Talking Big
ROD WEBB looks at the recently released Big Conversation report on enlisting community engagement in town regeneration
Under the former government, Hastings was one of 75 towns selected to receive a £20 million share of the £1.1 billion funding announced in September 2023 for the Long-Term Plan for Towns. As part of this plan, a Town Board was set up, chaired by Rebecca Conroy, Chief Executive Officer and Principal of East Sussex College. In July this year, community leaders came together to discuss and develop principles for community engagement that could guide the Long-Term-Plan funding to support the regeneration of the town.
As there is a sense that funding for this town has not always been spent wisely, it was heartening to be invited to take part in the discussions along with a diverse cross-section of community members. The workshop was organised by Hastings Voluntary Action and run by Always Possible – “an expert collective on building the future”. It was also good to see genuine engagement from those present – despite the lurking fear that it might just be a public relations exercise.
So it was interesting to see that the recent report appeared to capture what was discussed at the meeting and address some genuine concerns of the wider public. The introduction set the tone: “We needed to strike the right balance between learning painful lessons from the past and imagining new possibilities for Hastings.”
Challenges were recognised: loss of local trust, frustration with surveys, squandered money on projects were all noted. The importance of local engagement and ownership was highlighted through examples like The Bridge community centre “which, despite being a great idea, failed due to a lack of local sense of ownership” and had to close through lack of funding. Suggestions were that improved engagement required that meetings be “in accessible, non-threatening environments” as well as describing good community engagement as “accessible, with clear, jargon-free communication”.
“Decision-making should involve young people, with training and support for peer researchers. Engagement should be local, diverse, and demystified to encourage broad participation. The consultation underscored the importance of adopting grassroots approaches, respecting local input, and ensuring transparent and sustainable funding to foster a more engaged and empowered Hastings community.”
One suggestion was that “a representative community assembly is crucial for Hastings, encompassing a diverse cross-section of the town’s population by ethnicity, income, views and education.” It was noted that the assembly should be a permanent fixture to keep the town board accountable.
Recent events in Hasting have already led to the emergence of grassroots organisation, Hastings Assembles (See Hastings Assembles: A Different Politic, Issue 253: Taking Power Back through Community Conversation, Issue 254).
What was sadly lacking from the report was any reference to local media. This town is lucky to have three newspapers, one online and two printed, as well as a quarterly magazine.
There will be a more detailed analysis of the report in HIP Issue 264.
We hope you have enjoyed reading this article. The future of our volunteer led, non-profit publication would be far more secure with the aid of a small donation. You can also support local journalism by becoming a friend of HIP. It only takes a minute and we would be very grateful.
Leave a Reply