Site breadcrumb trail...
ROLE OF LOCAL AUTHORITY
In accordance with Legislation/Policy each Local Authority must now reflect its Strategy for addressing Social Inclusion as part of the Corporate Plan and have a clear statement of principle/objectives to address its social inclusion role.
The role of local authorities in tackling poverty and exclusion extends beyond the traditional areas such as housing and is, in fact, corporate-wide. At another level, the ‘National Anti-Poverty Strategy’ (NAPS) notes the local government sector as instrumental in targeting resources to those most in need. As mentioned earlier, it contains a series of key targets for a range of groups and issues, and gives local authorities the responsibility for advancing these at local level. It also requires local authorities to consider the impact of their policies on poverty and to devise responses to poverty and social exclusion as part of their work i.e. it requires local authorities to ‘poverty proof’.
Clearly central to the establishment of NAPS was the need to ensure that every local authority had a formal commitment to tackling social exclusion and anti-poverty issues. Finally, local authorities’ lead role in the County/City Development Board process, which includes a focus on community development and social inclusion, further underpins their widening role in tackling poverty and exclusion.
Reasons why this new emphasis on local government is necessary and important for tackling poverty and exclusion.
Local Delivery
Policies and programmes to combat poverty designed at a national level need to be co-ordinated and delivered close to the ground if they are to reach those individuals and communities most affected by poverty.
Better Co-ordination and Integration
The co-ordination and integration of programmes is vital to ensure a holistic and a multi-dimensional response to peoples needs. It is also important in creating progression routes out of poverty. Such co-ordination and planning can only happen effectively at a local level.
Better Targeting of Responses
Policies and Programmes to tackle poverty and social exclusion need to be tailored and adjusted to respond to local circumstances and local needs. They also need to be targeted at those who are most excluded and need to be responsive to new needs and gaps in provision. The knowledge and ability to do this and to develop better, more responsive and accountable services exist locally, not nationally.
Better Use of Resources
If the extra resources committed under the National Development Plan and the Programme for Prosperity and Fairness are to be used in a planned and co-ordinated manner to tackle poverty and social exclusion this will only happen if there is strong local planning and leadership.
Enhancing Participation
If programmes to combat poverty and social exclusion are to be relevant to people’s needs; if they are to foster independence and avoid increasing dependence of alienation; if they are to narrow and not widen the gap between citizens and politicians and officials, then those experiencing poverty and social exclusion must be involved in their design and implementation. This can not be achieved through centralized national arrangements.
Building Social Capital and Collective Efficiency
Tackling poverty involves not only economic measures and improvement in infrastructure and services it also requires building social capital i.e. the networks, norms and trust that facilitate co-ordination and co-operation for mutual benefit. Communities with high levels of social capital, that is with interaction, mutual trust and solidarity among people, have greater social cohesion and greater capacity to address social problems. (Neighbourhoods and Violent Crime and Commission on Social Justice). Building social capital cannot be done from the centre but needs to be supported at a local level.
Sustainability
The sustainability of solutions requires the mobilization and involvement of all relevant actors (government agencies, social partners, and the community and voluntary sector) and all local as well as national resources. This can best happen at local level.
Policy Development
Developing more relevant and effective national policies and programmes needs to be informed by the experience, analysis and insights of those working at local level.
Hugh Frazer, 2000 ‘Anti-Poverty Strategies Within Local Government, Linking Local and National Anti-Poverty Strategies’ Combat Poverty: 3-4)
Traditionally housing services and recreation and amenity were seen as the only services delivered by local authorities that had anything to do with ‘social inclusion’. In more recent years, however, it has been recognised through for example Better Local Government, NAPS and the Programme for Prosperity and Fairness (PPF), that social inclusion policies and practices must span all local authority functional areas. Local authorities have a key role to play in promoting social inclusion at local level. The new form of local governance promoted in Better Local Government (BLG) promotes good relationships with the local community, delivering quality services and consensus in planning and implementation across all functional areas. Therefore, while local authorities have a significant role to play in anti-poverty work through the provision of housing and recreational amenities such as libraries, they equally have responsibilities across the other functions.
(Review of CPA LGAPLN Fitzpatricks)
The National Economic & social Forum (NESF) believes By Building on Strengths:
‘Local government must build on traditional strengths. In its daily work, local government connects with its communities directly, through housing, planning, libraries, town and village renewal, enterprise development, service provision generally and in its interactions with its Community and Voluntary Fora. It must recognise and reinforce its elected members and their identification with, and knowledge of, local communities. Through initiatives in e-governance and decentralisation of services, local government is becoming more visible in local communities.
and Learning New Things
‘But it must also be open to learning new concepts, new tasks and new ways of working. The NESF expands on the Barrington report, highlighting issues of empowerment, citizenship, participatory democracy, equity and equality”
More fundamentally, the NESF sees Social Inclusion as implying ‘participatory democracy at all levels, encouragement of subsidiarity and combating tendencies towards self-interests. It requires that models of good citizenship are cultivated throughout society’.
It is stated in the discussion paper for the City & County Managers Association (CCMA) that ‘National Government clearly sees this as an issue for action, but it is local government that is best placed to implement it, through its closeness to its communities, and in its mandate defined in part 9 of the Local Government Act’.
