An Ambitious Agenda

[From London Bulletin Magazine - July/August 2008]

London’s focus on improvement has paid significant dividends in recent years – but the capital can still set its sights even higher, says Cllr. Michael White.

I have high aspirations for London. The focus on improvement through the lens of London’s Improvement bodies – Capital Ambition, the London Centre of Excellence and London Connects – over the last few years has yielded significant results. London’s CPA scores have improved significantly since 2002; London boroughs are now the highest performing type of councils and customer satisfaction in London is above the national average. The capital’s authorities are performing well on their efficiency targets, and 21 authorities now have beacon status.

The London Improvement Board debates the strategic improvement and efficiency priorities for London’s public services. As its chairman, my role is to liaise with the Local Government Association (LGA) Improvement Board and to lead the agenda to collaborate with the London Assembly and key regional strategic partners.

The London Improvement Board has overseen the transition to London’s new Improvement and Efficiency Partnership to form a new corporate directorate of London Councils from April this year, under the name Capital Ambition. This now brings together the work of the former Capital Ambition with the London Centre of Excellence, London Connects and the previous Improvement and Employment division of London Councils.

There are particular challenges ahead for all local authorities as a consequence of the recent reforms in local government. These bring a new local focus on public accountability and are seen as the key to transforming public services. Councils have to lead in developing Local Area Agreements, and along with the emerging Comprehensive Area Assessment it is clear that our biggest challenges and opportunities lie in ensuring the effectiveness of our partnerships, and in understanding and responding to what our communities need and want.

There are major challenges ahead, especially as we feel the effects of the ‘credit crunch’, and in the light of CSR ‘07. Some of these challenges are well rehearsed; tackling worklessness and skills shortages, addressing health inequalities, and building communities where people feel safe, welcome and where they can fully contribute.

In Havering I have championed diversity as a key improvement area, and I see this as a continuing priority for London. Rapid population churn, demographic changes, differences in life chances and the impact of regeneration on neighbourhoods all demand that London local government keeps focussed on improvement and efficiency.

I am proud of the continuing improvements that my own authority has made, and I am hopeful that across the capital we can continue to work collaboratively to further develop even the best performing areas. My commitment is to inspire councils to stretch for the best possible performance in delivering innovative, fair, efficient and effective public services for the future, and to make Londoners proud of their local area and London as a whole.

Cllr. Michael White is the Deputy Leader of London Councils and is executive member for Improvement and Chair of the London Improvement Board.

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Day in the life

Every day is different for Councillor Michael White, the Leader of Havering Council. 

From meeting local people, to working with organisations from the London Development Agency through to Link FM (community radio station) and running a 3-star local authority, no two days are ever the same for the Linkin Park and Blondie fan. 

Cllr White has been working for the local community for the past 14 years starting off as a backbench councillor and now serving as Leader of the Council. 

Driven by his core ambition “to make Havering the best Council regionally and nationally,” he told Living about the tough challenges and rising expectations ahead and of the difficulties of balancing working for the community and spending time with his family, which sees him “regularly working 8am to 11pm most days.” 

The Link FM Sunday radio presenter and married father-of-four is no stranger to long hours and early starts. He has been a councillor since 1994, becoming Leader 10 years later in May 2004. For Cllr White the most important thing about his role is to get the best deal he can for local people. 

Speaking about his achievements in office, the 46-year-old leader cites “controlling council tax, the library refurbishment programme and most importantly, continuing to improve the educational attainment of Havering’s young people.” 

“As the public face of Havering, I am particularly interested in promoting Havering to the outside world.” He sits on several cross-London boards, including London Councils and the Groundwork Trust, which is involved in undertaking environmental improvements to local areas. 

His day starts… 

It’s 8am on a bright summer morning as the Dagenham-educated councillor sets off from Romford station for a round of meetings in London. First stop is a board meeting in Canary Wharf for the London Thames Gateway Development Corporation (LTGDC). 

The Corporation is the key government agency responsible for delivering social and economic growth to transform the London Thames Gateway and is part of Europe’s largest regeneration project. 

“This is one of the most exciting times for Havering and the east end of London, as real investment is going into our local area.” said Cllr White, adding: “the Corporation is at the forefront of this and is really important in making sure Havering’s voice is heard.” 

Along with other board members from Barking and Dagenham, Newham, Tower Hamlets and Hackney, Cllr White discussed issues ranging from lessons that could be learnt from the regeneration of Rotterdam, through to strategies in managing rising sea levels and their impact on London. 

Commenting on the meeting, Cllr White noted that with Havering having a key role on the board, it really enhances “the Council’s ability to get a good deal for residents.” The LTGDC was originally established to accelerate the regeneration of town centres, commercial sites, housing and services to improve the quality of life for people living and working in the gateway. 

In addition to his role as a board member, Cllr White also leads the communications sub-committee which is responsible for ensuring a strong link between the corporation and the public and feeding back people’s views to the board. 

Next stop for the former Police IT consultant was the London Development Agency (LDA) where Cllr White was joined by Havering’s Chief Executive Cheryl Coppell in a meeting with Manny Lewis, head of the LDA.

The Agency is responsible for driving London’s sustainable economic growth. Cllr White raised issues on improving transport access to Havering’s Centre for Engineering and ManufacturingExcellence and securing the land needed for extensions of the Docklands Light Railway and the East London Line as well as following up on the Environment Agency’s ideas for the capital’s flood defence. 

Cllr White said: “It’s so important for Havering to develop strong links with our partners and other external bodies so that we can promote our borough.” Following the meetings in town it was back to the Town Hall, to deal with the important day to day business of the Council. This included meeting with staff and councillors to discuss developments of the day that could lead to improvements in the Council. 

Before leaving that evening Cllr White dealt with his postbag from residents, checked his schedule, and as he switched off the light, wondered what the day would bring tomorrow – certain of the fact that no day is ever the same.