EUKN - European Urban Knowledge Network - Community Strategies: Working at different levels

Community Strategies: Working at different levels

Introduction

This paper focuses on how community strategies are being developed in two-tier authorities and link in with the regional agenda.

Description

This paper is one of a series of issues papers produced as part of the Process Evaluation of Plan Rationalisation and Formative Evaluation of Community Strategies project.

The paper focuses upon two related issues in terms of community strategies:

how community strategies are being developed within upper and lower tier authorities;
and how community strategies link in with the regional agenda.

Background information

The research is part of the Process Evaluation of Plan Rationalisation and Formative Evaluation of Community Strategies project. In December 2005, Communities and Local Government (then ODPM) launched a major consultation paper on the future of Local Strategic Partnerships (LSPs), which touched significantly upon community strategies.

This issues paper is intended to provide further evidence which will inform deliberations on the future of LSPs and community strategies within the Department.

Methodology

The research is informed by the following:

Light touch case study visits to contrasting local authorities in relation to two-tier working (Derbyshire and Northamptonshire) and a regional case study in relation to multi tier governance (the North East). In-depth interviews were undertaken with key stakeholders for each light touch case study.
The 2004 Survey of Local Authorities.
The 2005 Review of Community Strategies.
Findings from the main case studies for the overall evaluation.
Early findings from interviews with RGOs (2006).
Evidence from other elements of the Local Government Modernisation Agenda (LGMA) evaluation framework.

Conclusions

It is clear that there are there are emerging roles for community strategies at the district and county levels. The lack of clear guidance on two-tier working on community strategies from central government has emerged as a key theme, as has the lack of resources for community planning at the district level.

While an entirely a top-down approach to developing county level community strategies is not desirable, neither is simply producing a county strategy from an amalgamation of district strategies.

Guidance is also required to further clarify how community strategies should be engaging with the city-region, regional and supra-regional level.

Contact info

Communities and Local Government
Analytical.Services@communities.gsi.gov.uk

Publication date

Project finished

//2007

Researcher

Policy Research Institute, Leeds Metropolitan University

Links

Visit the Communities and Local Government website

Download the "Community Strategies: Working at different levels" Report (PDF, Eng, 387 KB)

Document type

research

Themes

Urban Policy > Social inclusion & integration

Keywords

Community development