UCC conference on assertive communities set for Oct 21 - organised by Co-op Studies & Civil Society researchers

Brian Harvey, Anna Lee, Mary Fogarty and Marian Harkin are among the guest speakers lined up for a conference on local and community development to be held on Wednesday, October 21st, in University College Cork.

Dr Carol Power

"The conference is titled 'The Changing Landscape of Local and Community Development in Ireland: Policy and Practice' and "will be of interest to community activists seeking positive change," says Dr. Carol Power, Centre for Co-operative Studies, UCC.

Entry is free, but you must register in advance and the earlier the better (see below). You can view the day's full programme here.

Organised by UCC researchers at the Centre for Co-operative Studies with colleagues from the university's Civil Society Research Cluster, it will examine how policy and practice is changing in relation to local and community development in Ireland. 

Together, they began a research project prompted by the Local Government Reform Act (2014) which seeks to achieve better co-ordination between local government and local development through a process of alignment. This is having far-reaching implications for those working at the coalface of local and community development.

The conference forms part of their research project.

The UCC researchers will be joined by the following high-profile speakers:

Brian Harvey

Anna Lee

• Brian Harvey, author of a landmark report on the impact of austerity on the community and voluntary sector will provide an overview of recent changes in the sector. 
• Anna Lee, who has worked in the not-for-profit sector for many years, will present the view of community development policy in Ireland from the frontline.  Anna is former CEO of South Dublin County Partnership and currently chairs Volunteer Ireland.   

  

  Mary Fogarty with Maeve O'Hair

  
  
• Mary Fogarty, who with her neighbour Maeve O’Hair pioneered the Loughmore Co-operative Shop and Tea Rooms in Co. Tipperary, will talk about her experience of setting up a co-operative.  Theirs is one of many examples one finds around Ireland of community-led initiatives that seek to combat issues such as rural isolation and lack of services. 
• The day will close with an address by Marian Harkin, Independent MEP.  

Admission to the conference is free but, due to venue capacity, you are best advised to register in advance by emailing: cpower@ucc.ie

Alignment - For and Against

IN FAVOUR: “This document represents a fundamental re-imagining of the system and it sees local government leading economic, social and community development… Unlike many previous reform documents, this Programme sets out firm decisions by Government rather than proposals for discussion.”

- Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government, Phil Hogan.

OPPOSED: “While we recognise the need for stronger and more accountable local government, we caution against any attempt to subsume community-led local development bodies into local authorities.”

- 21 academics writing in the Irish Times.

Further perspectives on ‘Alignment’

FOCUS, HOPE, SYNERGY and RISKS

- Excerpts from reports by Dr Brendan O’Keeffe, Niall Crowley, Debra Mountford, Seán O’Riordan 
 

“The introduction, through a new committee (Socio-Economic Committee), of a Local and Community Plan will give added focus to mainstreaming local, community and rural development issues into local government services.

“More interestingly is that this local effort will be underpinned by a national policy framework which will be overseen by an inter-departmental committee, providing, hopefully, a similar level of integration and policy alignment at the national level.

“Coming up with workable models to do so is going to be a major challenge, but given the pressures on communities across the State, no one will be thanked if local, rural and community development are disrupted, no matter the benefits of underpinning local democracy.

Alignment in more detail: The role and functions of Socio-Economic Committees

Representation on the Socio-Economic Committees (SEC) and their terms of reference are currently the subject of discussion. Currently, this is what is envisaged.

Minister Hogan on ‘Putting People First’

Late last year, Taoiseach Enda Kenny and Minister Phil Hogan launched ‘Putting People First’ describing it as “one of the most radical, ambitious and far-reaching governance reform plans ever put forward by an Irish Government.”

Alignment of Local Government and Local Development

- Government policy outlined

The Programme for Government committed to reviewing the delivery of services at local level in order to improve service delivery from the point of view of the citizen. It has committed to reducing the duplication of services while ensuring greater democratic accountability in decision-making at a local level.

One initiative through which this will be achieved is the alignment of local government and local development sectors in a way that builds on the strengths of both sectors.

A high level Alignment Steering Group was established in September 2011 by Minister Phil Hogan to make recommendations on improving alignment between the sectors.

The Group’s final report (including the text of an interim report) was approved for implementation by Government last October.

Alignment forms part of the broader Local Government reform proposals as laid out in ‘Putting People First  – An Action Programme for Effective Local Government’.

The alignment of local government and local development will be pursued on a phased basis over the period 2012-2014, in a way that will secure optimum value from available resources and enhance service delivery for local communities.

The alignment report recognised “the key strengths of local development companies, including their reach into their communities, their proven track record of leading social inclusion and local and community development initiatives, and their significant local knowledge and expertise in service planning and delivery.”

It noted: “The approach and ethos of the local development companies, based on community involvement, and interventions tailored to address particular local needs, are fundamental elements of the local development model in Ireland.  Considerable care should be taken to maintain the integrity of this model.”

Further information including the full reports are available on the Department’s website: http://www.environ.ie

The other ‘Big A’ debate - Putting people on horseback first

EDITORIAL

By Allen Meagher, editor 'Changing Ireland'

The public generally understands two things about local authorities. On the one hand, the elected representatives deserve more power - too much rests with officials. The second commonly held view is that local authorities are sometimes responsible for the problems they’re trying to solve.

They struggle to connect with ‘hard-to-reach’ citizens.

Recently, in Moyross, we had 30 balaclava-clad young people riding around on horseback firing stones at public buildings after dozens of horses were taken by the pound on orders from the local authority. More restrained horse-owners protested outside council offices. Neither the crude and dangerous protest nor the dignified one sought jobs or training, just social inclusion and an end to persecution. However, all four could be delivered together if those holding the reins of power put their thinking caps on.

LCDP Progress Report published; community groups await "alignment" proposals

Some of the 10,000 people who got a training boost through the LCDP in 2011

(1) This week Community Minister Phil Hogan is reportedly due to discuss his "alignment" proposals with Cabinet which could see local authorities gaining far more control over State-funded community and local development initiatives.