Councils are faced with having to reinvent themselves in times of great uncertainty. Of course, councils are more complex than these archetypes, either through choice as they are testing out different models for different contexts or transitions — zones of innovation — or because they have no choice — moving from Local Federations to A&E Zones, as sharing and trading predicated on growth no longer works as a business model, or even when they’re coming out of crisis — moving from A&E Zones to Communities in Control — like Detroit, Bologna or Lille have shown.
While we primarily focus on local councils and communities, it’s essential to consider the roles, choices, and actions of other anchor organisations in your local area. These could be public sector organisations like hospitals, police, fires, or universities, or from the civil society sector, like community organisations, charities, or businesses. Understanding their roles can help us feel more connected and included in the broader community.
A business moving out, as Ford or Vauxhall have done, or a company coming in, like Amazon coming into Doncaster, has significant effects, not just on workers but in the broader economy — the supply chain, hospitality, high streets — which gain or lose massive communities — i.e., loss of jobs, way of life, fixed homogenous generational life of car factory employees versus the zero-hours, transient nature of an Uber workforce.
What are the impacts on places of the different archetypes?
1. A&E Zones
People will feel less protected, businesses will have fewer people and workers using their cafes, and service contractors will lose enterprises, too.
2. Local Federations
People may feel fewer employees due to the threat of automation. Still, other sectors might see the need to use technology better to either supply newer public services or compete with them. People may need more evidence if there’s a greater focus on commissioning.
3. Communities in Control
You may see more people protesting at council cuts, more people putting their ideas into practice, charities feeling challenged by more democratic and agile ways of providing goods and businesses may be more likely to interact with self-organising networks.
4. Neighbourhood Platforms
While people and workers may feel challenged to adapt, providers of public services will be challenged to deliver more local employment and give back to the neighbourhood. Community-based infrastructure could attract other businesses to invest and use it for their needs — in terms of energy, water or housing, and external investors who want to test new products.
Some councils are reinventing themselves and building new models.
What models can you see emerging on the local government horizon? In the UK and beyond?
What models are other place-based organizations developing that local government could learn from? The innovative approaches of organizations like Buurtzog, Bromford Lab, and Civic Square offer inspiration and hope for the future of local government. By learning from these models, we can shape a more effective and responsive local government system.
