Posted on June 11th, 2010
Participants had the opportunity to take part in masterclasses around specific themes from Total Place. The slides from each session are available below.
Nicky de Beer and Holly Wheeler from the Leadership Centre for Local Government spoke about how the Total Place work began, its core ideas and foundations, the work so far and what we have learned.
For some pilots and parallel places, governance was very important to their work, and for all, this journey has led to consideration of accountability can be developed to support new ways of working. Colleagues from the Coventry, Solihull and Warwickshire pilot spoke about their experiences.
The ‘count’ part of the work had a great impact on people’s understanding of our complex public services and the absurdities of the system, highlighting areas for action and change. Birmingham and London Councils share their learning.
This work re-engaged many who serve the public. Inspiring work with citizens has created space for innovation that really adds value, reducing costs and increasing the impact of state interventions. Colleagues from the Croydon pilot led the discussion.
The role of the state is shifting and devolved power is a topic of the three main political parties. The dialogue in places between citizens and politicians is developing and is an important aspect of the changing nature of the relationship between citizen and state. Learn about the ‘Reaching the Hearts of Herefordshire’ programme and how they helped local organisations reconnect to their communities.
The use of public sector assets as a local collective resource, rather than that of individual departments, has the potential to save a lot of waste and taxpayer’s money. The work between places and HM Treasury colleagues is still progressing and opening up many important questions. Colleagues from the Kent pilot share their experiences.
Places have found engaging beyond the public sector and in a new way very beneficial. The new relationships challenged the assumptions and thinking of all those involved and promoted the development of new and more efficient ways of working. Members of the Worcestershire pilot talk through their learning.
Developing Collective Leadership: The Shenstone Group
Without strong and effective leadership there is little hope of achieving the ambitions of Total Place. This applies not just to the “usual suspects” but must embrace the whole of civil society, for leadership of place demands that there mutually coherent ambitions and understanding of all the actors on the stage.
Worcestershire had a history of successful partnership work but realised that the bar could be raised by ensuring that all partners could add their contribution to a richer understanding of the challenges and collaborative solutions.
Out of this the Shenstone Group was born. This short video tells the story of this group.
The Shenstone approach demands involvement of all sectors and the business sector has a great deal to offer and gain from deeper engagement, this film gives the perspective from members of the business community who are participating in the Group.
The myriad assessments, potentially conflicting targets, different funding streams and different professional views suggest that our current system is far from holistic. This session from the Bradford pilot looks at how you can see the world holistically and from a customer view and start to make better choices about what to do with precious resources.
Category: learning
