onionbagblog

Ever keen to take part in a *shhh*co-operative form of civic engagement, I pondered that perhaps there was some merit in that Power to the People front page headline in the latest edition of Lambeth Life.

I explained yesterday how after much twitter teasing, @cllrstevereed’s grand plan for #lambethcoop announced in Lambeth Life, is actually a piece of local government legislation that requires councils to take online petitions seriously.

Not so much a new era in “fairness, accountability and responsibility,” but a legal requirement for local authorities to actually act upon petitions being put forward by residents.

But anyway - about that Local Democracy, Economic Development and Construction Act 2009.

Blimey.

Is there anything positive in the small print that will actually compel @cllrstevereed and our @lambeth_council friends to listen to residents? Or is it yet another PR exercise to give the appearance of devolving power, only for the same cabinet faces to continue operating within the existing status quo?

The Act was formally agreed as part of the new @lambeth_council constitution at the Full Council meeting [PDF] held last month. Digging around (and with a heads up from the good @langrabbie) and it seems that the legislation, which comes into place today, is all about numbers.

@LambethLabour has agreed to listen to citizens, as long as there are an awful lot of us making a noise. To get a council officer to attend a scrutiny meeting requires 1,500 signatures:

“Governing arrangements for calling a senior officer to account at an overview and scrutiny meeting open to the public – if requested and at least 1,500 signatures.”

To force Full Council to debate a petition issues requires a whopping 3,000 people to put their names to paper:

“Governing arrangements for full Council debates – if requested and at least 3000 signatures.”

Remember that nifty Voter Power Index tool from back in those heady days leading up to May 6th? You could compare online the absolute power of your vote in terms of the complicated system of constituency balances of power.

Back in Lambeth and the real power base in these #lambethcoop-erative of times remains with the politicians, and not amongst the citizens. A headline of Power to the People is almost in as poor taste as the naming of the [non-citizen] Citizen’s Commission.

A member of the Citizen’s Commission (i.e. @cllrstevereed, Councillor Meldrum and Councillor McGlone) has 1,000 times more power than citizens of the borough, in being able to influence decisions on the Citizens Commission.

It takes 3,000 citizens to ensure that an issue is under consideration at Full Council. It takes just three @LambethLabour cabinet members to take action on behalf of citizens, as part of the set up of the Citizen’s Commission.

Power to the People actually means political lip service. Looking back over the ‘power’ of recent petitions, and the 1,000 signatures “urging the council to improve the Herne Hill junction” wouldn’t even get a council officer along to a scrutiny meeting.

“Fairness, accountability and responsibility?”

Still searching my friend. Still searching.