Will Lambeth's 'co-operative council' work? Or are the cuts just too great?

Last month Lambeth council published The Co-operative Council – Sharing Power: A new settlement between citizens and the state . The report summarises the findings of Lambeth's Co-operative Council Commission. It sets out a range of recommendations intended to put the resources of the state at the disposal of citizens and create a council that seeks to do things with, rather than to its community. Since then, coverage of the "big society" agenda, with which the Co-operative Council is closely associated, has shifted. Commentators such as Polly Toynbee have openly questioned whether plans such as those outlined in Sharing Power can be realised, given the scale of cuts both local government and the voluntary and community sector are facing. And if that wasn't enough, the citizens of Lambeth themselves have felt the need to protest at the cuts taking place. So what can we take from the report? Does it still have a role to play and could Lambeth be doing more to engage its citizens? 1. Local democratic leadership remains essential While recommending Lambeth council should exercise leadership and determine priorities more collaboratively, Sharing Power recognises the importance of doing so in a way that does not thwart the elected council administration's duty to carry out its manifesto commitments. The report serves to remind us that moves towards greater citizen and community influence should complement rather than seek to replace local government's democratic legitimacy. 2. Citizens must be at the centre of the agenda Sharing Power acknowledges that current processes for involving citizens in service design often fail as a result of imbalances in power and knowledge between staff and citizens. The report puts forward community-led or co-designed commissioning as a solution. While I have reservations over the true extent of the report's commitment to co-design, it is helpful that Sharing Power brings home to us the shortcomings of our current approaches to involving citizens and the need for change. 3. Innovative approach to resources Given the funding uncertainty that overshadows The Co-operative Council programme, Sharing Power is understandably keen to identify innovative ways of utilising existing resources. The report recommends the council shares infrastructure and specialist services such as ICT and Legal with community groups. In doing so it echoes the current debate over "rentalship" and the access economy. It also emphasises valuing staff innovation, even if some of the ways it suggests for doing so (refreshed corporate values and performance appraisals) retain a distinctly "command and control" feel. Nonetheless, Sharing Power should be welcomed for reminding us not to give up on innovation in the face of cuts and to make the most of support that still exists, such as NESTA's Public Service Lab . 4. Changing the means of delivering a service will not itself bring improvement Although the starting point for Sharing Power is the belief that putting the resources of the state in the hands of citizens is an inherent good, it recommends a framework be developed to underpin assessments over whether to transfer services from the council. This move should be cautiously welcomed for acknowledging that changing the means of delivering a service will not in itself bring about improvement. In creating a space for evidence-based decision-making Sharing Power has made an important contribution to the future development of the big society agenda. So what do you think about Lambeth's plans for becoming The Co-operative Council? Will measures to give the community a greater say over local services and how they are run produce improvements? More importantly, are the plans achievable, given the scale of cuts local government and the voluntary and community sector is facing? Francis Clarke is communications and policy lead for ThinkPublic This content is brought to you by Guardian Professional. Join the local government network for more like this direct to your inbox.