David Connolly, Director, Dublin Inner City Partnership. Presentation on : BUILDING AN INCLUSIVE CITY (Page 3) Concentrated poverty and deprivation. The second issue of concern is the continued high prevalence of the most acute social problems concentrated in specific areas or among particular individuals experiencing the most serious disadvantage. While the scale of this has reduced in recent years never the less we are seeing at a local level a wide variety of complex problems effecting peoples health and well being. Much of the work of local groups has focussed on addressing this situation and in many instances with great success. While the intense intervention through the community/ voluntary sector and the statutory agencies working at a local level has helped to transform the situation of access to employment and training and community development the present position is proving much more intractable. The scale of heroin/ methadone dependency is having a devastating impact on the addicted individuals and their families However the wider impact on the community where it is concentrated has set back community development by many years as the local activists have to concentrate on tackling the resulting chaos. There are now many different circumstances that prevent individuals from realising their potential and trap them in often horrific conditions. Many people in the worst circumstances are least connected to any support systems or family and community networks. The more rigid approach to welfare provision imposed in recent years has further exacerbated the situation. We are now witnessing a growing incidence of hardship through family breakdown, homelessness, addiction, physical and sexual abuse, psychiatric and psychological problems and loneliness and neglect. In a city context this is effecting relatively large numbers of people possibly up to 100,000 people. Most are in very different circumstances which makes it difficult to respond. Many of the state services in childcare, social work, health and community care are finding it impossible to cope with increased demand. These services are further stretched due to the lack of consistent investment and the difficulty in recruiting qualified people due to wage levels and work conditions. According to a recent report 70% of households renting local authority housing in Dublin are living in poverty. The local authorities and particularly Dublin corporation have provide leadership by successfully intervening in a number of their areas through housing refurbishment. However, it is generally acknowledged that in isolation this is not sustainable in the absence of a high level of integration between the key statutory agencies. The new RAPID programme has identified some of the most disadvantaged areas for significant public investment from the Government national plan. If successfully adapted to local needs this could provide the means for a more widespread and targeted approach over the next decade. This new integrated approach offers a major challenge to how the state agencies have used their budgets to date.It will take ten years of major investment to reverse the past decades of neglect. If it is to survive this approach requires active political support in an era when the dominant ideology is to reduce public investment in essential services. The most effective way to address these acute problems directly is through the community and voluntary sector in collaboration with the statutory providers. However the main task remains, i.e., how to target and deliver services and resources efficiently and in such a way that the underlying individual problems are solved and the people effected are able to improve their quality of life. While more money is part of the solution I would suggest that the future inclusion of the family or individual in a supportive community is much more important. Local government restructuring versus local development. The third issue to be examined is the social and political organisation structures in the city. This is the primary means to ensure future participation of the citizens and to enable local influence and control of policies and resources. The issue here increasingly is the debate between direct participative democracy and electoral democracy. The recent approach to the reform of local government and reorganisation of the state structures does not meet the needs of either approach and is likely to have a negative impact on the potential for developing Dublin in a holistic manner. Despite rhetoric to the contrary I would suggest that much of the reform of local government is shaped by an obsession with retaining control in the centre at government department level. This reduces the effectiveness of the local authorities and is ridiculous when dealing with a city the size of Dublin. Local government restructuring concentrates primarily on the role of local authorities and proposed integration with the local development sector. It is also about enhancing the position of the elected representatives and the electoral system in general. This new direction is a mistake if the intention is to promote inclusiveness at a local level through increased participation in order to provide more say in decision making. Despite the trend elsewhere there is a continuous tendency in Ireland towards centralism. In contrast, the devolution commission identified all of the state agencies and structures as needing reform and more effective delegation to work collectively to respond to local need. The trend now is opposite to this. Despite the best efforts of the people working in the state agencies at local level due to their regional structures the state institutions have great difficulty in dealing at a very localised community level. While this is understandable it makes strategic planning difficult at both the macro and micro level in the city. In addition, the Government policy "Better local government" misses the main point that primary concentration on a more integrated local development sector is an irrelevancy in the greater scheme of things. This will only further serve to enhance central control and weaken the focus on addressing disadvantage which is the principal task of the local development organisations. Reducing the role of the national state at a city level is a major objective in my opinion. What is required is new thinking on the most efficient and best mechanism that can deliver the improved health, policing, education and essential services needed at a local level in a more coherent and targeted manner. This requires a different agency structure than we have now. In contrast the potential for a different approach by developing the civic sector has not been promoted as effectively as it could. There is a long tradition of local action and a strong community/ voluntary sector operating in the city. This has grown significantly in recent years to the point that the sector is also a major employer. These participative structures offer an alternative to the electoral system which has lost much credibility in the recent past. In addition the local structures are much closer to where the need for a response is required and much more capable of delivering on these needs. However this approach suffers from the lack of influence over central decision making and the temporary nature of much of the public funding for the sector. The successes achieved through local development should be built upon. Much of current strategic planning is concerned with physical infrastructure and lacks a human or person based perspective. A pro-active community response should be encouraged and facilitated rather than frustrated. Rather than encouraging this approach the experience in recent years has been a continuous process of grinding down the community and voluntary sector. This has been achieved by minimising the level of resources invested and seeking to turn the local community infrastructure into a poorly resourced delivery agency for the state. This mistaken approach must be reversed in the coming period. The continued existence of an independent vibrant local community infrastructure is vital to secure an inclusive city. Increased interaction and formal participation between residents and community representatives and the state sector is happening at a local level through different partnership structures. However, the difficulty being encountered at present is the painfully slow process of a change in an institutional culture capable of welcoming inclusive dialogue and negotiation as a way to secure change and active involvement. more