Jericho Road had a fantastic time at the Locality 2015 Convention in Liverpool. We caught up with old friends and made new ones, discovered some great projects and sold a lot of tea towels! We heard from some inspiring speakers from neighbourhoods all over the world including a particularly captivating talk by Jason Roberts of Build a Better Block from Dallas who, along with his neighbours, transformed the neighbourhood they live in. All the things they wanted to do to change their neighbourhood were against the rules – so they did them anyway and attached copies of the rules to… Read more…

When it comes to dealing with derelict and disused buildings and land, Councils are in a practically impossible position (but that’s quite normal for local government!). They have a set of ‘powers’ that are theoretically available but technically complex. In my experience, councillors quickly learn a default position to say they won’t use them – too difficult, too expensive, too risky (the DER response). It’s important to remember that this is a cultural and political position and it can be changed. But once you get the ‘DER’ response, it can take years for a local community to campaign to get… Read more…

Off tomorrow to Prague to celebrate 10 yrs with DH (v dear, not quite H). Very excited, but before I go, I need to record a few fragments of conversations from today: I’ve been to JRF’s ‘Communities Under Pressure’ report launch and exhibition. Great report by CRESR – beautifully written and very clear that poor communities are not ‘broken’ or culturally different or ‘chav-land’ but in fact bastions of traditional values around mutual support, family (complex not nuclear) and hard work. A couple of niggling concerns – it’s difficult to extrapolate from 6 places (‘the plural of anecdote is not… Read more…

David Prout (Director General for Communities, CLG) at #DTAconference10 yesterday described: 4 kinds of decentralisation – centralised decentralisation (government says how to do it) – eg GPs, elected police commissioners bottom-up decentralisation (seeking additional decision-making powers) – eg community-based budgeting, London Mayoral powers liberal decentralisation (has to be done but you choose how to do it) – eg planning reform, LEPs creative decentralisation (rights-based agenda) – eg free schools, Community Right to Bid If this is the framework, I think we could help David with more/better policy examples, based on the practice of our members and the wider local change… Read more…

Just spent two and a half days in Derby for the DTA conference 2010. Absolutely shattered now but I really enjoyed it and there’s been good verbal feedback. Hurtling southwards with Ray and Lesley from the Hastings Pier & White Rock Trust and mulling over the highs and lows. Definite low was my poor colleague Carole having her laptop stolen from her room at the Jury’s Inn. Apparently 4 men came into the hotel, ‘overpowered’ the housekeeper and stole her key and then spent just a few seconds in each of 6 rooms nicking laptops etc. They’re on CCTV but… Read more…