Robin Hambleton Elected Mayor Presentation 111128

8/3/2019 Robin Hambleton Elected Mayor Presentation 111128

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Presentation to the Bristol Ideas Forum, Bristol Festival of Ideas

Watershed, Bristol, 2 December 2011

Place-based leadership

in a globalising world

Robin Hambleton

Professor of City Leadership, University of the West of England, Bristoland Director of Urban Answers

www.urbananswers.co.uk


2/24

Place-based leadership in a globalising world

A presentation in four parts:

Orientation our globalising world

Reversing the centralisation of power in England International examples of Directly Elected Mayors

Auckland Developing strategic city region leadership

Freiburg Green plus growth

Chicago Bold vision and service responsiveness

International lessons for England


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1. Orientation -

our globalizing world


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Governing cities in a global era

The presentation draws on this book

plus more recent research

Robin Hambleton and Jill Gross (eds)

Governing Cities in a Global Era.

Palgrave, 2007

An edited collection covering citygovernance in all continents


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A collection of short articles commissioned

by the UK Improvement and Development

Agency (IDeA) for local government

Provides examples of place-based

innovation in:

Chicago

Malmo

Melbourne

Milan

www.idea.gov.uk/international

International insights a series for the UK


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Global challenges for locality leaders

Massive economic restructuring of localities in recent decades

Serious economic troubles demand innovation

- public spending cutbacks; rethinking the role of the state

Unsustainable urban development climate change

- inadequate investment in public transport; eco footprints

Dynamic, exciting multicultural cities

- but concerns about social tensions

Local democracy on the ropes?

- the erosion of local power with voter turnout in decline

- imperative to develop local innovative capacity


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Why new place-based leadership?

Political, managerial and community leadership is needed:

To combat placeless power

- distant decision makers unconcerned about local communities

To unite the realms of civic leadership

- public, private and civil society working together in new ways

- promote public service and civic innovation

To strengthen local democracy

- revitalise representative and participatory democracy

To improve the local quality of life

- for all who live in the city


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2. Reversing the centralisation

of England


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Local/central relations in the UK pre 1997

A large amount of scholarship shows that the UK has become the most

centralised state in the Western world.

Layfield Committee on Local Government Finance 1976

The Rates Act of 1984 a seismic shock central government takes the

power to cap the local level of taxation

1996 - JRF report by Sir Charles Carter based on 10 years of research

concludes that local authorities need the freedom to do things differently

Sir Charles stresses that 60% of LA revenue should be raised locally

Labour opposes capping and argues for a massive increase in LA fiscalpower


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Local/central relations in the UK 1997 to now

1997 Having opposed capping for 13 years Labour in power retains it!

2004 Balance of Funding Review. No progress

2007 Lyons Report. The government rejects the recommendation toremove council tax capping the day the report came out. No progress

2009 House of Commons Balance of power Review recommendsstrengthening LA fiscal power. No progress

2010 Coalition Government produces a Jekyll and Hyde Localism Bill

2011 Localism Act (November) extends the power of the Secretary ofState in numerous ways. Very little progress on decentralisation


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The Localism Act and elected mayors

However, the Localism Act 2011 is not all bad news:

It provides an opportunity for the twelve largest cities outside London to

introduce Directly Elected Mayors (DEMs)

Leicester has already done this and the other eleven, including Bristol,

are now considering the idea

Yes, there is a missed opportunity these are not to be metropolitan

mayors on the London model

But there is an opportunity to introduce a DEM for Bristol and attract

more powers to the city


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3. International examples of

Directly Elected Mayors

1) Auckland Developing strategic city leadership

2) Freiburg Green plus growth

3) Chicago Civic service and bold vision


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Auckland

entirely new governance


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Auckland radical reform including a new

directly elected mayor

Concern about the fragmented metropolis seven unitary authorities andan Auckland Regional Council

Royal Commission on Auckland Governance (2007-09) an outstandingstudy of metropolitan governance

Proposed an entirely new governance structure for the metropolis a twotier model with a directly elected mayor for the entire city

The New Zealand Government accepted the directly elected mayor butcreated a single unitary authority dubbed the super city

Auckland Council is now Australasias largest local authority and MayorLen Brown, elected in November 2010, is strong on multi-cultural themes


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Freiburg

how to be green in a recession


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Freiburg a radical approach to local

leadership

A city with a population of 220,000 and falling car ownership

Stunning public transport + very high quality urban design

In 1970 = no bike paths; now = over 300 miles

Over 1,000 new jobs in solar technology in the last ten years

Directly Elected Mayor Green Party

Very active citizenry shaping child-friendly neighbourhoods


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Chicago

building on the Burnham Plan of 1909


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Chicago public service responsiveness

A long established tradition of bold, outgoing leadership going back tothe Burnham and Bennett Plan of Chicago in 1909

President Barack Obama developed his leadership skills doingcommunity organising on the South Side (and was a successfulSenator in Illinois)

The 311 non-emergency telephone service (to complement 911)

A level of responsiveness far beyond any private sector company and

far beyond anything in European public services

Immediate non-emergency information and assistance 24 hours a day

Service monitoring to ensure follow up on requests for action


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4. International lessons for

England


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Bristol city region

the inclusive city


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Major themes from international experience

Success is found where local authorities are really powerful

Very strong local power creates the local political space within whichinnovation can prosper

Directly Elected Mayors (DEMs) can make a major contribution but theyneed much power if they are to match the best cities in the world

Bold, outgoing civic leadership bringing together the state, the privatesector and civil society is critical

Civic leadership is multi-level place-based leadership is not just forsenior figures

Community empowerment and service user involvement can

spur new thinking


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Lessons for English local democracy (1)

Value and support all councillors the roots of representative democracy

Average number of citizens per councillor

France 116

Germany 250

Italy 397

Sweden 667

UK 2,605

The representative ratio in the UK is twice as bad as elsewhere in Europe

Do not reduce the number of councillors grant them all significant

neighbourhood leadership powers


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Lessons for English local democracy (2)

Directly Elected Mayors need strong and capable chief executives

Grant mayoral authorities a massive increase in powers eg Whole Placebudgetary powers this would be a real incentive

Use the mayoral experience at unitary authority level to prepare theground fro Metropolitan Mayors (along London lines) in three years

Create multi-level leadership develop programmes that bring together thepolitical, managerial and community leaders in the city

Take advantage of the dire economic outlook to introduce radically newways of leading and governing the cities of England


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Thank you for your attention

More information on UWE research on place-based leadership:

http://info.uwe.ac.uk/news/UWENews/news.aspx?id=2149

More on the international examples and further analysis of

leadership themes:

www.urbananswers.co.uk
http://info.uwe.ac.uk/news/UWENews/news.aspx?id=2149http://info.uwe.ac.uk/news/UWENews/news.aspx?id=2149

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Robin Hambleton Elected Mayor Presentation 111128