Communities Secretary Hazel Blears announced plans on 22 January for new 'community contracts' across England - giving communities the opportunity to agree deals and written guarantees with their council on a wide range of service standards from tackling drug dealing on estates, bin collection, clearing graffiti and street cleaning.
Speaking to the New Local Government Network she announced 'community contracts' between local communities and their council are to be piloted in twelve areas across the country in Sunderland, Gateshead, Barnsley, Oldham, Lewisham, King's Lynn, Blyth, Kirklees, Brighton, Manton, Kidderminster and London's South Bank.
The contracts are voluntary agreements between local people and town halls that will allow residents to set minimum standards, bargain with councils for extra services and put in place checks on quality. Community groups, Parish Councils or residents associations will be free to request or broker the charters, drawing on their knowledge of local concerns and links with local people. Councils will also be encouraged to engage with 'hard-to-reach' groups and ensure that charters reflect the views of local people.
Each charter will be tailored to local needs and expectations and differ in name, scope and size, from agreements across a range of services to small scale, single issue brochures.
Hazel Blears also called for a new debate raising the question of whether in the future these should be extended and linked to new forms of 'redress' where services fall short.
Redress could range from an investigation into why service standards have not been delivered, a right of written response or a commitment from a council to rectify a problem for lower level breaches to considering financial compensation, or funding to correct the problem in the minority of cases of serious and persistent failure.
In return, local people would be asked to play their part. For example, in return for council pledges on improving parks, clearing graffiti and tackling drug dealers, they will also be able to negotiate commitments by local people who could agree to report incidents of anti-social behaviour, maintain grass verges or even takeover the running and management of some council services.
The proposal for voluntary contracts are part of what Ministers have called a 'reinvention in the way govern', giving local people greater say in their communities. Evidence shows where people are fully involved and consulted satisfaction and standards of local services rise.
Hazel Blears said:
"There isn't a single service or development in Britain which hasn't been improved by actively involving local people who are best placed to spot problems and come up with ideas to solve them, whether its tackling anti-social behaviour or litter, or providing more services at a time people want them.
"Charters or so-called 'community contracts' will help councils, police and health authorities and local people to work together in tackling the issues that matter, improving their local neighbourhoods and improve public satisfaction.
"Areas right across the country coming forward to sign local contracts with their community. Those who really believe in delivering for the people they serve should also have the confidence to commit to some form of redress if those agreements are broken.
"People rightly expect a good standard of service and redress when things go wrong. When trains are delayed they know they are entitled to refunds or compensation. Improving transparency for other public services on a similar scale will not only improve standards but will also increase confidence in local democracy."
Research shows involving local people more closely in decisions is closely linked to satisfaction with council services. In 2005, 70 per cent of those who agreed that they could influence local decisions, also said they trusted the local council, compared to nearly half of people who said they did not think they could influence local decisions.
