Principle 4 – Provides strong democratic accountability, representation and community empowerment

With our communities we will continue to build positive and long-lasting relationships

We will invest in social and political capital to enable effective governance and build positive, long-lasting relationships which will move beyond transactional relationships with residents and local stakeholders. This will forge meaningful connections with individuals and across sectors to instil a sense of community, build trust, shore up civic infrastructure, build on strengths and bolster resilience, and engender public support for innovation, local government and policies.

By working with communities, for communities, meaningfully at a localised place level, we will increase engagement and give a greater sense of agency to our residents. We will be visible to our communities, and we will demonstrate through democratic decisions and new initiatives, that we are listening. By upskilling local groups and focusing on community strengths and assets, we will support mature debate, innovation, and empower people to take ownership and control of their places. In partnership with statutory and voluntary services, our communities will lead the way. Greater trust will be developed in both democracy and in local decisions, and resource and capacity will be targeted where it can make the biggest difference.

Partnership Groups in Reigate & Banstead – Case Study

Using an asset-based community development approach, the council has established ‘Partnership Groups’ in five of their most vulnerable communities. Membership is made up of local organisations and active citizens who develop a local action plan which helps identify and direct work around local issues and places, giving people living and working in those communities the ability to influence outcomes.

These Partnership Groups enabled highly effective collaboration between the council and local groups and residents in delivering the area’s Covid welfare response during the pandemic, and since then have paved the way for genuinely system wide frontline collaboration between communities, the voluntary and community sector, local government, the NHS, local policing teams, housing providers and more.

Reigate & Banstead Borough Council has also employed a Community Development Worker for Redhill, who, working with a local GP, and supported by active citizens of an estate in Redhill, has set up the Asian Women’s Wellness Hub (AWWH). AWWH has encouraged local Asian women to improve their physical and mental wellbeing including women’s self-defence, improving knowledge and understanding of diabetes, and active participation in community events.

Malvern Hills Connected Communities – Case Study

As a predominantly rural area, districts with a similar profile to Malvern Hills often experience issues of isolation, poor connectivity, and limited physical infrastructure. However, Malvern Hills counters this trend by increasing levels of Voluntary and Community Sector and resident engagement in civic and community life that is notably higher than the English average.

By taking an approach based upon ‘asset-based community development’, the council has focused on identifying, maximising, and benefiting from the existing resources, skills and experience within their communities. They established a place-based partnership comprised of the council, VCS, NHS, other partners and residents to support the design and delivery of integrated services across communities. Meeting regularly, the partnership identifies priority areas and formulates a whole-system response to it to allocate resources.

By empowering communities to lead, and working together to identify gaps and maximising strengths, when significant challenges have occurred, such as flooding, COVID-19 or the need to accomodate Ukrainian refugees, there has been the resilience and capacity within communities to respond as one to meeting these needs.

By harnessing existing local structures and existing resources, rather than imposing a top-down structure like community boards, Surrey’s three unitary authorities will be able to help foster resilient communities within each of their own distinctive places.