community groups – The Community Planning Toolkit

Civil Society

Civil society is sometimes called ‘the third sector’, but it pre-dates either public authorities or private enterprise…

Civil society is sometimes called 'the third sector', but it pre-dates either public authorities or private enterprise...

In more detail

Civil society is all the things that exist because of what we do and plan together and not because someone either paid for them, or passed a law to say they should. It includes:

Families
Social networks (the patterns of who knows whom)
Communities
Community groups
Voluntary organisations
Charities and trusts

and the links between them. Other organisations like authorities and businesses contribute to civil society - although they are not part of it. Our social networks, for example, are influenced by the work we do and the services, like schools and places of worship, we may use. Some organisations, like social enterprises, or some large charities – which are part of civil society – also work as businesses or like public sector bodies.

Sometimes it is called the third sector or voluntary sector (as opposed to the private sector and the public sector). In fact, civil society is more accurately the ‘first sector’. Humans co-operated voluntarily to achieve common goals before we ever invented government or business.

Some accounts and descriptions of civil society focus on how it joins up with the public sector. These descriptions tend to over-emphasise the importance of large, organised voluntary organisations and charities run by professional employees. They may refer to ‘the voluntary sector’ rather than civil society. Other accounts and descriptions of civil society focus on the places where it most resembles business. Social enterprises figure largely in these descriptions. The truth is that whilst both of these types of organisation is part of civil society, most of civil society is made up by families; friends; neighbours; people helping each other out; informal volunteering – ‘lending a hand’; giving time and money to people who need it; and a multitude of small – often informal – community groups and the networks between them.

Businesses and public services make a massive difference to the quality of life in the community, but making anywhere a better place to live in the long run depends on local civil society, not what the council says or what businesses can do.

Key Facts:

Civil society is citizens linked by common interest and collective action: everything which happens in your neighbourhood which isn't the result of a decision by an elected official or because of a market price. It is the 'first sector' not the the 'third sector' because it pre-dates authorities and markets. Public services and private enterprise create opportunities, but civil society makes up the bedrock of wealth and wellbeing in almost any neighbourhood.

Page Links from here

Civil Society is a useful website with news, events and information relating to the 'third sector'

What is Civil Society was a BBC World Service radio series first broadcast in 2001 - notes and a link to listen to the programme are available on the BBC website

In this toolkit see:

Community

Community Groups

Social Capital

OR you can use the navigation menu above right to look at other parts of the toolkit.

BIRMINGHAM COMMUNITY PLANNING TOOLKIT DEFINITION SHEET This sheet may be reproduced in paper or electromic or any other form but please mention it was made by Chamberlain Forum Limited for Birmingham City Council supported by Department for Communities and Local Government.

created: 2016-07-21 05:31:57

by: admin

status: f published

Tenant Panels

The way social housing is managed matters to tenants and to the wider community. Tenant panels enable tenants to get involved in making decisions…

The way social housing is managed matters to tenants and to the wider community. Tenant panels enable tenants to get involved in making decisions...

In more detail

From 2013, social landlords (housing associations and local councils) has been 'co-regulated' by landlords themselves and by tenant panels made up by tenant representatives. Housing associations and councils which have retained council housing must support tenant panels and assist them to be involved in scrutinising their performance as landlords and work with them to enable them to shape decisions about things like estate management and housing re-investment which impact on the wider neighbourhood.

Economic and Consumer Standards

Housing association tenant panels help to regulate social landlords in respect of both economic and consumer standards. Local council tenant panels regulate councils only in respect of consumer standards. Regulating the performance of landlords on economic standards means that tenant panels look at things like the governance and financial viability of housing associations as well as rent policies and value for money. Consumer standards apply to:

tenant involvement and empowerment
the standard of accomodation provided by landlords- which includes things like repairs, development and re-investment in existing housing stock
tenancy policies - which help to determine who will be housed in a given neighbourhood
neighbourhood and community matters incluidng estate and neighbourhood management.

In neighbourhoods with social housing, tenant panels and other tenant bodies may be key groups to include in community planning.

Key Facts:

Tenants play a formal role in shaping the decisions of housing associations and councils with retained council housing which can affect the wider neighbourhood. Tenant panels and other tenant bodies may be key groups to involve in neighbourhood improvement.

Page Links from here

Social Housing

OR you can use the navigation menu above right to look at other parts of the toolkit.

created: 2016-07-18 13:58:57

by: admin

status: f published

Community Right to Build Orders

If your community organisation wants to develop community land and buildings itself, then a Community Right to Build Order can enable planning permission for it on a particular site…

If your community organisation wants to develop community land and buildings itself, then a Community Right to Build Order can enable planning permission for it on a particular site...

In more detail

A Community Right to Build Order (CRTBO) is a special type of Neighbourhood Development Order which can be created by any local community organisation (not just a body which qualifies to lead neighbourhood planning under the Localism Act 2011) as long as it meets certain criteria (see below).

Uses

You can use a CRTBO to give outline or full planning permission for the development of things like a community centre, shops, businesses, affordable housing for rent or sale, community facilities or playgrounds to be built by the community organisation and not for private profit. CRTBOs are intended to enable small scale developments that would not need an Environmental Impact Assessment. That means there are certain sites as well as certain types of development that cannot be subject of a CRTBO.

The video below is by Locality and presents Community Right to Build Orders:

Criteria

A local community organisation must have at least half of its members living in a neighbourhood area to be eligible to propose a CRTBO in that neighbourhood. The objectives of the organisation must be in line with improving the economic, environmental and social well-being of the area in question. Any profit made as a result of a CRTBO must be used for the good of the whole community or a community within the neighbourhood, not for private gain.

Apart from the originating body, a CRTBO is processed in the same way as a Neighbourhood Development Order, including the need for a public referendum. It could be that it is quicker for your group to get planning permission for the development in the usual way rather than using a CRTBO.

Key Facts:

A Community Right To Build Order (CRTBO) is a way of community organisations securing full or outline planning permission for developing a particular site. It only applies to locally based organisations and is simply a way of securing permission to develop land and buildings. Organisations should consider the alternatives to see what advantage a CRTBO might give them.

Page Links from here

The CPRE guide to Community Right to Build Orders

The Planning Advisory Service's guide for councils on CRTBOs

In the toolkit see:

Local Development Orders

Neighbourhood Development Order

OR you can use the navigation menu above right to look at other parts of the toolkit.

created: 2016-06-28 10:23:57

by: admin

status: f published

Faith Communities

The biggest communities in your neighbourhood are likely to be faith communities. Community planning is for everyone in an area regardless of their beliefs. But involving faith communities is likely to be a way of increasing the number and range of people involved – and getting involved in community planning could itself be seen as an act of faith!

The biggest communities in your neighbourhood are likely to be faith communities. Community planning is for everyone in an area regardless of their beliefs. But involving faith communities is likely to be a way of increasing the number and range of people involved - and getting involved in community planning could itself be seen as an act of faith!

In more detail

A community is a group of people with a shared interest and an identity. Faith communities are communities in which members share a religious faith or spiritual outlook. They matter for at least three reasons:

all communities matter – community planning depends on widespread and active involvement. About one-third of people has some sort of regular connection with a faith community. About the same number of people regularly attend a mosque, Anglican church or Catholic church in England. Significant numbers of people regularly attend other types of church including Baptist, Pentecostalist and Charismatic churches as well as Sikh gurdwara and Hindu temple. You can find how people in your neighbourhood describe their religious faith from the census information at the government’s neighbourhood statistics website.
faith communities (like sports clubs) frequently create links between other communities – the overlaps that stitch local society together. Not everyone who goes to a church is rich, or poor, there is usually a mixture. Not everyone who visits a local place of worship necessarily lives in the area, but they still use it and have links to people who do live locally. The links between communities within neighbourhoods and across them that faith communities can make means they are often particularly important.
members of faith communities share values and often these values have a lot in common with what you might call ‘civic values’: good neighbourliness; ‘helping out’; charity and compassionate etc. Community planning isn’t an appropriate vehicle for faith communities to spread their faith, but there is no reason why members of faith communities who get involved as participants and volunteers etc shouldn’t feel that they are living their faith – putting their values into action - by becoming involved.

Aren't Most People Not Active Believers?

More people in England are not members of a faith community than those who are. Likewise, there are many more people who are not members of sports clubs than those who are. If you want to use community networks as a way of involving people in community planning, however, you can only work with communities that exist. Your target should be to try to involve faith communities, sports clubs and every other kind of community which exists in your neighbourhood.

Key Facts:

Faith communities are often large communities which own local assets including a meeting place. Involving them is a way of involbving more people in community planning and matters because: every local community matters; faith communities may act as 'glue' between other communities (young and old, for example); and faith communities frequently share 'civic values' which are close to those behind the impulse to work together to make better places to live.

Page Links from here

Engaging Faith Communities in Urban Regeneration - from the Joseph Rowntree Foundation website

Have a look at the Faith Based Regeneration Network, the Faithful Neighbourhoods Centre and the Nehemiah Foundation

In this toolkit:

Community

Community Groups

Community Hubs and Networks

OR you can use the navigation menu above right to look at other parts of the toolkit.

created: 2016-06-23 12:45:57

by: admin

status: f published

Development Trusts

Community assets can be managed to provide services and the money made re-invsted back into community activities. Development trusts are community-led organisations that are frequently set up to achieve this…

In more detail

A development trust is a partnership organisation which brings together people and organisations with a stake in a locality to enable them – through shared ownership of assets – to lead and attract investment in making the neighbourhood a better place to live. Typically, a local development trust is a body set up to manage a local asset by people and organisations with an interest in the improvement of an area to:

carry out improvements to the locality including the local physical and social environment and the skills of local people
provide services to earn income and enable others to carry out improvements to the area
lobby for and promote the improvement of the area by larger organisations including in partnership with local people and organisations.

Development Trust Structures

A trust is non-profit body which operates as a social enterprise: in a business-like way, but generating social value as well as economic value and re-investing any surplus into its own development and that of the area. Trusts do not have a particular legal structure and they can be set up as non-profit companies limited by guarantee (CLGs), with or without Community Interest Company (CIC) status, co-operatives or charities (including as Charitable Incorporated Organisations). In order to achieve their objects, trusts must be able to enter into contracts to employ staff, pay contractors, charge customers etc and so need to be incorporated (have their own legal identity).

Asset Based Regeneration

Local development trusts are a form of neighbourhood company. They are often associated with and active exponents of an approach to local development called asset based regeneration. This was developed by a number of pioneering trusts from the 1960s onwards and become the guiding philosophy of the Development Trusts Association which merged to form Locality in 2011.

Asset based regeneration emphasises the ownership of local assets (as opposed, for example to their management or the ability to earn fees) in order to generate revenue that can be re-invested in the area. Although the most obvious asset for development trusts to use ion this way might seem to be housing (which generates ready and reliable revenue in the form of rents), not many trusts own housing but tend to own areas of land and community buildings instead.

Key Facts:

Development Trusts are community-led bodies which may be supported by local businesses and public agencies as well as individual members. They are generally set up to manage a lcoal asset or group of assets - typically including a building which is used as a meeting place and offers workspace. Any profit they make from services they provide is re-invested in improving the neighbourhood.

Page Links from here

Locality is the network for development trusts and other similar bodies.

In this toolkit see:

Neighbourhood Companies

Community Assets

Social Enterprise

Community Asset Transfer

Locality

OR you can use the navigation menu above right to look at other parts of the toolkit.

created: 2016-06-16 11:08:47

by: admin

status: f published

Designated Bodies

The ‘community rights’ in the Localism Act can be exercised by certain designated groups on behalf of the community…

The 'community rights' in the Localism Act can be exercised by certain designated groups on behalf of the community...

In more detail

The Localism Act 2011 designates which sort of community organisations can take on and lead the exercise of the various 'community powers' it sets out.

Neighbourhood Planning/Neighbourhood Development Orders

Neighbourhood planning (including neighbourhood development orders) must be led by the local parish council if one exists. In places where there is none - as in most urban neighbourhoods - then neighbourhood planning may be led by a 'neighbourhood forum'. The law says: forums must have at least 21 members; have membership which os representative of the area they cover (including business and public sector representatives); and have a written constitution. These requirements apply to existing bodies as well as to bodies formed for the purpose of neighbourhood planning. So, you may find that existing residents' groups and even bodies called neighbourhood forums and accepted by the council as such, do not qualify as designated bodies. In which case, you will have to set up a new body or change the constitution etc of an existing body in order to have a suitable body to lead on neighbourhood planning.

Assets of Community Value/Right to Bid

Any eligible community or voluntary organisation can nominate land or buildings to be included on the register of assets of community value kept by the council for the purposes of 'Right to Bid'. To be eligible, groups most be either an unincorporated association (like most residents' associations) with at least 21 members in the council's area; or a parish council, registered charity, indistrial and provident society (which is a form used by cooperatives), a company limited by guarantee or community interest company or a local neighbourhood forum as defined above. Neither the council, nor profit-making businesses may nominate assets for the register.

When land or buildings which are listed on the register of assets of community value is put up for sale by its owner, then suitably qualified 'community interest groups' have a six month window of opportunity within which to submit bids offers to buy the asset before the landowner is allowed to sell it on the open market. To be eligible as a community interest group, you must have a local connection with the asset and be: a parish council, a registered charity, a community interest company, a company limited by guarantee or an industrial and provident society. Neighbourhood forums (unless they are also one of the above) and unincorporated bodies can nominate assets for listing, but cannot exercise the right to bid.

Right to Challenge

Voluntary and community groups, charities, social enterprises, parish councils, local council and fire and rescue authority staff can express interest in running local council services where they believe they can do so differently and better. If the council accepts the written expression of interest (and if it doesn't, it must explain why), this triggers a procurement exercise in which the interested group may take part alongside any other organisation, including profit-making businesses, that are fit to deliver the service. So, businesses, which cannot trigger the challenge, can nonetheless bid to run the service if the challenge is accepted by the council.

Key Facts:

Parish councils and neighbourhood forums that have been constituted according to a legal minimum can exercise powers relating to neighbourhood planning. Parish councils, neighbourhood forums and a wide range of other non-profit groups can nominate assets of community value, but neighbourhood forums cannot exercise the subsequent righ to bid if and when it arises. Parish councils, a wide range of non-profit bodies and groups of staff who work for the council or the fire and rescue service can use the right to challenge the way a public service is run. All suitably qualified bodies, including profit-making businesses may take part in any procurement exercise arising from a successful challenge.

Page Links from here

In this toolkit:

Neighbourhood Planning

Neighbourhood Development Orders

Who Leads on Neighbourhood Planning?

Community Right to Bid

Parish Council

Community Group

OR you can use the navigation menu above right to look at other parts of the toolkit.

created: 2016-06-07 09:53:35

by: admin

status: f published

Community Matters

Community Matters produced a range of advice and information for community groups, but it is winding up in 2016…

Community Matters produced a range of advice and information for community groups, but it is winding up in 2016...

In more detail

Community Matters is the National Federation of Community Organisations. It is, in 2016, in the process of winding up having suffered from cuts in local council spending. Community Matters produced a range of useful toolkits and guidance sheets for small community groups and these will continue to be available from Advising Communities - an initiative set up by consultants associated with Community Matters.

Community Matters guidance covers issues involved in setting up and running a community group; acquiring and running premises; and getting standards in place that are needed if your group begins to handle money. Community Matters developed a quality system called Visible which is geared towards the needs of community groups.

Key Facts:

Community Matters was a non-profit organisation which produced a wide range of useful material for groups involved in community planning. A new body Advising Communities has been set up to make sure this advice is still available.

Page Links from here

Community Matters is winding up, but you can still access their advice and guidance online at http://www.communitymatters.org.uk and in future, check http://advising.london/communities for information.

Information about the Visible standard is at http://www.visiblecommunities.org.uk/

OR you can use the navigation menu above right to look at other parts of the toolkit.

created: 2016-05-23 10:08:44

by: admin

status: f published

Civic Voice

Civic trusts and amenity societies play an important role in looking after and improving urban neighbourhoods. Civic Voice networks these local groups on a national basis…

Civic trusts and amenity societies play an important role in looking after and improving urban neighbourhoods. Civic Voice networks these local groups on a national basis...

In more detail

Civic Voice is the national charity for the civic movement in England, promoting local civic pride. Its aim is to make places more attractive, enjoyable and distinctive. Its members are hundreds of local civic and amenity societies throughout the country and their members: people who care about pride in place and improving neighbourhoods.

The organisation was set up in 2010, after the closure of the Civic Trust, which had fulfilled a similar role. The video above shows projects shortlisted for the Civic Voice Design Awards in 2016.

Key Facts:

Civic Voice replaced the Civic Trust oin 2010 as a national body supporting local civic societies.

Page Links from here

The Civic Voice website has details of local Civic Societies and information about how they are using Community Rights in the Localism Act to protect local heritage

In this toolkit see:

The Prince's Foundation for Building Community

Town & Country Planning Association

Conservation Areas

Parish Councils

OR you can use the navigation menu above right to look at other parts of the toolkit.

created: 2016-05-14 15:24:02

by: admin

status: f published