Community members of partnerships, whether individuals or groups, feel they do not have anywhere to go, no-one to turn to, if the practice of partnership working fails to live up to its promise. This can lead to a build up of frustration, and disillusionment. Members of the Team are concerned that there are inadequate mechanisms in place to monitor the progress of partnerships in community participation and involvement, and to take action where partnerships are clearly failing to deliver. The Team recognises the need for change in this area. Communities engage with organisations in the public, private and voluntary sector in a variety of ways.
Local authorities are the key service provider in many deprived and excluded communities.
There are many positive examples of local authorities engaging in constructive ways with their local communities. There are also examples of conflict and disagreement. This tends to centre on disputes about funding but is often symptomatic of a more generalised disagreement about the role of local elected members in representing community views and taking decisions on their behalf. They manage significant budgets, and make decisions that affect the lives of individuals and communities, but communities tend not to have opportunities to influence how those decisions are made, or resources allocated. The private sector should play a positive role in the development of inclusive communities, but this sector often appears inaccessible to local communities.