Spoke at a Communities and Partners Workshop this morning about the importance of the work currently taking place to set up a new system which will see measures put in place to ensure that residents are able to influence decisions that have direct impact on their lives.

This is what I said:

First I’d like to thank you for inviting me to this workshop today, I am only sorry that I can’t be here for the whole event but I have a long standing previous commitment which I can’t get out of.

When I was offered this Portfolio for Communities, Culture and Leisure I jumped at the chance. I’ve been around a long time, some would say too long, but I know an opportunity when I see one and this is one hell of an opportunity.

Ideas came together with the political will to make a paradigm shift in the way in which Walsall Council interacts with its residents. The driver in all this has been austerity which for once has brought together all the partners, agencies and the voluntary and community sectors in a fight against a common enemy, a crisis not of our making.

We are at the start of a journey. How long or how short that journey will be is up to you and others like you.

The Localities Model which brings us together across Walsall is all about Collaborative Participatory Governance. The work that has been done so far has brought the top down. The other part of this equation is to bring the bottom up and that’s where the voluntary and community sector needs to play its part.

The sector will have a place on the Localities Board. It will be the voice of our communities on that Board. The sector will decide how best to make that connection

How we “listen to our communities” and genuinely, let the people have a route by which they can influence the investment and sadly disinvestment decisions that we will all have to make. 

Listening to our communities is a real passion for me. Community Politics is what got me into politics in the first place more years ago now than I care to remember.

Our communities are changing. They come from different backgrounds, different faiths and influences.  We need to listen to what they have to say and learn from what we hear.

The multi-cultural nature of our society is accelerating. This brings positive opportunities; but only if we accept our differences and work together will we achieve our goal of a better Walsall. 

I know that this is not going to be easy, though nothing worth having comes easy.  This is going to a tough one to crack. This Localities work is in my view transformational and I do not underestimate the amount of work done so far and the size of the task that lies ahead.

The Council has a strong commitment to the Voluntary and Community Sector not in a paternal way but in true partnership.

There are some major issues to tackle if we are going to break the cycle of deprivation which has hung like a millstone round our necks sadly for longer than I can remember. 

Where we can we need to start to try and fill some of the gaps that have appeared because of austerity. We have fewer Cops on the beat, less resource in the Council and increasing crime.  We need to do things differently as we can’t rely on a government U Turn as they manage decline.

I have within my portfolio a whole group of individuals who have and I know will continue to help me deliver some really transformational change for the people of Walsall that will make their lives better.  I thank you for the work you have done thus far. I thank you for the work you are going to do and assure you of my continuing support going forward.