Recent headlines about massive local government sell offs have got Liz Zeidler, CTP’s Co-Founder, angry. In her new blog she turns her anger to action as she explores the bigger picture reasons behind this asset stripping, and more importantly what can be done to stop it deepening.

When I see an article like this one from the BBC I don’t know whether to shout or cry. The selling off of millions of pounds worth of buildings and assets by local councils to pay interest on debts has many of us up in arms at the loss of countless vital services and the infrastructure that keeps so many communities afloat.

But before we start picketing Town Halls, it’s really important to see this mass ‘sell-off’ for what it is – the outcome of both political centralisation and a wider economy that for too long has prioritised wealth over wellbeing. 

Local government has been systematically starved of a sustainable income from central government and has lost almost all its power to make that money locally themselves. Decades of selling off local assets to global corporations doesn’t just mean the immediate loss of access to them – it means decades more of paying through the roof for those services to continue and the profit to go into offshore tax havens around the world. 

This is an extractive economy, where local government spends (as an example), 75% of its income delivering different forms of ‘care’ – and shareholders, not care-workers or those needing care are the main beneficiaries of that ‘investment’.

Centre for Thriving Places (CTP) is part of a wider movement helping shift the economy from extractive to regenerative – one that feeds local people and the local economy with what it needs to thrive. 

So how do we fight back? How can we reclaim our local and regional economies and steer them towards delivering what matters to us, our communities and even future generations?

‘At the local level we work with communities around the country to help ensure their knowledge and wisdom is fed into every decision’

One answer lies in the work that CTP has quietly been doing at the sharp end of this crisis for years. When we work alongside some of the brilliant and deeply committed people in towns and cities around the UK, we support them to tackle this differently. Here’s my top three ‘starter for ten’ shifts we need to urgently make together:

1. We need to rewire our systems so these decisions simply never make sense. CTP’s overall mission is to shift local, regional (and ultimately national) economies to focus on what drives our capacity to thrive – and these assets are often key to a whole host of those drivers. That sounds quite theoretical but in fact it’s a deeply practical task that is happening right now. We work alongside local governments and communities to rewire their systems, policies and plans so these headlines just wouldn’t come to pass. When progress is measured in the quality and security of local jobs, in the health of our citizens, in the strength of our connections and the wellbeing of our children – then the things we invest in, who we commission to deliver our services to and what we prioritise in our decision making all radically change for the better.
2. We need to shift power. How do we give local people, local businesses and local service providers a real voice in how things work? At a national level we are working to help deliver deeper devolution that gives meaningful power over key decisions to local leaders. And at the local level we work with communities around the country to help ensure their knowledge and wisdom is fed into every decision – supporting their voice and influence to change these sorts of decisions before it is too late.
3. We need to work together. CTP’s approach is to show how working together – across departments, sectors and long held siloes can transform policies and ultimately places. Selling off a playground will influence outcomes across health, education, community cohesion, air quality and so much more. We bring those different decision makers together to share insight, budgets and plans so that they can do more, often with less and with multiple co-benefits for local people for years to come.

This extractive and centralised economy benefits no one except the wealthiest among us. As our country becomes more divided by the day – fuelled by billionaire backed political and media campaigns determined to distract us from the wealthiest 1% and turn our anger and frustration at each other and those fleeing unimaginable danger – we need community facilities and spaces more than ever. But beyond that we need a regenerative, wellbeing producing economy today so the decision to sell off those assets to the highest bidder become a bad memory we learn from a swear we will never let happen again.

Look out for our joint report in the Autumn on extraction in the Care Sector and join us in our work to make Local Places stronger for us all.

Liz Zeidler, Chief Executive

Would you like practical support to help shift your organisation, community or region to a Wellbeing Economy approach? CTP is here to help. Get in touch at hello@centreforthrivingplaces.org

 Photo by Nathan Cima on Unsplash