How local services are showing there is another way to provide for communities

With the Comprehensive Spending Review just around the corner, the outlook doesn’t look positive for public services. Under growing pressure to deliver growth, but with an aversion to borrowing more or raising taxes, the Chancellor is reported to be considering further cuts to public spending to avoid breaking her self-imposed fiscal rules.

This would be a mistake. Decent public services are a vital part of a fully functioning economy in which everyone can thrive. Our schools, hospitals and public transport have already been left struggling after years of under-investment. Further cuts risk making life even harder for those struggling to make ends meet.

However, look behind the headlines and you will see another story. One that provides hope and the inspiration that another way is possible. This is because despite the direction national policy is headed, there are also many local service providers across the UK who are inventing new ways to meet their communities’ needs and to help drive the green transition.

At the Social Guarantee we’ve been trying to find out about such actions, as part of our Local Action project. After speaking to local public service providers, practitioners and organisers we are now showcasing 12 examples of good practice as a resource for other providers, policymakers and researchers. These cover adult social care, childcare, digital access, energy, housing and transport. They span the public and third sectors, from local and combined authorities to voluntary and community groups, social enterprises and co-operatives. Each one shows how different aspects of universal basic services (UBS) can be realised in practice through a local initiative. Here’s a closer look at three.

Empowering care workers

Equal Care Co-op (Equal Care) is a digital social care platform owned and operated by those who give and receive care. Aligned with NEF’s vision for a transformed social care workforce, Equal Care seeks to empower care workers.

Based in Calderdale, the platform matches those seeking care with local care workers and enables care givers to manage their rotas and teams. Equal Care’s model grants care workers ownership and control, meaning they can self-regulate and take on opportunities to develop new skills in different roles within their teams.

At 4%, care worker turnover at Equal Care is very low compared to the industry standard of 24%. Across the sector, service users typically receive care from around 10 to 40 different people, while at Equal Care it averages at 1.8 individuals. Continuity of care significantly improves care quality and leads to better health outcomes.

Improving conditions for private renters

Pushing back against negligence and mismanagement in the private rented sector, local tenants in Newham formed the People’s Empowerment Alliance for Custom House (PEACH), a residents’ action group, in 2013.

The housing crisis is severe in the borough – Newham experiences the highest rate of homelessness in London, affecting one in 18 people. While local organisations currently lack the resources to overcome this deep structural injustice, PEACH have been pushing the council in the right direction. In 2020, PEACH won the repossession of 250 homes, resulting in the council issuing new contracts that brought rents down by around 60%. Since then, it has continued pressuring the council to buy back properties. PEACH’s strategy mirrors NEF’s proposals for a national programme of social housing acquisition to help to address homelessness and wider need for more social housing.

Reliable public transport

Resisting privatisation at numerous junctures, Nottingham City Council has maintained its controlling stake in Nottingham City Transport (NCT). It is one of the UK’s few municipally owned bus services. In many parts of the country bus services and transport networks have deteriorated under private ownership and communities are doubly afflicted by exorbitant fares and reduced connectivity. However, down to public ownership and rigorous local management, bus services are accessible and reliable in Nottingham. Rather than funding dividend payouts, NCT reinvests its income in capital and labour for good working conditions and high service quality. As a result, NCT has been able to expand its electric fleet – its procurement policy is central to Nottingham’s citywide plan for carbon neutrality by 2028.

“Local Action shows that it is possible to take initial steps independently and reallocate existing local resources in line with needs despite financial constraints”

Beyond these Local Action examples there are many more cases of local organisations employing innovative collective approaches to meet needs within planetary boundaries. Reclaiming Our Regional Economies (RORE) is a collaborative five year programme developed by NEF, the Centre for Local Economic Strategies (CLES), Co-operatives UK and the Centre for Thriving Places. It seeks to bring communities together with political and institutional leaders to design economies around local social and environmental needs. Abundance pool case studies of public-common strategies for democratising the economy and realising a just socio-ecological transition. CLES also document case studies for each locality they work with, developing policy for wealth and power to serve local people. Leading environmental organisations, Friends of the Earth and Ashden, have collaborated to produce 40 case studies of local authorities that have implemented place-based solutions to tackle environmental challenges.

Local Action shows that it is possible to take initial steps independently and reallocate existing local resources in line with needs despite financial constraints. Two key lessons emerge. To work for each locality’s unique requirements and infrastructure, residents must be genuinely engaged in decisions about how to meet local needs. And for these changes to make a real difference over time and across the country, central government must support local service providers with sufficient, secure funding.