What can local government do to enhance happiness?

Probably bored of trying to count people correctly, given the myriad problems with the Census calculation, the ONS have moved into new territory – that of assessing ‘happiness’.

Their new and fascinating “First ONS Annual Experimental Subjective Well-being Results” report shows how happy, unhappy, anxious and fulfilled we feel.

The headline results are clear, three quarters of people are satisfied with their lives and 80% think that they lead worthwhile lives.  Around one in twenty reports been in a state of apparently permanent unhappiness. Londoners are the most anxious, with 44% reporting that they felt anxious yesterday.

It’s also worth noting that while the Welsh are apparently marginally more satisfied than the rest of the British Isles, there is really very little difference across the UK in satisfaction, happiness or anxiety scores.

But an analysis of the full results does reflect issues that we know are central to the business of local government. The survey reports that Black respondents to the survey reported lower life satisfaction. It says that health and disability reduce satisfaction and that life events such as divorce and unemployment all reduce people’s satisfaction.

The fact that middle aged men appear to be the least satisfied with their lives, compared to the higher satisfaction of the young and of pensioners under 80 years old, might ring true when we consider the sense of apathy demonstrated by some middle-aged middle tier council managers.

This is the first such survey though, but it would be interesting to consider how the numbers would have changed since ten years previously. We might consider that the benign early post-millennium years would have produced more positive results which could be compared with the 2011 figures.

This data should remind local authorities to consider these well being issues when they are developing policies and designing services. We need to be aware that people are anxious, that many of the people we serve do not work in the relatively comfortable environment of a council, nor have the sort of professional and managerial roles that provide greater personal satisfaction. 

Their insecurities and fears about the future need to be addressed by local government working to reassure them. We need to show that we are focused on getting the basics of service provision right on a daily basis, working hard to bring jobs and investment to our areas and avoid the convoluted and confusing language to ‘engagement’, of strategies and ‘commissioning’ in public conversation.

And data like this allows us to put people, and their concerns at the centre of our policy formulation rather than government guidance.    

Civic Olympic Legacy

Legacy is a word that has become synonymous with the build to up the 2012 Olympic Games, but what does this actually mean at local authority level?

As Westminster prepares to play the host to millions of visitors everyday this summer, many of our long term attentions are already turning to how we can use the this opportunity to utilise the games to benefit our residents.

Health and sport are the obvious agenda items for authorities across the UK – right here in London we are currently spending £300,000 to improve the historic Paddington athletics track where Roger Bannister trained for his famous four-minute mile.

But pride is a British spirit that should not be underestimated at a time like this. The Olympics, coupled with the Queen’s diamond jubilee, gives us all the inspiration to make the most of what our areas have to offer.

Right now, councils across the Olympic host sites, from Weymouth to Wembley, are engaged in a clean-up operation to get them looking better than ever before, and also concentrating on making sure all the arrangements, including road closures and parking changes are accurately and openly communicated to the public.

This is important.

But, once the razzmatazz is over, local authorities will only have a few months to capture the spirit that is enveloping the UK and use it to give communities and individuals a renewed sense of civic pride and participation in sport.

Each area will want to do this in their way.

In Westminster we’ll be working with neighbourhoods to improve their streets, running community awards and redoubling our efforts to promote sports through ‘Active Westminster’.

Right now Local Government has a golden, or maybe even a diamond, opportunity to help create a lasting environment similar to what we are seeing during this summer.

Authorities that haven’t yet established them should create annual events, in particular civic pride awards. They should reward those in the community who really make a difference to the lives of other people and the areas they frequent or inhabit.

The Olympics are coming, we are all prepared – but let’s use it to shape attitudes, help those that need it, and allow us all to take pride in our local areas. That should be the lasting legacy.

"Be bold, be brave, be pushy"

“Be bold, be brave, be pushy”. That was the invitation – or perhaps order – from Secretary of State Eric Pickles in his speech to last week’s Local Government Association conference.

For those who missed the speech, the Secretary of State told delegates that local authorities had indeed caught the wave of localism and were delivering services in innovative ways. He reeled off a number of noteworthy council initiatives, ranging from local authority lobbying to secure £200m of Chinese money for a new trade centre near Liverpool to the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead’s move to award Nectar points to residents who pay their council tax electronically. He also cited the tri-borough initiative between Westminster, Kensington and Chelsea and Hammersmith and Fulham which is saving £40m a year by sharing services and cutting costs.

His conclusion on the council year? “You've adapted. You're starting to use the new powers and freedoms you now have. And you’ve delivered on the ground.”

Encouraging words indeed, and it will be interesting to see if they herald a move to warmer Whitehall mood music when it comes to local government.

Given that backdrop, now is the time for councils to show that, not only have they picked up the Pickles gauntlet, but that they have bolder and braver measures in mind.

Philippa Roe, the leader of Westminster City Council, used her LGA speech to put three challenges to the Government: the request for long term funding for partnership schemes in the vein of the Troubled Families programme; more access and sharing of data and the need for a “new type of public servant” to shatter the mould of public sector employee.

This last item is a radical one and represents an appeal for an end to the traditional system where residents are forced to fit into the established culture of council and public sector departments. Instead, we need versatile public sector employees who can assemble in teams around an issue or a problem – similar to those adverts where robot devices assemble around a chassis and a full blown car emerges. Common sense, you might think – but also a move that may raise the hackles of both unions and professional management.

It was noteworthy that Sir Richard Leese, the experienced and hard headed Leader of Manchester also called for a new approach to public service working and for local authorities to use community budgets as a “tool for reducing dependency”.

It was evident from the conference that many councils are adapting to the leading role to help negotiate austere times, but it is also true that that some still prefer simply to plead for more cash, an approach that seems doomed to fail.

One example of such leadership was shown by the big story that broke during the LGA conference week - the news of the Oldham gas blast that killed a child and led to the evacuation of 175 homes. Eric Pickles praised the response of Oldham Council, which took care of those made homeless and set up a hardship fund for them.

It was a reminder of the traditional leadership role of local authorities. While it is right that council communicators highlight trailblazing schemes on efficiency and innovation, it is also good to reassure residents that local authorities are ready to be bold and brave on their behalf when trouble strikes – both in handling the immediate incident and overseeing the sometimes long road to recovery.