People, Power and Trust

Trusting people to make good decisions on our behalf is something we do every day. We do it when we cross the road, we do it when we go shopping, we do it when we drop children off at school. We place trust in others to do the right thing.  

Last week a group of over 100 ordinary UK citizens were trusted to come up with a People’s Plan for Nature. A big ask you might think, what do these ordinary folk know about nature? Well, one could ask the same of those who usually make these decisions – politicians – but I’ll come back to that one. 

The People’s Plan for Nature was developed through a people’s assembly which brought together 103 people from diverse backgrounds who were representative of the population of the UK. Over four weekends they came together to listen to evidence, deliberate and develop a plan. 

The launch of the People’s Plan for Nature came a week or so after the confirmation of the latest devolution deals for Greater Manchester and the West Midlands. These “trailblazer” devolution deals devolved new powers from central government to the regional combined authorities; these are the first of these deals which give further powers to regional mayors. 

This new devo deal comes on the back of North Yorkshire and Cumbria’s devolved powers and new councils which come into existence on the 1 April. These are big changes, with substantial alterations to many existing councils in both regions. I won’t lie these new systems seem blooming complicated. I can’t imagine what’s it like for people who live in North Yorks and Cumbria, especially if you access and draw on different services provided by your town, district or county council. Doing it all on the 1 April seems a bold move. Although I am quite enjoying one of the new councils in Cumbria being called a “shadow authority” – I think they should keep it.  

At this point you may be wondering what Northern devo deals and a People’s Plan for Nature have got to do with one another. Well, it’s a fair question, but it comes down to participation and more specifically people’s participation.  

A people’s assembly has participation and deliberation at its heart, it’s very different to consultation which starts with a finished product which people can comment on but won’t necessarily change said product. An assembly often starts with a question, with a range of evidence presented to people, space for them to ask questions, discuss and deliberate on what that end product should be. 

Where the devolution deals are taking place those of us who live in those places have little say in the process, there is often some level of consultation, but this feels very light considering the significance of the deals.  As devolution progresses a couple of things across the North are becoming apparent, there isn’t a consistent process; each deal is different, how these deals are decided is very opaque and the level of participation by citizens in those areas is still very light touch. 

When I think about our convention in November 2022, those who attended identified key themes that stood out and were important to them: local decision making, community involvement in decision, innovations and projects, collaboration between business, community and public services and finally giving communities more power and control.  

People’s Powerhouse was created to bring people together, to offer a platform to those who are bringing their communities together, those who are offering news ways of doing things and challenging powerholders. We’re excited to do this even more in 2023, through a new platform for people to share their work, their ideas and to collaborate with one another. 

The appetite for participation is high in the North. If we trust the people to have a plan for nature, maybe it’s time to trust the people with a plan for the North. 

Ruth Hannan is the Director of People’s Powerhouse

Please note that on our website we use cookies to enhance your experience, and for analytics purposes. To learn more about our cookies, please read our Privacy policy. By clicking "Accept Cookies", you agree to our use of cookies. By clicking "Decline", you don’t agree to our Privacy policy