Introduction
This piece focuses on New Labour’s rhetoric for urban policy since 1997 which has consistently promoted the importance of community-level engagement and involvement in the decision-making process of neighbourhood renewal.
The reality of this rhetoric implementation is one that has come under close scrutiny from critics writing on partnerships and community involvement in a UK context (Davies 2002; Daly & Davis 2002; Taylor 2003). This piece starts from a critical standpoint taking Davies’ (2002) argument that states since 1997 New Labour has been practicing a strategy that brings key elements of partnership working under tighter central government control under the pretence of giving greater decision-making powers at a local level. The piece will apply this theory to the government rhetoric on ‘community empowerment’.
Community empowerment is high up on the current political agenda shown by the recent government publication a 'Community Empowerment Action Plan' (CLG 2007) and a commitment to Community Empowerment within the Local Government White Paper (CLG 2006).
This piece looks at identity utilisation to encourage youth participation as a mode of community empowerment through capacity building. The argument within this piece states that the use of identity to promote youth involvement in community regeneration is predominantly rhetorical and inherent of a wider issue associated with Davies' (2002) argument outlined earlier.
Background
The Welsh language is spoken by 21% of people in Wales and is promoted and supported, in the context of community empowerment, by the National Assembly for Wales’(NAW) National Action Plan for a Bilingual Wales (2003). Since 2002 the Welsh language has been included as one of the four elements of the equality standards for Wales, along with disability, race and gender. It is therefore a prevalent issue in Wales and a good example of a politicised element of identity.
The issue of community empowerment in a Welsh context can be contextualised within the process of multi-level governance and specifically 'double devolution', coined by David Milliband (2006) this has been prominent in Wales since the establishment of the NAW in 1999. The purpose of double devolution is to strengthen direct communication between national bodies of power such as the NAW and local communities, instead of relying on local authorities as mediators between the two. In the process of transferring power and responsibility from UK central government to devolved bodies of governance, and from devolved bodies to local communities, this piece argues that there is an idealistic underpinning aimed at gaining support for this process, exemplified in the idea of appealing to young people's collective sense of 'Welsh identity'.
This piece will examine identity utilisation among young people in the context of Communities First, a Wales-based capacity building programme running since 2001 to tackle deprivation through partnership working. The rationale behind choosing Communities First as an example is predominantly because of its partnership structuring and its significant position as a pilot initiative in the process of double devolution. In addition it has been a programme with a strong emphasis on empowerment through capacity building.
Scoping Study
According to the findings of 'Community Empowerment in Practice: lessons from Communities First' (Adamson & Bromiley 2008) youth participation in the Communities First case studies are low. To further explore the issue of youth participation through bilingualism in deprived areas a scoping study was conducted. The study was limited in terms of solid empirical evidence to fully support the theoretical argument, however in terms of a scoping exercise to explore the empirical validation of the argument it was sufficient. The study asked 53 partnership co-ordinators for information on any youth participation programmes that involved using bilingualism to draw interest, or any bilingualism projects aimed at young people.
Responses were mixed with the majority stating that they had no bilingual projects involving young people, although most did have a strong focus on young people and youth participation. The partnerships that did have bilingual projects running in their area were doing so independently due to occurring requirement within the community One partnership has also included ‘bilingualism and youth participation’ into their future aims.
In summary the findings showed one example of a move towards utilising identity/bilingualism as a way of encouraging youth participation within the case studies. In the cases where it was a reality there was already a strong Welsh-speaking majority. The areas that had a Welsh speaking majority were all rural and relatively isolated.
Conclusions
The results of the scoping study has shown that little to no action is currently being taken within the case studies on the NAW rhetoric around encouraging young people to participate in community activity through appealing to their collective sense of national identity. The NAW rhetoric emphasises:
'Wales has a strong tradition of community identity and self-help' (NAW website March 2008)
In terms of theory this piece began with the aim of adding to Davies' (2002) argument that partnership working is one example of how the Labour government since 1997 has been tightening its grip on key elements of partnership working. In highlighting the contradiction between NAW rhetoric on Communities First, and empowerment through identity utilisation and delivery on the ground, this piece has added a strand to Davies’ policy theory on partnerships. This is shown by highlighting a 'rhetorical veneer' covering the fact that partnerships have little to no power in terms of acting on the wishes of local communities.
Sioned Pearce, PhD Student
CRESR, Sheffield Hallam University
References
Adamson D. & Bromiley R. (2008) Community Empowerment in Practice: lessons from Communities First, York, Joseph Rowntree Foundation
Communities and Local Government (2007) An Action Plan for Community Empowerment: Building on Success, London, CLG Publications
Communities and Local Government (2006) Strong and Prosperous Communities: the local government white paper, London, CLG Publications
Daly, G. and Davis, H. (2002) Partnerships for Local Governance: citizens, communities and accountability in C. Glendinninging; M. Powell and K. Rummery (eds) Partnerships, New Labour and the Governance of Welfare, London, The Policy Press
Davies, J. S. (2002) Regeneration partnership under New Labour: a case of creeping centralisation in C. Glendinning; M. Powell and K. Rummery (eds) Partnerships, New Labour and the Governance of Welfare, London, The Policy Press
Milliband, D. (2006) The New Local Government Network, 18th of January 2006
National Assembly for Wales Website (March 2008) Community regeneration and development, Cardiff, NAW, http://new.wales.gov.uk/topics/housingandcommunity/regeneration/?lang=en [Accessed 23rd of March 2008]
Welsh Assembly Government (2003) National Action Plan for a Bilingual Wales, Cardiff, WAG
Taylor, M. (2003) Public Policy in the Community, London, Palgrave Macmillan
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