Tony Cox’s Post

Fantastic morning yesterday at the New Local Stronger Things 2024 Conference with Kalvinder Kohli. A real buzz around how to make community power happen! Key messages from the sessions I attended: - Being mission-led is critical to create the right environment for community power to thrive; missions should be ambitious and co-created with residents and partners for the place, not the Council - There will be no more money in the system so how can Place-Based Public Service Budgeting become part of the solution by pooling existing public service budgets (health, police, local authority, judiciary etc) across a place to use resources more effectively for that area - Creating the conditions for communities to take action takes time, even in areas where there is existing community capacity it will likely be a 5+ year journey, in areas where there is limited community infrastructure it will likely be a 10+ year journey - You have to be ok with getting things wrong and learning quickly as well as being honest with communities that you won’t always get it right - Just do it! The more people see how impactful putting power back in the hands of communities is, the more they are willing to get involved. #strongerthings #newlocal #localgovernment #communitypower

We are disappointed in the recent Fifth Circuit Court ruling that Congress unconstitutionally delegated power to the Federal Communications Commission to establish the LifeLine program. This decision threatens phone and internet connectivity for over 7.5 million low-income Americans and thousands of schools. LifeLine is a crucial program that helps close the #digitaldivide that disproportionately impacts communities of color and low-income communities. For these communities, digital access is more than just the ability to get online–it is the ability to access jobs, education, and opportunity. Closing this divide is critical for a just economy. This misguided ruling further erodes the power of regulators and Congress to act on behalf of the public interest. Just months after the shutdown of the Affordable Connectivity Program (#ACP), we now face another blow to the social safety net programs that protect our most vulnerable populations. We need regulators and decision-makers to stand up for #LifeLine and ensure that all communities have the connectivity they need to thrive. Read more: https://lnkd.in/gpXmvx3F #LifeLine #SCOTUS #DigitalDivide #FCC

A new report on #HUDUser describes the launch of the Stepped and Tiered Rent Demonstration, a randomized controlled trial in which five PHAs implement a “stepped rent” and another five implement a “tiered rent.” The new rent policies are intended to reduce administrative burden and provide incentives for assisted households to increase their income, while being roughly budget-neutral for PHAs. Read or download the report: https://lnkd.in/e_Ehg_qR

City of Moreton Bay Matters. We welcome a $1 million election commitment to expand our CCTV network if Labor is re-elected. 🎥 With over 1,800 cameras, we already have one of the largest CCTV networks in Queensland. Working closely with Queensland Police Service and local residents, we’ve been able to target priority areas helping law enforcement respond quicker. In fact, Unlawful Use of Motor Vehicle offences across City of Moreton Bay has reduced by 4% between 2022 and 2023. This investment will continue to help law enforcement respond quickly, reduce crime, and keep our community safe in their homes and public spaces. As one of Australia's fastest growing local government areas City of Moreton Bay matters. We need our fair share of funding so we can future-proof our city and ensure it's a place where our community, economy, lifestyles and environment prosper together. Find out more 👉 https://ow.ly/VlWk50TvT1o Mayor Peter Flannery Mark Ryan Ali King

As nights continue to get darker and we approach the shortest day of the year, our new research reveals that a fifth of UK adults (19 per cent) would never walk alone at night, increasing to over a quarter of women.💭 Additionally, half of the UK avoid walking alone in the evenings if they don’t have their phone, with 11 per cent having pretended to call someone to feel more safe. These findings highlight growing concerns about public safety and street violence which Clear Channel UK wants to help to address through the ongoing partnership with Strut Safe. Strut Safe operates a phone line connecting callers to trained volunteers who remain on the line until they arrive safely at their destination. Clear Channel has been providing free Out of Home advertising space for Strut Safe to publicise their phone line on thousands of bus shelters and digital billboards nationwide as the demand for Strut Safe’s services continues to grow.💙 Read more about the survey results and partnership here: https://okt.to/4SpN6b #PlatformForGood #StrutSafe

Up until now, public sector reform and improvement has been attempted countless times, but they have been unable to deflect the trajectory that has created increased costs and rising demands. There are a plethora of reports and thoughts from different people recently, on the nature of public sector reform. However, many of them only partiality understand the public sector as a whole system it its own right. Central government imposition and leadership, pay disputes, targets, principles that guide decision-making and the design of services, etc. According to the systemic analysis that has occurred in working within the NHS and social care, the learning is clear. The most impactful barrier of all is the systemic embracing of new public management (NPM). And this report covers all those elements - at last! And as NPM is key to this, this report is able to reference alternative fundamentals that need to replace it. - The liberated method is another example of what occurs when NPM is replaced. - 'Locality by default' demonstrates that local decision-making is the only way complexity can be understood and dealt with. Personally I would have included that fact that 'digital by default' is a NPM child, and its popularity is simply another avenue that issuing tried. I would have also included the fact that John Seddon has been working with alternatives to NPM for over two decades, he invented the liberated method, and had put much effort into highlighting much of the findings in this report in his work and writing. Now, please, can decision-makers take the effort to understand the nature of this report and the underlying paradigm that it represents. Please have the same courage that Margaret Thatcher has when she created NPM, and replace it. Please pay attention to those of us that know how to change this... And the biggest thanks to Ben Glover

Great to talk with Deepa Fernandes of NPR’s Here and Now about the implications of ending the federal Affordable Connectivity Program for 23 million US households. Have a listen. Later this week, the Senate will vote to continue the #ACP with short-term funding paid for by the proposed sales of spectrum bands. Even so, a sustainable and permanent solution is needed. #digitaladvancement #internetforall #digitalequity

Here are multiple ways you can get involved in the community. Check out Commissioner Salim Adofo's latest newsletter. #WeAreWard8 #AStandardOfExcellence #SalimAdofo https://lnkd.in/e3AdcV5y

Here are multiple ways you can get involved in the community. Check out Commissioner Salim Adofo's latest newsletter. #WeAreWard8 #AStandardOfExcellence #SalimAdofo https://lnkd.in/e3AdcV5y

As nights continue to get darker and we approach the shortest day of the year, our new research reveals that a fifth of UK adults (19 per cent) would never walk alone at night, increasing to over a quarter of women.💭 Additionally, half of the UK avoid walking alone in the evenings if they don’t have their phone, with 11 per cent having pretended to call someone to feel more safe. These findings highlight growing concerns about public safety and street violence which Clear Channel UK wants to help to address through the ongoing partnership with Strut Safe. Strut Safe operates a phone line connecting callers to trained volunteers who remain on the line until they arrive safely at their destination. Clear Channel has been providing free Out of Home advertising space for Strut Safe to publicise their phone line on thousands of bus shelters and digital billboards nationwide as the demand for Strut Safe’s services continues to grow.💙 Read more about the survey results and partnership here: https://okt.to/LQhGD8 #PlatformForGood #StrutSafe