MASH Lab Launch!
Tuesday 17 April will see the launch of Dudley’s MASH Lab. This has evolved from the OUr Society: Our Solutions research and discussions which have taken place and which led to thinking which we call MASH: Managing Assets and Services Holistically. The ideas have been committed to by senior decision makers in Dudley Council
The purpose of the MASH Lab Launch is to share the thinking behind MASH and to collaboratively select a realistic number of areas of work to test in the MASH Lab over the next 8 months. Areas of work being considered will include:
- Dudley Council organisational transformation and workforce development to be developed in collaboration with VCFS to ensure change in future relationships.
- Dudley Council employee Volunteering Strategy to be refreshed in collaboration with VCFS to provide two-way benefits.
- Dudley Council Compact champions to be revitalised to promote cross sector networking, connecting, problem-solving, and feedback.
- Dudley Council staff to be given responsibility for online and social media communications to improve overall communications.
- Dudley Council website to be refreshed to be more outward facing and user-friendly
- Dudley Council to enable citizens and VCFS to let Dudley Council and others know about positive activities happening in local areas to be uploaded on line
- Refreshed and or new collaborative forums / stakeholder groups where Dudley Council can involve VCFS and citizens in understanding pressures on services and budgets and explore solutions
- A refreshed complaints process for Dudley Council where feedback on service improvement is encouraged – a dialogue.
- Design of a new online (and possible offline) process for inviting suggestions from citizens and VCFS for service changes and co-production.
- Dudley Council Engagement Strategy to be a catalyst for changing the way the council and VCFS work together – less consultation and more collaboration
- Revision of Dudley Council commissioning approaches to include commissioning to local VCFS organisations
- Dudley Council to develop a collaborative approach with VCFS to ‘Community Right to Challenge’
- Collaborate learning to be gained from Climate Change group, including Transition Stourbridge, experience of influencing design and delivery of a re-use facility / shop within the new contract to run the LA Civic Amenity site, Stourbridge
- Dudley Council and VCFS to collaboratively create a comprehensive ‘joint asset management policy’ to include:
- Develop a process to identify opportunities for co-location of Dudley Council with VCFS and other organisations in shared buildings
- Dudley Council and the VCFS to collaboratively develop an approach to the register for ‘assets of community value’, to gain relevant nominations, understanding and procedures.
- Dudley Council and the VCFS to collaboratively develop an approach to Neighbourhood Planning, as connected closely to community asset management.
- Dudley Council to collaboratively develop a corporate policy and approach for disposing of unwanted fittings, furniture and other smaller items from council buildings due to closures etc to VCFS groups
Invitations to the event are being circulated widely to community, voluntary and faith groups, and to selected officers in Dudley MBC so that there are links to the areas being considered.
Inspiring Democracy Project
Dudley is one of seven areas selected to be involved in research as part of national project funded by the government called Inspiring Democracy.
The project focuses on building relationships between citizens, community based organisations and elected members working together to influence local political agendas. In each of the seven areas across England a different look will be taken at aspects of councillor and community organisation/s relationships and objectives.
Sue Gorbing
A focus group for interested members of community groups and organisations in Dudley Borough will be held on the evening of 7 March 2012, venue tba. The focus group will be run by Sue Gorbing from community development specialists changes who have been contracted to deliver this project. Invitations to the focus group will be circulated to community groups over the coming days.
The Inspiring Democracy project will lead to a resource being produced to enable Elected Members and community organisations to think about and enact their roles in a more constructive way. Everyone taking part in the research will be invited to an event on 25 April (likely to be in Birmingham) and have an opportunity to feed back on the draft guidance and input to the final write-up.
The other research areas are: Wolverhampton, Solihull, Shropshire, Preston, Keighley (Bradford) and Wiltshire.
Thinking from the South West
It’s often useful to hear about (and get involved in) things going on in other areas. Isabel Livingstone from South West Forum has provided an excellent write up from an event in the South West: Making Ourselves Heard.
I really like the feedback from discussions about tips for voluntary organisations on influencing the public sector. This one relates to our work in Dudley with Urban Forum on Community Rights:
How do you influence without ‘agressing’? Eg right to challenge is very strong action to take and could cause conflict.
Also included in Isabel’s write up is the following food for thought about the Localism Act:
John Skrine from Creating Excellence gave us a critique of the Localism Act, which in his view holds more threats than opportunities. Read more in his excellent blog post, The Localism Act – Santa or Scrooge. A key point that stood out for me was the example John gave of Exeter Community Centre, which is currently being refurbished after a long process of transferring it to community ownership and management, with the help of grants and a loan from Community Builders. John cautioned that if this had happened after the Localism Act came into force, the community would have had to bid competitively against the private sector for the community centre, and it’s likely that it would have been turned into expensive flats instead.
April 2011 update
extract from Our Society in Dudley Borough discussion, posted on 18 April 2011 to http://www.oursociety.org.uk/group/dudley/forum
We are trying to strike a balance through Our Society activity between projects which can provide evidence and learning and test the changing relationship between communities and the public sector and work towards longer term culture change. A problem with projects is that they can be piecemeal and not lead to whole system changes, whereas a difficulty with seeking to address whole system change is around issues of power.
So to ensure something tangible in the short-term we are looking at concrete project-based activity, some of it already underway, some of it arising in response to the Localism agenda and changes in legislation. Activities we are interested in are the asset transfer of Lye and Wollescote Chapels, and interest expressed in taking on management of a local Youth Centre. We will develop activity around openness to community influence with colleagues in the Council’s Planning Policy Team, using the echo framework.
We are also looking at changing hearts and minds, steps in this process include discussions at the next Dudley Community Partnership Board meeting on 19 May, potentially work with elected members, and Community Rights Made Real.
And in order to highlight and celebrate the fantastic things which our communities already do, Dudley CVS is leading on the development of an online space for Our Society related discussion in Dudley and support to local groups to promote their achievements. Dudley CVS is also developing the social media skills of our local groups, clubs and societies through the launch of monthly social media surgeries. The first one was held on 14 April and was a resounding success. See the video below, my blog and a a post by Nick Booth on the Podnosh website.
Lorna Prescott, Senior Development Officer at Dudley CVS manages this site on behalf of Our Society Dudley groups. Contact Lorna:
