Read: Empower our councils, empower our communities
With the stop-go status of the levelling up agenda given a definitive green light once again by the new Prime Minister, it’s more important than ever that central government hands the reins to local government to deliver meaningful equality of opportunity where it is most needed.
Although much of that agenda’s focus, and many of the headlines, have been on large infrastructure and connectivity projects, it’s issues such as housing, high streets, jobs and skills that resonate most strongly for local people. With responsibility that extends from key areas of the economy and the environment to children, families and health and wellbeing, our councils are in a unique position to impact people’s lives for the better.
The pandemic highlighted the crucial role that local authorities play in times of crisis. In addition to keeping essential services going throughout, they worked with their NHS partners to encourage take-up of the vaccine and facilitated its rollout, providing venues and staff. They helped shield millions of the most vulnerable from the virus, took thousands of homeless people off the streets and paid billions of pounds to businesses in vital grants that kept them afloat. And amid the firefighting, they also embraced the longer term challenge of people living their lives more closely to home and reassessing their priorities for their community as a result. Where people live – and the quality of their lives there – now matters more than ever.
The immense challenges of the current cost of living crisis - and its economic and social fallout - will again test the trust that residents invest in their locally elected representatives. They will need to identify where support is most needed and help to coordinate local agencies to provide it in the most effective and sustained way. During more than a decade of austerity, they are used to making difficult choices with constrained budgets. They have always found innovative, clever ways to raise funds and develop new services while protecting the most vulnerable. They have developed constructive partnerships with the private sector which actively contribute to improved outcomes for their communities. They have encouraged investment while also creating fairer and more equal places for people to live in.
Effective system leadership will be critical for the future of local government, and for reducing regional inequality. The lack of social mobility in this country is a complex issue, and a long standing one. The Purpose Coalition is working with some of the most progressive councils in the country, examining what works well in their communities through the lens of 14 Levelling Up Goals which cover key life stages and the major barriers that prevent people from achieving their potential. They are forging new partnerships which are already demonstrating a positive impact in the areas where they operate, sharing best practice and, crucially, measuring their progress.
It remains to be seen how ambitious the Government’s ambition is and how it will develop the twelve missions outlined in its Levelling Up White Paper. Success is dependent on it capitalising on the strong local leadership of councils who have proven they can deliver solutions that achieve measurable and sustainable change. Give them the tools for the job and they will empower our communities.
