BIG SOCIETY PRESENTS RISKS AND OPPORTUNITIES

First comes the prime minister extolling the virtues of the Big Society, then politicians and thinkers of all political persuasions weigh in with their views, but the evidence about all of this was thin on the ground.

Recently, LCR Online, www.lcronline.org.uk and LGC (Local Government Chronicle) (www.lgcplus.com) published a survey looking at the attitudes of principal (county, borough, district and unitary) authorities, local (parish and town) councils and the third sector (charity and voluntary organisations) to the Big Society. The conclusions reached were one where local councils more optimistic than other groups about the potential of the Big Society and a lack of agreement on who should be included in the Big Society.

Now the Commission for Rural Communities (CRC) has published the results of its analysis of over 70 submissions of evidence from civil society organisations and other public sector bodies on the economic aspects of the government’s Big Society agenda. The report, Economic conditions for organisations contributing to the Big Society in rural England is available at: http://ruralcommunities.gov.uk/2010/10/15/big-society-risks-and-opportunities/

The CRC drew on these submissions to prepare a report to Defra’s secretary of state. This report, Rural Economies Intelligence Report: The Big Society is available here:
http://ruralcommunities.gov.uk/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/ruraleconbigsociety.pdf

The report shows that the principles of the Big Society are already well embedded and supported in much of rural England. But that many civil society organisations have significant fears that the current funding climate will significantly damage further progress in delivering the Big Society’s objectives. Moreover, demand for many of their services is growing at a time when resources are reducing.

There is also a fear that rural communities may be disproportionately affected by the forthcoming spending cuts.

There are fears that local authorities and others may set up new delivery organisations that start competing with existing voluntary organisations of various types.

There is a view that in future, local rural communities may have to depend more on actions from their local parish and town councils.

The respondents call for more clarity from central and local government and others on what the practical impacts and consequences of the Big Society approach will be. There is a feeling that there is little hard information available about the Big Society agenda.

The civil society organisations that gave evidence were clear that with the right support and encouragement there is much more that they could do to help rural communities and particularly vulnerable people within our rural communities.

ARE COUNCIL NEWSPAPERS DESTROYING THE INDEPENDENT LOCAL PRESS?

So is Eric Pickles, the erstwhile secretary of state for communities and local government (CLG), at it again? CLG has announced a consultation on a draft revised Code of Recommended Practice on Local Authority Publicity.

Is it a case of using a ‘hammer to crack a nut’? Even in opposition, the Conservative Party has long held a view that local council newspapers create an unfair advantage in the local media market and distorts it. Further to this, the Conservatives argued this was why local newspapers were being binned by publishers – this has continued now they are in power.

According to the CLG: “In recent years there has been a marked growth in the frequency and scope of council publicity techniques funded by taxpayers’ money, while local papers have struggled in a saturated news environment.”

Key elements of the suggested revisions to the Code in relations to newspapers are:

· new central principles that will "make sure", for example, that council publicity is lawful, cost effective, objective, even-handed and appropriate;

· a new rule that councils should not publish newspapers in direct competition to local press, and that these council publications should not appear more than quarterly (and should only include material directly related to council services).

Mr Pickles, adds: "An independent local press is an essential part of our open democracy helping local people scrutinise and hold elected councillors to account.

“The rules around council publicity have been too weak for too long, allowing public money to be spent on wasteful town hall papers that have left many local newspapers looking over the abyss.

"The proposals I am publishing will close off these inappropriate practices and encourage councils to focus taxpayers’ money on where it should be spent – protecting frontline services.”

It looks like lobbying from the Society of Editors (the member organisation that includes local newspapers’ editors) is succeeding with its campaign that says the main reason for the decline of independent local newspapers can be laid at the door of local council newspapers. The evidence to prove this, I would argue, is sketchy at best.

To counter that, David Holdstock, national chair of LGcommunications, the professional body for council communicators, said: "These proposals will limit councils' ability to communicate in the most appropriate and cost-effective way about local issues that matter to people. As restrictions are placed on council publications and local newspaper circulations continue to fall, residents will have less and less access to information about their local public services."

There is strong evidence that council newspapers are critical to the reputation of local councils. A report on LGcommunications' own research into the impact of council publications can be found at:

http://www.lgcomms.org.uk/documents/PrvngCommsWrks-ImptOfcnclPubs.pdf

It is easy to argue that local council publications are only distributed a handful of times a year and cannot be seen as competitors for advertising revenue, news and information for local newspapers. And the arguments put forward by the coalition government and other supporters of this initiative comes slightly unstuck here in terms of advertising; the Conservatives recently said that all local council recruitment advertising should be placed on council websites and no where else to save taxpayer money. So this possible area of where advertising could be placed in local commercial newspapers is being recommended, only for it not to be.

Local council newsletters keep residents informed about what the council does and can do for them. Whether it is by providing a telephone number to report opening hours of playgrounds, allotments, burial grounds or libraries, or even letting the public know what time the library is open or when and how you can meet your local police community support officer, these are the services that only local council publications can do.

No one would argue that local councils want some sort of totalitarian state system where there is only one source of news, what they want to see is a successful and vibrant local media. It is essential for local democracy that the workings of local councils are scrutinised and elected representatives held to account.

For more on the consultation please visit the CLG at: www.communities.gov.uk

I am writing in this in personal capacity and it in no way reflects the position of the National Association of Local Councils; which will be responding to this consultation shortly.