PEOPLE POWER In an age of austerity, local heroes are showing the way forward COMMUNITIES PROFIT FROM BUSINESSES THEY RUN BY
SUNDAY MIRROR Cuts to services are KO for local people
GOVERNMENT cuts are seeing vital services disappear from local communities and are having a grim effect on people’s well-being.
New research carried out by Power to Change and YouGov shows the impact of closures on communities.
Three-quarters of people who were aware of cuts made to their local services since 2010 said the outcomes have been negative.
Of all age groups, people of 55 or older were the most likely to think their own community’s wellbeing had worsened over the past seven years.
And overall a third of Brits said they felt local wellbeing has gone down in that period of time.
Richard Harries, who leads the research team at Power to Change, said: “This polling is a reminder that tough times are far from over for a lot of people.
“And it shows the impact on happiness and health if we don’t think about communities in different ways.
“There are great ideas all over the country but there are real problems ahead if people aren’t given the chance to lead work in their own backyards.”
Figures show that when it comes to community assets, green spaces are the ones given the highest priority by the most people (64 per cent).
Libraries (53 per cent) and leisure centres (44 per cent) are also near the top of the list.
APPETITE
The figures also show the depth of feeling people have for all forms of services in their local areas.
Museums, community centres and allotments are all part of the fabric of communities, with 30, 25 and 18 per cent of people respectively saying they value these council-run services.
Mr Harries added: “It’s clear there’s a real appetite for keeping these assets alive.
“Local people see the difference it makes every day to have a library they can visit with their kids, or a leisure centre where the whole family can have fun. Our communities will be so much poorer if these services are lost.”
A regional breakdown of the survey shows that more people in the North (64 per cent) are aware of cuts to their council-run services since 2010, compared to in London (53 per cent).
Of those aware of cuts in the North, 77 per cent say they have been negatively affected by them. The equivalent figure for London is 70 per cent.
Mr Harries added: “It’s not surprising that people are feeling the impact most in areas already hardest hit in the last decade.”
All over the country, community groups are getting together to try to protect their local assets.
Projects can include taking over buildings which councils are selling, running businesses or starting up ideas from scratch.
Power to Change has helped 150 businesses to launch in the past two years.
And it is confident that its programme can be rolled out to even more areas.
Mr Harries added: “As the polling shows, there is real concern about what’s happening to communities.
“You can’t underestimate the effect that closures have on people.
“That’s why we want to hear from people about project ideas they have.
“Local people know better than anyone what their own area needs, and the skills they have to keep their neighbourhood vibrant and alive.
“It is all about helping them take control of their own futures.”
YouGov surveyed 4,265 adults for the poll in February. But growth is not expected to go over two per cent a year, business investment is falling and inflation is starting to rear its ugly head. The Chancellor is penned in by manifesto commitments not to raise various taxes. And he is still not on track to meet his goal of getting rid of the deficit at the earliest possible date in the next Parliament. So the Government’s austerity plan will continue, putting enormous pressure on welfare budgets and local communities. Across the country councils are grappling with horrible choices, either putting up the cost of social care or cutting much-needed and loved social services. As Cabinet Secretary to three Prime Ministers I saw the difference these services make, from play centres and community advice clinics to adult learning classes and libraries. To give just one example, the charity I chair, Pro Bono Economics, estimates that low levels of adult numeracy already cost the country £20billion a year. Cutting services further might save money in the short-term, but it risks driving a bigger wedge between communities and causing real long-term damage.
However, there is another way. In villages, towns and cities across the country a new breed of community enterprises is sprouting up, bringing local people together to address local needs in a more businesslike approach.
Places like Homebaked, a bakery saved by the people of Anfield in Liverpool, which uses its profits to invest in desperately needed homes.
These community businesses don’t depend on Government grants, which are fast disappearing anyway.
They make money, which means they can keep providing goods and services while re-investing the profit to make their neighbourhoods better.
They bring jobs, skills and training – and help to build stronger communities. Already in England there are more than 7,000 of these businesses, employing 36,000 staff, engaging nearly 200,000 local volunteers and generating £1billion of income.
What we need now is action by the Government to turn this into a nationwide programme of business building.
The Government recently uncovered a £2billion windfall, cash lying unclaimed in dormant assets such as stocks and shares, which ministers say they want to use to improve communities.
Meanwhile many councils are sitting on valuable buildings, such as former libraries and halls, they can no longer afford to run.
Official figures reveal more than £2.5billion of surplus property across England, although Power to Change reckons the total value of such assets could be as high as £7billion.
Now is the time to bring these two opportunities together. This will help council s to manage shrinking budgets and still protect vital local services.
In the end, this is not about money or buildings. It is about people supporting each other and taking control of their own futures. It is about recognising the common good and focusing on the well-being of a place rather than what’s wrong with it.
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