How do you familiarise very busy local residents with how their town/city functions when they don’t have time to engage in consultation events or workshops?
I needed to get out of the house earlier this evening so went for a short wander as the shadows started lengthening and bumped into one of my local councillors and a fellow constituent. How do you unpick the individual concerns around the proposed congestion charge with so many unique circumstances that don’t fit the model?
In one sense it wasn’t a challenge for me – I went so far as to put my name on a ballot paper calling for the Greater Cambridge Partnership (GCP – created in 2014 by the signing of the City Deal) to be abolished and for the entire system of local government (structures, funding, revenue-raising powers, competencies, the lot) to be overhauled. What was interesting to hear was
- The benefits that revenue from the proposed charge were supporting did not convince – not least because ‘better buses’ is too vague – especially in the face of Stagecoach cuts
- Even though the congestion charging proposals (if approved) are not due to come in until the late 2020s, to local residents it is still a ‘here and now’ problem. (Better buses has not been quantified, but the congestion charging definitely has been)
- The public mindset of a two-party system is very strong in England
- The opportunity of national political parties to change the structure of local government as a result of a general election is still too far away in the distance
‘Do you think people would be interested in going to workshops where people can present alternatives to the C-Charge?’ I asked.
“No – because most working people who are going to be affected simply don’t have the spare time to get involved in things like that. Long working hours, looking after children – we need time to rest”.
One of the things I learnt for myself when living and working in London was wondering how I’d cope working in a highly stressful working environment while trying to meet the demands of a mortgage and the concept of settling down with someone to start a family. When I moved back to Cambridge I found myself spending most weekends sleeping or doing very little that was productive. I was permanently exhausted. How was I meant to cope with the additional responsibilities when I wasn’t coping with where I was at the time?
Trying to explain ‘the big picture’ didn’t connect either
There was no reason why it should have. But the one thing that came out of the exchange for the councillor concerned (who I won’t name) is they need to make clear that revenue from congestion charging or workplace parking levies are the only forms of revenue-raising that ministers will allow councils to undertake to fund public transport improvements. They won’t allow councils to tax the wealth or income of individuals or businesses outside the existing regime of council tax and business rates. To change this requires either a change of government policy from the existing administration, or a new government to come in and table the necessary legislation in Parliament and get it enacted.
“You need to get the message out there that the proposals to improve buses are being done with one hand tied behind your backs”
A local resident to one of my local councillors earlier, as I watched on
I agree. But the GCP has not done this.
Where is the missing middle in debates on the future of Cambridge? The people aged 25-50?
Two things that have struck me in recent years about the lack of diversity in public events on the future of Cambridge have been:
- The lack of people my age getting involved in civic society
- The lack of people who have moved to Cambridge from other countries getting involved in local democracy – even when proposals have a direct impact on their working lives, such as transport proposals
With the latter, being in-and-out of hospital meant I got to listen to healthcare professionals from all over the world. In lockdown the staff were the only people I could talk to. The lack of residential voting rights – rights that the Scottish Parliament granted to residents in Scotland is a massive barrier to people getting involved in local democracy. That’s an ideological move on the part of the Conservatives to keep those barriers in place. Even though the consequences of imposing taxation without representation has something of an historical precedent!
Yet the conversation reminded me of some research commissioned for the old DCLG back in the late 2000s.
Above – This is from a report called “CLG Empowerment” by the Henley Centre which I acquired from a Freedom of Information request 10 years ago. It came with the disclaimer: “The results were a useful addition to the evidence pool, and informed community empowerment policy. However, the policy framework has now moved on.”
A public policy solution accepts the structure of the economy and society, and asks how can we get say the 17% to engage with our existing set up, while a radical Political solution would state that our system and structures are entirely broken given that so few people have the time or capacity to engage in decision-making in politics and society. I expect the climate emergency is going to force the issue with the latter sometime in the not-too-distant future. Just as this group of protesters is trying to do today.
On the same day, St Neots demonstrated what happens when you change the physical structures of your town and community. People’s behaviours change. For example re-designating an open space in a town centre from a car park to a communal space.
The challenge is persuading a critical mass of the public to endorse such things – or at least not oppose them.
Bitesize-briefings… isn’t that what Cllr Sam Davies does in Queen Edith’s ward?
Sort of – and she should be back posting weekly updates again from September. The difference between what she does – keeping her constituents updated, vs what I’m suggesting is that my proposal is less about news and more about learning what the big picture is over an extended period of time, irrespective of what’s happening locally. The easiest example would be to take the contents pages of a GCSE in Citizenship Studies, add a few topics, remove a few topics and produce a 2-sided A4 sheet, sending them out once a week for a year.
Above – the chapters in Jenny Wales’ most recent course book on GCSE Citizenship (2023)
Another alternative/addition is to produce short video clips in a similar style to BBC Three’s Free Speech programme – which I think should be brought back.
Above – From BBC Three – an example of a topical issue being introduced to set the scene. fora debate.
“Can’t I do that?”
Not alone.
I don’t have the graphic design skills to create a template and I don’t have the headspace or writing skills to research in depth and then cut down/summarise each issue to get the essential points across. And finally, this is something that an institution should be paying a group of people to provide. Freedom isn’t free. Neither is democracy. Both require time, money, resources, and people to maintain it / make it function effectively. Here’s an example of what could be done with citizens’ assemblies where the participants set the agenda.
Update on the pilot workshops.
Well this is the acid test. I’ve booked two slots at Rock Road Library, Cambridge.
- Sat 30 September from 12:15-13:45 – Cambridge: How our city functions (& malfunctions) – a workshop
- Sat 07 October from 12:15-13:45 – Lost Cambridge: rediscovering our city’s history
I’ve outlined how I intend them to run here – including proposed charges (the room hire fee won’t pay for itself) and what you’ll get in return. I’ll be posting up ticket links in the next day or so.
One of the reasons for having a Lost Cambridge / local history workshop is having discovered a lost heritage of local history evening classes and workshops from a generation ago. That for me is an allied activity that I’m very familiar with but one that I’ve taken as far as I can as an individual. Some residents may be more interested in the local history side of things than the current affairs side – and vice-versa. Yet as I’ve demonstrated in many blogposts, the inertia of past historical decisions still hangs over the city and constrains what decision-makers can do. Just look at the location of the main railway station in Cambridge. We could have had an additional one at Silver Street in 1847, but it got blocked. Had that gotten built, what would the shape of our city have ended up as today?
Hence why the big decisions looming are ever so important. Not just for our generations but the ones that follow.
Food for thought?
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The Cambridge Town Owl 