Defra Third Sector Strategy - consultation responses

This page can be used to share and draft consultation responses. A final version of this article will be sent to Defra nearer the consultation deadline (2008-02-22).

General comments
1. Recognition of challenges facing Defra in respect of the diversity of the sector and improvements to local partnership arrangements is welcome, however the proposed solutions do not seem necessarily appropriate or adequate.

2. The Strategy could better reflect the government's response to the Power of Information review

3. If there is littlte tie-in with Communities and Local Government initiatives on community empowerment, and especially particpatory budgeting, this would seem a missed opportunity. (refs?)

Collaboration between Defra, delivery bodies and stakeholders
Q: In what ways could both Defra and its delivery bodies work more effectively with third sector stakeholders?

4. Annual forums offer potential, particularly for recognition of the diversity of the sector (acknowledged as a need within the conusltation document, for example p.20, para 4), but ideally would be co-designed and integrated within a "continuous dialogue with all interested parties" as advocated by the The Phillis report (and including online dialogue). A series of regional forums might offer more potential than one unwieldy and so less productive or effective national forum.

Q: Which Defra objectives, themes or issues offer the greatest potential for strategic partnering arrangements which would add value to existing activities?

5. Collaboration on meta or strategic issues re local sustainability - as this does not appear to be mentioned it may be that there is little appreciation of the value of such collaboration. Non government stakeholders concerned with local sustainability - independent sustainability forums, local agenda 21 groups, community based climate change groups, transition town groups, etc -  for whom there is no obvious inclusive national forum, agency or avenue to express their concerns and seek support will continue to be at risk of feeling isolated and becoming disillusioned.

Government rhetoric on community empowerment can see hollow when so little is provided by way of avenues for the local sustainability movement to exercise responsible stakeholder influence on what Defra does or aims to do.

It should go without saying that any such arrangements for these type of groups should be open to and inclusive of all types and not just based around one scheme or initiative which has the appearance of being 'flavour of the month'. Enabling and supporting this kind of collaboartion need not cost much at all, especially if based around face to face networking (eg annual regional forums) and integrated with whatever further collaborative arangements this group of stakeholders would help co-design.

Face to face forums, if well designed and integrated with online networking, can be particularly useful in rebuilding trust and overcoming cynicism. Such forums would seem consistent with Recommendation 7 of the Power of Information review, which the government accepts.

Important though action on climate change is, there is an argument that undue concentration on this topic can weaken action on other aspects of sustainability. Support for the diversity and plurality of local independent sustainability forums would act as a good counterbalance to overemphasis on climate change.

There is perhaps also an argument for government supporting in some way or other the establishment (and ongoing sustainability) of all inclusive local sustainabilty (or quality of life) forums open to all stakeholders in every (local goverment District sized) community.

6. It is unclear as to whether the concept of greener living (p. 14) is intended to include community action for sustainbility. If personal and community actions are seen as separate it might be argued that this is a false division - unrealistic in terms of how citizens actually experience their lives in a more joined up way  - weakening the overall Strategy.

There might also be an argument that a properly resourced program about community action for local sustainability and climate change would be more effective than expecting individuals to change behaviour without peer group and other forms of collective or community support.

Q: What model or approach to strategic partnering do you feel is most effective and appropriate for Defra?

7. There may be concerns that strategic partnering as currenlty envisaged is essentially a top down mechanism and so counter productive to the interests and concerns of those stakeholders who already feel marginalised or totally ignored.

Recognition of the challenges posed by strategic partnering (p.10) is welcome, but the document does not appear to provide any reassurance to for example smaller groups or those beyond the usual suspects, as to how these challenges might actually be tackled. Putting most resources in the hands of those already comparatively well resourced, without having any specific means of ensuring openness, inclusivety and transparency seems counter - intuitive.

Q: What roles do you feel strategic partners should perform?

8. Encourage and enable both continuous dialogue and opportunites for collaboration amongst all interested parties, particularly any groups who may feel excluded by current arrangements

Q: What should Defra offer in return to support strategic partners?

9. Annual face to face forums bringing together all interested parties (and for the benfit of all not just strategic partners) concerned with sustainble development in a region as described in point 4 above. Any aditional face to face networking within regions as maybe helpful to collaboration toward sustainble development.

10. Freeing up data for reuse. The government in its response to the Power of Information review accepts in principle, subject to funding, recommendations 4, 8 and 11, regarding Defra should play a full part in freeing up data for reuse, not just performance data, but outcome data relating to all aspects of sustainble development and climate change, specifically including data relevant to local communites.
 * encouraging innovation in the re-use of information by non - commercial users
 * improving government's responsiveness to demand for public sector information
 * improving the supply of government information for re-use

At the launch of the Guide for Policy Makers agreed by the IPCC in the run up to the Bali Conference, Michel Jarraud, Secretary-General of the World Meteorological Organisation said, "...societies need more detailed information about anticipated impacts at regional and local levels for responding and adapting to climate change, Individuals, enterprises and civil society cannot adapt autonomously without reliable information and projections, especially since they should make some of their investment choices well before the effects of climate change are fully visible."

11. In line with its response to Recommendation 13 of the Power of Information review, which the government accepts, Defra should enable its civil servants to play a full part in online fora. It would be a postive step for Defra to make an explicit commitment to this.

12. Experimental partnerships between major departments and user-generated sites (Recommendation 1 of the Power of Information review which the government accepts). If climate change and the sustainability of communities is not regarded as a "key policy area" this is disappointing.

Q. How best could national strategic partners on the theme of greener living, deploy any grant funding in a way that helps local third sector groups and projects to contribute to achieving the overall outcomes? Are there successful models which could be adopted or adapted from other funding schemes?

13. There appears to be no link in with DCLG inititiaives on community empowerment and particularly particpatory budgeting. A comparitively small amount of funding to enabling networking of the kind outlined above, especially if there were ways for government departments to work together on this, could be more effective than Defra appearing to work largely in isolation. This would appear consistent with Defra's new Departmental Strategic Objective to champion sustainable development across Government and nationally, from 1st April 2008, (p.17 of the consultation document), and in particular the themes of 'Strengthening communities' and 'Enabling voice and campaigning'

Q. What are the key roles which should be performed by a Defra third sector stakeholder group and how should it operate?

14. It is not clear how the purpose of compacts is achieved at local level and how any meta or strategic issues concerning local issues are dealt with.

Q. How could Defra work better with advocates, umbrella organisations and community gatekeepers to tackle climate change, protect the environment and champion the needs of rural communities?

Q. What structures and innovative consultation measures could Defra put in place to ensure policy making reaches out to smaller and more ‘hard to reach’ groups?

15. The approach seems top down and so counter productive to the interests and concerns of those stakeholders who already feel marginalised or totally ignored. In particular the approach seems to largely ignore the potential of the sector to reach self - organising solutions.

Q. How best could Defra help third sector organisations to encourage their members and communities to choose greener living?

16. There seems littlte tie-in with Communities and Local Government initiatives on community empowerment, and especially particpatory budgeting.

If personal and community actions (particularly regarding communties of place) are seen as separate it might be argued that this is a false division - unrealistic in terms of how citizens actually experience their lives in a more joined up way  - weakening the overall Strategy.

There might also be an argument that a properly resourced program about community action for local sustainability and climate change would be more effective than expecting individuals to change behaviour without peer group and other forms of collective or community support.

Q. How best could Defra help third sector organisations to champion climate change and the environment in local partnership negotiations and in preparing regional strategies?

18. Recognition of challenges facing Defra in respect of much needed improvements to  local partnership arrangements is welcome, however the proposed solutions do not seem necessarily appropriate or adequate. In particular recognising that "Many local areas already have committed and thriving environmental or sustainability forums, networks and thematic partnerships which need to be fully engaged in Local Strategic Partnerships and their work." on its own does not inspire confidence that central government appreciates the scale of the challenge involved in actually making it so. Nor does the absence of specifics as to how this will be achieved.

A forum for meta or strategic issues re local sustainability as described above could help get such issues more effectively addressed.

Research has shown that LSPs have in the past tended to ignore community groups (inlcuding for example Local Agenda 21 groups) because they are percieved as not bringing any (real) resources to the table. For local sustainablity groups to play a full role in LSPs a way needs to be found to persuade more establishment stakeholders and particularly local government to allow more genuine influence over real resources, which would appear to be consistent with DCLG's advancement of participatory budgeting.

In so far as the recommendations of the Power of Information review are seen as having merit, Defra and CLG should ensure similar principles are followed at the local level, and particulalry in respect of local strategic partnerhsips. For example LSPs (as well as central government departments) should be clearly seen to avoid duplication of existing user-generated material and/or ....complement citizen-led endeavours.

Q. Do you consider there would be value in Defra supporting a programme that engaged a range of volunteers in the work of Defra and its Executive Agencies? How can this best be developed?

19. The focus appears to be on formal volunteering, such that the value of active citizenship outside formal volunteering for example via social neworks, seems underappreciated.

In line with its response to Recommendation 3 of the Power of Information review, which the government accepts, Defra should be clearly seen to avoid duplication of existing user-generated material and/or ....complement citizen-led endeavours.