Understanding leadership of place

Realising new ambitions for people and places needs three changes in our collective mindset. Firstly, engaging with the Total Place work - looking beyond the current constitutional and regulatory constraints on what councillors are responsible for. Secondly, looking beyond place - since no place is selfcontained. We need to embrace an agenda that supersedes geographical boundaries of the place we are elected to represent, for example in how we think about transport. Finally, the politics of place - a move from a technical one based on party to an inherently political one based on power.

We believe there is no substitute for political leadership, it is the only show in town where residents can hold decision-makers to account. There is also no excuse why decisions happen because of bureaucratic reasons rather than because of the needs and priorities of an area.

This means starting with your community and its needs and working backwards to the town hall and the other statutory partners. Those coming to the table should be expecting to influence the whole of the public purse, not just the council pot.