Community politics
Encyclopedia
Community politics is a movement in British
politics to re-engage people with political action on a local level.
Most developed amongst the Liberal Democrats
but adopted to some extent by the British Greens, other parties, and Independents.
Community Politics is based on small-scale action on local political issues. To give an example of how it works: Residents are irritated by rubbish dumped by a playing field. A 'non-community' political response would be to issue a statement calling for more resources to be allocated to deal with dumped rubbish. A 'community politics' response would be for local councillor
s to lead a group of people to clear the rubbish themselves, then inform the local community through a newsletter.
The result is a stronger local community who feel that their representatives are achieving something, and a better chance of even the most under-resourced local authority taking the time to stop the problem in future.
The low-budget techniques are easy to adopt. No television
advertising, mass direct mailing or contacts with national newspapers are necessary.
Community politics principles can be applied to any area and by any party. The keys are local action on residents' concerns and effective communication with local residents through newsletters and face-to-face contact. Parties which espouse community politics often meet with electoral success (e.g. the Liberal Democrats' ability to break out of the third-party trap), particularly in areas which have been dominated by one political party. In Letchworth Garden City local residents, disenchanted by local politics and the local establishment, petitioned for their own town council and elected all 24 members as independents. (All the seats had been contested by the main political parties).
by which the public can, via petition, call for a referendum on whether there should be a local elected mayor. National regeneration funding streams, such as New Deal for Communities
, require community leadership as part of their governance arrangements. At a local level, many local authorities have established "area", "ward" or "neighbourhood" committees and such like to consider more local, community based issues, sometimes with devolved budgets. The requirement placed on each local authority in England and Wales to create a Local Strategic Partnership
is also intended to facilitate greater community involvement. There is also ongoing reform of the mechanisms for public and patient involvement in health issues. The Police and Justice Act 2006
and the 2006 local government white paper include processes for "Community Calls for Action", setting out statutory mechanisms by which local residents can formally bring issues of concern to the attention of their local authority and other public sector organisations.
Community Politics Today: A collection of Essays J Bridges (ed.), ALDC, Hebden Bridge, 2006
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
politics to re-engage people with political action on a local level.
Most developed amongst the Liberal Democrats
Liberal Democrats
The Liberal Democrats are a social liberal political party in the United Kingdom which supports constitutional and electoral reform, progressive taxation, wealth taxation, human rights laws, cultural liberalism, banking reform and civil liberties .The party was formed in 1988 by a merger of the...
but adopted to some extent by the British Greens, other parties, and Independents.
Community Politics is based on small-scale action on local political issues. To give an example of how it works: Residents are irritated by rubbish dumped by a playing field. A 'non-community' political response would be to issue a statement calling for more resources to be allocated to deal with dumped rubbish. A 'community politics' response would be for local councillor
Councillor
A councillor or councilor is a member of a local government council, such as a city council.Often in the United States, the title is councilman or councilwoman.-United Kingdom:...
s to lead a group of people to clear the rubbish themselves, then inform the local community through a newsletter.
The result is a stronger local community who feel that their representatives are achieving something, and a better chance of even the most under-resourced local authority taking the time to stop the problem in future.
The low-budget techniques are easy to adopt. No television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
advertising, mass direct mailing or contacts with national newspapers are necessary.
Community politics principles can be applied to any area and by any party. The keys are local action on residents' concerns and effective communication with local residents through newsletters and face-to-face contact. Parties which espouse community politics often meet with electoral success (e.g. the Liberal Democrats' ability to break out of the third-party trap), particularly in areas which have been dominated by one political party. In Letchworth Garden City local residents, disenchanted by local politics and the local establishment, petitioned for their own town council and elected all 24 members as independents. (All the seats had been contested by the main political parties).
National and Local Initiatives
Concern at disengagement with local politics in the UK - manifested, not least, by low turnout in local elections - has led to a series of initiatives aimed at making it easier for people to become involved in local decision-making. Their success is debatable. Notable national initiatives include changes to electoral systems to allow universal postal voting on a trial basis, and the process introduced in the Local Government Act 2000Local Government Act 2000
The Local Government Act 2000 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that reformed local government in England and Wales. Its principal purposes are:...
by which the public can, via petition, call for a referendum on whether there should be a local elected mayor. National regeneration funding streams, such as New Deal for Communities
New Deal for Communities
New Deal for Communities is a regeneration programme led by the government of the United Kingdom for some of the England's most deprived neighbourhoods...
, require community leadership as part of their governance arrangements. At a local level, many local authorities have established "area", "ward" or "neighbourhood" committees and such like to consider more local, community based issues, sometimes with devolved budgets. The requirement placed on each local authority in England and Wales to create a Local Strategic Partnership
Local Strategic Partnership
Local strategic partnerships exist in nearly all local authority areas in England. They bring together representatives from the local statutory, voluntary, community and private sectors to address local problems, allocate funding, discuss strategies and initiatives...
is also intended to facilitate greater community involvement. There is also ongoing reform of the mechanisms for public and patient involvement in health issues. The Police and Justice Act 2006
Police and Justice Act 2006
The Police and Justice Act 2006 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. As at August 2007 many of the provisions are not yet in force...
and the 2006 local government white paper include processes for "Community Calls for Action", setting out statutory mechanisms by which local residents can formally bring issues of concern to the attention of their local authority and other public sector organisations.
See also
- Community organizingCommunity organizingCommunity organizing is a process where people who live in proximity to each other come together into an organization that acts in their shared self-interest. A core goal of community organizing is to generate durable power for an organization representing the community, allowing it to influence...
- EARSEARSEARS may refer to:* Electoral software* Electronic Arts, Redwood Shores campus.* Emirates Amateur Radio Society...
- Peter HainPeter HainPeter Gerald Hain is a British Labour Party politician, who has been the Member of Parliament for the Welsh constituency of Neath since 1991, and has served in the Cabinets of both Tony Blair and Gordon Brown, firstly as Leader of the House of Commons under Blair and both Secretary of State for...
- National League of Young LiberalsNational League of Young LiberalsThe National League of Young Liberals , often just called the Young Liberals, was the youth wing of the British Liberal Party. It was founded in 1903 and by 1906 it had over three hundred branches. In 1934 it called for David Lloyd George to lead a Liberal New Deal revival based on the Yellow Book...
- Coproduction of public services by service users and communitiesCoproduction of public services by service users and communitiesThe Coproduction of public services is the production of public services through the equal and reciprocal contribution of service users, communities and professionals, making use of their pooled resources, expertise and willingness to improve service processes and outcomes...
External links
- Hain, P., (Ed.) (1976) Community Politics Calder Publications Ltd ISBN 0-7145-3543-5
Further reading
Community Politics by Robert Ingham in Brack and Randall (eds.) Dictionary of Liberal Thought, Politico's publishing, 2007Community Politics Today: A collection of Essays J Bridges (ed.), ALDC, Hebden Bridge, 2006