Make it local

What many aspire to in Local Government is a trusted, respectful and equal relationship between different levels of government.

My inspiration this week is from the United Kingdom where the Local Government Association (UK) has begun excellent work on a Local Government White Paper which is themed “Make it Local.”

The Local Government Association wants to see “a Local Government Act, from Local Government for local communities”. They call it their “Make it Local Campaign”.

In a speech to the LGA Annual Conference in 2023 Cr Shaun Davies (Chair of the Local Government Association) talks about establishing a central and local partnership between the two levels of government so Local Government can work to its full potential. He also talks about the importance of building trusted, respected and an equal relationships between the different levels of government. He wants to see a new local deal. Post | Feed | LinkedIn

Interestingly I stumbled across the power of the community in the UK through an organisation called Locality (the power of community). Who we are| supporting community organisations to be strong and successful - Locality This is a national membership network supporting local community organisations to be strong and successful. They are advocating for a stronger and fairer society. They provide advice, peer learning, resources and campaigns to help the community thrive. My guess is that we will see more of this type of action from communities to ensure they have a voice.

This Make it Local campaign is worth watching and learning from. I look forward to seeing how it unfolds.