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In Hazel Blears' first major speech as secretary of state, she set out an ambitious vision of giving local people a greater say on how councils spent their money. The concept of ‘community kitties' may fit in well with the Government's ‘double devolution' mantra and all eyes will be on the 10 pilot schemes which were announced, but this is not the first time that such an initiative has been tried in Britain. In October 2005, Harrow LBC gathered 300 residents together for a day to choose what priorities they should give in their forthcoming budget. The Harrow Open Budget was the first of its kind in Britain and was initiated by the Power Inquiry, which was set up in 2004 by the Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust. ‘The Power Inquiry was set up to look at why people are disengaged with politics,' director Pam Giddy tells The MJ. ‘We spent about nine months doing our own research, going around the country and getting a sense of why people were disengaged. ‘We have come across some democratic innovations all around the world which recognise that people need to get involved at a local level.' Looking back, she adds: ‘Harrow LBC were quite forward thinking. So we designed a process where we had various people who went into the community. ‘We came up with an event, which took place one Sunday with 300 citizens. We put together a discussion guide for looking at five different areas, such as waste and youth services, which the council and the people felt were priorities.' According to the council's final report into the Harrow Open Budget, among its key objectives were to rebuild public faith in how the council made decisions, to engage ‘the most vociferous and dissatisfied elements of the community', to help residents understand the issues facing councillors and officers and provide local people with a sense of ownership of the final budget priorities. ‘Interestingly, a lot of the people on the day were surprised by how much, or how little, discretion the council had on spending in some areas,' says Pam. ‘People had to talk to each other that day. They came up with ideas and there was a sort of understanding.' A questionnaire from the event showed that 43% of those who took part came away with an improved view of the council, while 55% reported no change in their opinions. But the event did successfully engage with some residents who had been angry at recent council tax rises, and got a good response from the local media. ‘Unless local authorities go into this with their eyes wide open, it could increase the cynicism in the area,' Pam warns. ‘If it looks like a PR exercise then it could make the situation far worse. ‘A lot of people on housing estates have said to us that they have been consulted to death, but nothing seems to happen.' For any local authorities planning a similar event, Pam has the following advice: ‘Don't let it be a one-off event. Reach out to the community. Don't expect people to come to you. You have to put the work in to explain why you're doing this. ‘Some people have said there's a cultural reluctance among staff. Don't rush into it. I think it would be better for councils to say they will spend a year planning for it, rather than doing it tomorrow. ‘Harrow Open Budget might not be the right model. ‘It's not a one-size-fits-all scenario. ‘Give feedback to people about what happened. After you have made your decisions, go back and show people how it was informed.'

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WHITEHALL

Reopening the purse strings

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