increasing health and economic benefits for individuals. Our voluntary sector also bring in over £90m of funding and hours to the city. For the first time the contribution of faith groups has been measured to.
• Work on supporting refugees through the vulnerable persons relocation scheme – we were the first council in the region to accept households and we did it through getting accommodation at local housing allowance levels which wouldn’t normally be for rent, thereby preventing anyone local in need being pushed down any queue.
• A new approach to Rough Sleeping – we have a new lead member for Rough Sleeping who pulled together a summit to produce a new strategy and action plan which have been out to consultation already and will soon be underway.
• Signed up to City Food Poverty Action Plan to tackle the impacts of increasing cost of living pressures on low income families

 

 

 

Annual Review

It is very nearly a year since I was re-elected in Hanover and Elm Grove and we took administration of the City Council. I was proud to be appointed as Chair of the brand new Neighbourhoods, Communities and Equalities (NCE) committee within weeks of starting out.

I thought it would be good to have a look back over the year and share it with residents. Firstly, because I think it’s a good thing to keep residents up to date and secondly, because it gives you the chance to feedback.

Case work 

The vast majority of the case work I have dealt with has been around street cleanliness, refuse collections and so on. A lot has changed in a year, and now the messages are much fewer and further between. There are still some sticky issues: The communal bins in a few streets in Hanover, black sack collections on a few streets. Being an area characterised by steep hills and narrow pavements, this does present some challenges.

I have also had a lot of emails on HMOs – and tackling unauthorised ones. My fellow Labour Councillor, Tracey Hill has set up a working group to try to deal with the very many issues relating to private rented accommodation in the city including this one. Community feedback so far is very positive. If you would like to be kept informed email tracey.hill@brighton-hove.gov.uk

In the Autumn last year a few serious anti-social behaviour problems relating to HMOs in the Bentham Road area arose. I am pleased to say that the Universities really did tackle these houses and it was all over campus that they had cracked down on “party houses”. I think this is a really good outcome. The vast majority of HMOs cause few problems…it is important though that residents know that when they do, we will work with all partners in the city to deal with it. There is also a shop front for the University of Sussex on the Lewes Road in an attempt to make the University much more accessible to local residents.

Views and opinions

The area is subject to two important consultation exercises at the moment. One is the consultation on bringing in parking controls. This was requested by a sub-group of volunteers from the local HEGLAT (residents’ forum). I am not campaigning on any of the options, but I will be interested in trying to ensure that the whole area takes a decision, not leaving pockets isolated without controls.

In addition, like everywhere citywide, there is the school catchment consultation. At the moment, we are engaging residents in getting feedback on three broad options before the formal consultation in the Autumn.

Citywide activity as Chair of the N.C.E. committee

• Establishing the city’s Fairness Commission which reports in just weeks from now and will provide a route map to a more equal city
• Delivering refugee support as part of the Syrian Vulnerable Persons relocation programme and championing the City Of Sanctuary work for elected members
• Raising £1,000 for the Calais Jungle School Bus project which was set up by a local teacher
• Establishing monthly surgeries for community and voluntary sector groups to raise issues
• Creating a committee that meets in neighbourhoods around the city and includes the voices of people affected by key decisions in the meeting
• Meeting with faith groups to recognise their role in meeting social issues and to build relationships for the city
• Attending and supporting the Racial Harassment Forum in gaining a formal scrutiny relationship with public services in the city.
• Overseeing the community safety and equalities partnerships
• Chairing the Trans Scrutiny Working Group
• Protecting grants to the voluntary sector
• Protecting the funding for domestic abuse services
• Leading the work to increase the volunteering within our city including the Power of Volunteering pledge
• Supporting my deputy chair who is lead member for rough sleeping to create a city where we reduce the need to sleep rough

Photograph above – Speaking at the Launch Event about the Power of Volunteering.

Speaking at Council – here are some of my council speeches this last year: 

Preventing extremism 

Against the Immigation Bill

Impacts of Welfare Reform on Brighton and Hove residents

 

 

 

 

 

A different way of doing local government

Up and down the country councils are changing the way they “do” services and as importantly their relationship with the public. Drivers of this change are:

• The way the public live has shifted considerably – far more people are used to self service using digital tools or solving their problems through their networks online… Whether emergency babysitting, finding their pet, or understanding their consumer rights..
• The funding situation for councils is beyond bleak. I will amazed if several don’t go technically bankrupt – not because they are badly run but for the simple reason that demands are increasing and funding has been slashed. Those of us thinking we had a plan are now returning to the drawing boards having had the business rates rug pulled from under us by Osborne. We have no more jobs that are “spare” with most of the most expensive or purely back room staff involved in income generation, the only option is radically changing how we deliver for our communities.
• Lack of trust and value in local democracy and what local government does. We are amazingly bad at ensuring that communities know the good things we do and how much impact we have on their lives. We have tended towards a corporate model which excludes people and communities from both decisions and delivery. Sharing those means sharing resources but also responsibility. We cannot ignore the anti Politics message leading to the rise of fringe candidates and single issue campaigners, with party politicians seen as childish, selfish and out of touch. Not characteristics I recognise in my colleagues of any party actually. I see many selfless, inspiring, talented , enterprising and deeply values driven people.

The role of the Neighbourhoods committee and the proposed new director will be to steer this structural, cultural and democratic reform.

• Developing the role of ward councillors in decision making with their communities.
• Integrating services so that people aren’t passed from pillar to post however they access our service – online or into a neighbourhood hub
• Driving a collaborative culture with communities, not making the council the solver of every problem or challenge
• Increasing volunteering and the power of volunteering

What is the problem with how things are?

The current model depends on finding the right person to deal with the issue you have, or the right page on the website. Call centres aren’t connected with social media in a consistent manner although the City Clean team are a lovely example of using Twitter effectively to take reports. Your tenure affects which person might deal with your issue so neighbours with the same issue might go down different access points. Councillors are often navigators for their communities rather than advocates.

The current model is under significant financial  stress and there are structural perverse incentives to raise the bar to access services rather than to take a preventative approach with early intervention. Although again, the sheer dedication of staff and some excellent projects mean that within directorates there are blooming brilliant examples. We need this to be broader …to develop these services across directorates effectively where they are shown to work well. This means leadership and governance that is 100% focused on this role.

Next steps

We have to spin another plate though now. And look to refresh how we work or people will be left exhausted internally and unable to deliver a good service to the public.

Some good examples of councils who have achieved this transformation are Oldham, Stoke and Edinburgh  Solihull have also looked in a very different way at how they do business. The point is that this level of change and reform is plan a and b because the alternative is paralysis in the face of cuts. Impotence. And letting down the public.

The citizen is at the heart of this vision. That’s not ideological or political game playing. That’s the right values for local government fit for not just today but tomorrow too.

We hope that all parties support this whole heartedly as now is not the time to be timid but to act, to prevent need rising beyond what the council can deliver and to make the most of our crown jewel as a city, our fabulous and talented residents.