Local Legends

Name: Local Legends | How To Make a Difference in Local Government
Brand: Structured Conversations Ltd
Price: 13.08 EUR
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How To Make a Difference in Local Government

Alicia Mckay(Autor*in)

Structured Conversations Ltd (Verlag)

1. Auflage

Erschienen am 19. August 2024

232 Seiten

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978-1-923225-11-4 (ISBN)

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Introduction My first job out of university was at a Council in a little town in the South Island of New Zealand. I had no idea what I was heading into. After completing a four-year politics degree, I knew more about the Cold War than what happened in a Council. Local government had hardly been mentioned. This is the attention and respect local government generally receives, even among political boffins. Local government is broadly under- appreciated, even in the public sector. It has no constitutional recognition in Australia and is the least funded arm of government in both Australia and New Zealand. Many people don't know what their Council does. For the first few months of that job, I walked around in a delighted haze as I came to grips with the daily reality of local democracy. People could speak directly to their elected members about issues that mattered to them - and the Council legally had to consider those views? Athenian direct-democracy style? I was blown away. I still am. I left that job four years later but never left local government. In the last decade, I've worked with more than 50 different Councils across Australia and New Zealand, several local government associations and industry peak bodies, and dozens of sector-adjacent companies and government departments in planning, community development, infrastructure, transport, and the environment. I cannot seem to stay away. If you work in local government, you'll know why. It burrows into your heart - the community connection, the tangible impact, the genuine people. The (many!) frustrations can't keep us away for long. I'm passionate about the difference local government can and does make in communities. When the world is tilted on its axis, public trust in politics and the media is justifiably dicey, and people are increasingly disconnected from civic society and one another, I firmly believe local government is more important than ever. THE PUBLIC SECTOR UNDERDOG Local government is underfunded and misunderstood. Councils are the poor cousins of the public sector, a periodic scapegoat for public spending gone awry, and the closest access point for anyone annoyed with government services. I could write an entire book arguing local government should be more respected, enjoy more legal protection, and be better funded and empowered. It would be a good use of my time and a worthy read. Thankfully, many experts have already done this work. In New Zealand, the 2023 Future for Local Government report1 highlighted the critical role of local government in managing - among other things - extreme weather events, pandemic recovery, global conflict, economic inequity, and low social cohesion. The panel bluntly described the sector's constraints and the corrosive effect of sustained underinvestment from higher tiers of government. They endorse what experts have recommended for decades: mandate certainty, sustainable funding, and greater democratic empowerment. This review is unlikely to provoke meaningful action. Thoughtful analyses of systemic barriers to local government performance rarely do. Governments prefer to act on reports that suggest cracking the whip, like the 2022 Local Government Culture Report in Victoria2, which targets Councillor misbehaviour and misconduct. Legislative tweaks, regulatory oversight, and general tut-tutting from the government are easy to come by, but structural change is not. The narrative across states and territories in Australia and regions and districts in New Zealand is disappointingly consistent: Councils are a problem that needs solving. Councils work within a regime of contradictions. They provide services inside a legislative framework that requires elections, community engagement, and consultative decisions - and are asked why their operations aren't more efficient. They confront increasingly constrained funding environments and watch their share of the total tax take decrease over decades - only for those financial struggles to be used as evidence they're bad with money. They absorb the ongoing transfer of costs, services, and responsibilities from state and non-profit actors - before being accused of scope creep and told to 'get back to basics'. They are mandated to make intergenerational decisions on infrastructure and community facilities - and rebuked for using intergenerational funding mechanisms. In short, local government is a victim of political gaslighting. *** In Australia and New Zealand, local government deserves comprehensive reform. Councils require funding arrangements that recognise their complexity, diversity, and impact. They need respect, support, and investment to face the frontline of our most pressing global challenges: social division, climate transition, economic uncertainty, and natural disasters. Assuming this isn't coming anytime soon, they must act regardless. Councils need all the tools they can get to tackle their challenges, and this book is my contribution to those tools. Local government is a victim of political gaslighting. AGENTS OF PROGRESS If we learned anything during the COVID-19 pandemic, it's that some services are more essential than others. Councils do work that isn't sexy or glamorous; the work that infiltrates our daily lives and that we take for granted (but notice instantly if it fails). When we quarantined in our homes, local government persisted behind the scenes. As the world went mad, Kiwis and Aussies enjoyed clean drinking water, safe communities, and drivable roads without missing a beat. Local connections to the community were vital at this time - and are still. Growing social unease and disconnection, accelerating artificial intelligence, and increasing mistrust of media and public institutions threaten social, economic, and environmental progress. We need people on the ground. Councils are doing more than ever. The responsibilities and costs shifted to local government are increasing - as is the complexity of those requirements - and debates around scope are functionally irrelevant. Whether or not you believe Councils should deal with community challenges and whether or not they are adequately equipped to do so, they are. Councils are the first layer of public defence. They face global challenges at the local level. They are at the front line of coastal erosion and weather events and are quickly and tangibly affected by housing insecurity, poverty, and crime. Making progress in this environment, with increasing expectations and decreasing real-term funding, is difficult. Structural barriers aside, the daily constraints to Councils realising their potential are the same things that make the sector so powerful: tangible impact, personal investment, and local connection. The desire for tangible impact drags leaders into short-term, operational problem-solving. Personal investment creates blind spots and compromises decision quality. Local connection scares leaders away from making courageous choices. But harnessed, those double-edged swords can be the same forces propelling local government to a leadership position in a world struggling to hold together. Local government is well-positioned to lead the charge on some of the most pressing issues of our day. Local government leaders - elected and employed - can be community visionaries, master collaborators, and focused decision-makers. They can boldly innovate, protect what's unique about their place, and lead the charge toward fairer, safer, healthier communities for current and future generations. In this book, I make the case that: Local government is an agent of social progress with unique capabilities and untapped potential to create long-term public value. Realising this potential will require strategic leadership from elected members and executive managers. The three most effective interventions for Councils are a bigger-picture perspective, productive relationships within and between governance and management, and more strategic decisions. Who this book is for I love local government. I love working with Councillors, managers, and officers to support their work - work that is special, important, and hard. This book is a labour of that love. Local Legends is a guide for Councillors and Council managers, whom I will collectively refer to as 'local government leaders'. This book will help local government leaders who are: Defensive and frustrated by staff and Councillor interactions. Discouraged by strategies and plans that go nowhere. Overwhelmed by never-ending reports and meetings. Caught in a reactive cycle of daily drama. Struggling to build shared purpose and ownership. I will explore the...

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