Lyn Swindlehurst

Town and District Councillor, Deputy Mayor of Leek

AS A Town and District Councillor I am involved in several groups and meetings which are considering the impact of the current pandemic, now and into the future.

I have an academic background where I am used to actions supported by sound evidence. Some of our decisions will be far reaching and global, e.g. our commitments to the impact of the climate change emergency.

Others will seem trivial, but potentially have an impact for minimum investment. These ideas are related to the impact the presentation of our towns, in this case Leek, have on our community, and those who visit us.

Leek Town Council, during 2019, looked at the assets within our town that require refurbishment, maintenance, and repair.

Within Leek some assets are the responsibility of the Town Council, some by SMDC.

In fact, they are all owned by the community.

The Town Council has made good all of their benches etc, and have asked since February 2020 that SMDC does the same.

The repairs are for benches, the street scene generally and the bus shelters that are significantly in need of repair. As a background to these quite small changes, I feel there is a discussion to be had related to civic pride and regeneration to support, maintain, and rebuild our towns.

Civic pride represents our local identity. Where we merely use a political-economic framework we undervalue the role of emotions in civic pride.

Pride reflects feelings of worth and is aspirational, a goal to live up to and work for.

The word civic is noted by Mumford 1961 as ‘ conveying a meaning of shared values and aspiration, unity and collective responsibility’.

We have seen the impact of the voluntary groups have had over this pandemic period so far.

Civic pride is proven to lead to regeneration in attracting business and tourism, improve creativity and increase employment.

We have many references in policies, plans and documents related to our communities and regeneration at SMDC.

Our Corporate plan 20192023: Aim 1: develop a positive relationship with communities.

Aim 2: to use resources effectively and provide value for money.

Aim 3: To regenerate town and villages to increase tourism, increase growth and maximise the positive impact to our communities.

The Covid-19 community recovery plan discussed at Community Overview and Scrutiny Panel in July made extensive references to community cohesion.

Within the Localism Act 2011, local government is charged with protecting local assets, and encouraging community involvement, yet it seems from talking to members of our community, and reflecting on social media and press comments from the community, we are seen as neglecting their views and their towns. Bennet and Orr (2013) state the purpose of Localism ‘emphasises Councils’’ role in shaping identity, protecting local interests, and expressing local values.

To demonstrate we are fit for purpose it is essential we compare our aims, strategies, and policies to what we actually do, and what the public actually see. The Grimsey Review 2020 addresses the impact of Covid-19 on our society and economy citing opportunities for social renewal and consumer behavioural changes.

Our high streets are considered to be the most symbolic representation wellbeing.

Towns should ‘act as a catalyst for good heath and neighbourliness’. Regeneration should be based on sustainably, the environment, quality of life and experiences, not merely consumerism.

The High Street Task Force, an alliance of place making experts, is a valuable resource of guidance related to transforming high streets with collaborating between local government, communities in partnership during the pandemic, recognising the significance of collaborative working, investment and vision.

I am convinced we do have some shared vision and there is a wealth of evidence and expertise to guide us. My plea is a simple and easily achievable one. Let us make our ‘house’ i.e. our towns, welcoming, in good order, reflecting our pride in out towns and communities. Let’s look after simple things that are visible, somewhere to wait for the bus, a bench to sit and chat on, a historic lamp in the marketplace. Publicising that our local councils care for our town is small, simple but I believe effective and inexpensive in real terms.

Let’s listen, look around us and act accordingly. of community