Local politics shows you cannot dodge real needs
—Now this may sound obvious, but the power of local government lies in the fact that it is government which is local. It needs to be responsive to the community it represents, flexible enough to meet local needs. It needs to be strong and have the vision to improve the lives of the people who live within its geographical boundaries.
If you are a councillor or local leader you know that you cannot afford to ignore the wishes and aspirations or concerns of any section or area of your community. The power of a well-focused local campaign can bring the good work of your council to a shuddering halt or provide a massive distraction from other projects. And as a local councillor or leader there is no avoiding that campaign or unhappy resident. So their concerns cannot just be brushed off or ignored, as sooner or later you will have to face them again and they will want to know what you have done to address the concerns of their campaign or their individual grievance.
So you are probably thinking, none of this is earth-shattering stuff; why have those people at Progress bothered to ask him to write an article?
The answer lies in the fact that, while Labour in local government is usually so good at working on this basis – being open, honest and accountable to the community it represents – we have been poor at listening, hearing and responding to the many communities we represent at a national level. Although in local government we would not dream of ignoring a growing swell of discontent, of not acknowledging it and responding appropriately, it too often seems that as a party nationally we might acknowledge the problem, but either do nothing about it or simply wearily repeat a response to that particular problem that we do not really believe in.
But hold on, is this not the guy behind the regeneration of the Elephant and Castle in south London where we have lost loads of council housing and the community is unhappy? How has he demonstrated that he is ‘responding appropriately’ there?
A good example. Because at the Elephant and Castle we have listened and we have learned, but most importantly what we as a council are doing there is informed by our passionate belief in the value of council housing, not as second-rate ‘good enough’ homes but as the highest quality housing which is indistinguishable from any private housing in the area. Southwark council’s housing strategy is a vision that wherever you walk in our borough you will not be able to tell whether housing is private, privately rented, social, or any other tenure – the quality will always be the highest.
And that concept of place extends beyond the walls of the homes that are being built, to every aspect of the public realm in the area and to the new Castle Leisure Centre – a magnificent example of municipal investment where every Southwark resident can now enjoy free swimming and gym use from Friday to Sunday.
Everything we are doing is informed by our passionate belief in our values to create a fairer future for all in Southwark. So even if they may not like a particular aspect of what we are doing, the public has overwhelmingly endorsed that overarching vision and narrative that we have to improve our borough. The strength of the vision for our locality is recognised and appreciated.
So how might this help us nationally and elsewhere? Clearly a strong overarching narrative helps. It helps to put everything into context. But it is also important to recognise that differences in approach are not a bad thing. In local government, what works in one ward, area or borough might not work in another. But if the narrative and vision leads to positive outcomes addressing the aspirations of the community, differences in approach should be encouraged.
If the European Union referendum result has taught us anything it is that a progressive Labour party must recognise the differences that exist in different parts of our country – but that those differences can be reconciled under a strong and positive future vision for the nation. Our voters are seeking that leadership.
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Peter John is leader of the London borough of Southwark
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