Localism, people power and decision making

Will 2011 be the year of a new wave of people power? Unprecedented public spending cuts and mass redundancies, an angry and challenging student movement, burning resentment about bankers pay and company tax avoidance may all collide with the new agenda of localism. But the way that the British public display power, or dissent, may not only define a new era of people power, it could be the basis on which current government policy succeeds or fails. Localism could be the ideology that defines the coalition. For David Cameron, it underpins his vision for the "big society", while Nick Clegg believes localism equates to community politics, or even liberalism. The theme of devolving and empowering is the common thread running through all major policy shifts, from healthcare to education to the flagship localism bill, which promises to "lift the burden of bureaucracy, empower communities to do things their own way … open up government to public scrutiny and strengthen accountability to local people". Aside from the rhetoric, it is clear that the leaders of both coalition parties believe that their system of government will sanction people to make better decisions about things that directly affect them. Local councils and grassroots organisations will have more freedom to do what they believe is right for their local area. People will be able to vote on local housing developments, GPs will control their own budgets, parents will be able to run their child's school. This is people power, allowing both locally elected decision makers and local people to make important decisions, free from the trappings of centralised government. Yet the localism agenda is littered with contradictions that threaten to damage it before it has begun. Legislating to allow people to get involved in local decision making is not the same as facilitating it. People need to be informed and encouraged, which takes time and resources. To be effective, grassroots organisations need funding to support members, the very type of funding which will be first to go as councils scale back their budgets. A flagship programme to encourage citizenship education in schools will be one of the quangos culled. Wider services cuts to voluntary organisations will force youth clubs, support groups and other organisations to rely on volunteers out of necessity if they are to survive, or to be forced to close. The speed at which government policy is currently being made also threatens to undermine localism's core principles. For people to feel empowered, they need to feel that they are being listened to, that their views matter. To really demonstrate that they are happy to include the wider public in decision making, the government must ensure that it listens to concerns and dissenting voices from experts, campaign groups and the public. They must also be aware of the growing dissent from those who see that it is responsibility for difficult decision making that is being divulged, rather than power. There may also be a dichotomy between the government's interpretation of and aspiration for people power and the public's, which must be overcome if localism is to succeed. Most people would view people power as those outside government challenging those inside, through protests, campaigns, or direct action. The government wants to empower people to become part of the decision-making process, believing that this will encourage people to become more involved – people power on their terms. This is a huge shift in how people would instinctively envisage interacting with government, and possibly not one that is universally desired; as the old adage goes, "with great power comes great responsibility." Politicians are driven by the quest for power, the desire to be able to make decisions which change people's lives. It is understandable for them to believe that having greater power may inspire and drive others. Yet thousands of people believe that they elect an MP or a councillor precisely so that they can delegate this responsibility to someone else, perhaps trusting that they are better placed or more qualified to make important decisions than they are. They may believe, for example, that teachers and education professionals know how best to run a good school rather than the parents. So the prospect of people power in 2011 poses huge opportunities and considerable challenges, for campaigning organisations and government. Those of us campaigning in the third sector must be ready to mobilise people to exercise their power both by challenging government, questioning policy and pushing for concessions and by getting more involved in local decision-making processes. If localism works, we can hope to develop a network of more active campaigners who are motivated by a personal desire to change things and achieve its aims. We, like the government though, must be aware that it may be public discontent rather than public involvement which makes this year's headlines. Thereafter, the likelihood of people being motivated to get involved in local decision making may rest on the response that they feel they get. The government must listen to people's views on localism, and other policies, if we are to feel empowered and engaged. The current status quo is that government has great power. If they wish to share it out a bit, they must accept the responsibility to do that. A failure to do so risks great anger, further disengagement with politics and could, ultimately, be a deciding factor in shaping the electorate's view of the coalition. Campbell Robb is chief executive at Shelter, and is speaking at People Power 2011 on Tuesday 22 March. For more information and tickets visit www.peoplepower2011.org.uk This content is brought to you by Guardian Professional. To find out about forthcoming Q&As, sign up to the voluntary sector network .