The Council - Citizen deal in Wigan

Wow - Wigan!

I was really excited to visit here because I had already heard so much about the Wigan Deal - an agreement between Wigan council and residents to make a better borough. It was born out of the cuts that councils across England were forced to make in the last ten years , as a result of austerity measures. 

While other councils resorted to 'salami slicing' - delivering across the board cuts to services - or used their reserves to make up for budget shortfalls, Wigan chose to make the reductions in a smarter way.

 

They took time to understand what people needed most in their local areas and then invested in community infrastructure and the local service sector, enabling them to deliver the services and functions in areas where they were best equipped.

 

The Deal sets out core behaviours for council staff - be positive, be accountable, be courageous - and a shared way of working, articulating the responsibilities of both council and community.

• This 2019 review, by the Kings Trust - A citizen-led approach to health and care: Lessons from the Wigan Deal  provides a simple overview of the deal, how it evolved and what it has achieved.

• And I love this video, that tells the stories of some of the people in Wigan, who have benefited from the Deal. Rekindling hope: the story of the Wigan Deal

I visited Wigan Council on 29 September and met with David, Joanne and Matthew from the Council and Keely, CEO of local charity partner, The Brick.

 

Here are a few conversation points that stoood out for me:

• Over the last ten years the Council has spent around £12m in ramping up community work - empowering communities, through their local organisations to be self-sufficient.  As a result, local organisations co-deliver adult social care and residents are connected into community activities that are locally produced and run.
• Public servants know their community well  and local services know each other. An ethos focused on working for the community rather than for a single organisation breaks silos.
• Values are important - Wigan has invested heavily into defining staff values and culture. A willing and aligned workforce, with clear parameters provides better value for money in delivering work. Training sessions that support knowledge and alignment are mandatory for council staff and partners.
• Wigan residents are comfortable with the deal and support investment in community groups. It is acknowledged that many would feel more comfortable coming to a community building, rather than to the council.

Wigan's response to homelessness reflects this way of working. A realisation that the council alone cannot tackle homelessness alone has opened up to way of working that gets everyone on board - businesses, charities, local sports teams.

• The Council understands that it has a key role to play in homelessness prevention and crisis response and is committed to fulfilling that role.
• Treating homelessness response as a journey, rather than a series of actions works, said Keely from The Brick: "we have been working with the council to have commissioned services through all parts of a person's homelessness journey. It's not just about houses. We are commissioned to do A Bed Every Night and outreach. We also do training and helping people get work. It’s a journey."
• When rough sleeping became a visible problem in Wigan a few years ago, a town centre management board, consisting of council, police, business and services got together to work on solutions. A rapid and well-articulated approach - stakeholders knowing what the council could and would do - helped.
• "Eyes and ears" training. Taking a similar approach to areas like child safety, where a duty of care requirement might be in place, frontline staff are trained and encouraged to watch out for signs of homelessness and to identify the risk factors leading to homelessness and know what to do to report back.
• As a result of being very clear about what council's responsibility is and role will be in responding to homelessness, the public response has changed. It has taken time, but there are less negative reactions and criticisms levelled at the local authority.
• Real change - a campaign to deliver public donations to one accredited place discourages spontaneous giving has been helping direct funds into the right places.