ABCD in a time of public sector and local authority cuts in the UK (and elsewhere)

Paul Fitzpatrick
Paul Fitzpatrick
@paul-fitzpatrick
12 years ago
2 posts

I have worked in regeneration an many communities in some thirty years of professional life. In the UK we have never seen such appalling circumstances as those now faced by communities andour local authorities who are required, by government now, to make cuts in public services across the board - every service is 'at risk'. The cuts required by the new financial tear next April are the second round in a series that will run to probably at least four years of successive, deep cuts.

It seems to me that local authorities in the UK are struggling terribly to find a way through the cuts. Using my own local authority in England, forexample, the process has involved a kind of questionnaire based "consultation" supposedly seeking to identify community service priorities to order the nature and depth of forthcoming cuts. (Many think this exercise was organised to give the politicians and senior officersa legitamisingbasis forany service cuts decisions that they choose to make.)

The nature of my work has evolved over many years and now I have new focus on community based sustainability in the face of the global and local environmental problems that we face. I can't help but see that the local services provision problems that we are facing are really another and new manifestation of our bigger global/ local sustainability problems.

Given that we have a long way to go I would like to ask whether in the UK we have a body of ABCD practioners and advocates, perhaps twinned or mirrored and connected topeople across the world, who might like to join up to tackle these issues. To pose some questions:

  • How can we use the principles and practices of ABCD in the processes of shaping andreducing public sector investment over, say, the next three years and finding new thinking about the delivery of services in much-straightened times?
  • How can we extend these processes to include new thinking about the recognition of, use and management of eco-system services as thay are found in every neighbourhood, town, city and region?
  • How do we incorporate wider and deeper sustainability into the process while tackling the re-provisioning of community and public services with communities at their heart?
  • How do we prevent any such process from being "hi-jacked" as another way to achieve pre-determined political or other priorities?

Finally, are their people in the UK who would like to look at this with me as a groiup with a view to having new responses in timefor the service cutting processes next year - we are too late this year? I can imagine that if there is any interest we might need to meet at least once. Please make contact.

I really believe that this is a very important issue and could I ask with a big "please" in front of it whether Peter Block and John McNight might offer us some - even a little - much valued patronage, steerage and advice. I think (and I might be wrong) this is taking ABCD into new territory and we really need to get this 'right'. Thank you for your attention.

Paul Fitzpatrick

Wirral Council Budget Options


updated by @paul-fitzpatrick: 10/25/16 01:27:32PM
Cormac Russell
Cormac Russell
@cormac-russell
12 years ago
1 posts

Dear Paul,

Thank you for your post, and your query:

'Given that we have a long way to go I would like to ask whether in the UK we have a body of ABCD practioners and advocates, perhaps twinned or mirrored and connected to people across the world, who might like to join up to tackle these issues.'

The answer to that is yes. Please visit www.abcdeurope.ning.com where you will find 255 members from across Europe about 200 of whom are from the UK. I am a faculty member of the ABCD Institute, working in the UK, and am also supporting the development of ABCD Europe, so I'm really encourage by your post. Can I suggest you re-post this on the ABCD Europe website also? I would very much like to see how people practing ABCD in the UK might respond. I'd also love to connect if that's of interest, I am working across the UK with people who are doing good work in addressing the very questions you pose.

All the best,

Cormac Russell

cormac@nurturedevelopment.ie

Paul Fitzpatrick
Paul Fitzpatrick
@paul-fitzpatrick
12 years ago
2 posts

Hello Cormac

I may already have posted a similar reply (not familiar with ning ways!)

I've posted a slightly tweaked version of my discussion on the ABCD site.

I am very happy to connect in any way you prefer. We are facing some tough years and i know that Ireland has been particularly badly hit. Perhaps you have already developed some ideas in relation to these issues? I'd be happy to discuss ideas with you.

Regards

Paul

Tags