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English expectations

English expectations

If the Labour frontbench, gathering in Manchester this week, had felt the mood of English cities and localities in their political bones they would have predicted the crisis that is now engulfing them the very moment that Cameron, Milliband and Clegg made 'the vow'.

How could Scotland have £1500 more per head, per year devolved to its population, in perpetuity, without a wider debate in the country? And why would the bulk of England tolerate that when the counties outside London already receive far less of the government’s spend than the capital?

But in power Ed Milliband and Gordon Brown had given us 1200 central targets for local communities. So while Milliband has undergone a damascene conversion to decentralisation in opposition, it is one thing to think something new and another thing altogether for refreshed convictions to shift the habits of a lifetime. Labour has now proposed a 15 month long national constitutional convention to engage ‘the regions’ in debate. David Cameron is calling for English votes for English laws faster than that. How should the Churches and other faith communities respond?

A conundrum for the Church of England and other mainline denominations is that, in spite much talk of local roots to social and civic action, much of the social analysis emerging from the policy functions of Church headquarters has been as centrist as that of any current Brownite, or of his pre-opposition apostle, Ed Milliband. Defend William Temple’s traditional social democracy, or its Irish, East End and nonconformist equivalents, and the levers of power will somehow give rise to equality in our time, they have suggested. Reflecting the metropolitan political class among whom they have had to move, the Church’s London based advisors have in many ways come to mirror the political establishment’s outlook. But talk to English citizens in Brixham and Bacup, Byker or Erdington, Thanet or Armley, Hull to Ellesmere Port, and Carlisle, Wythenshawe and Peterlee and the frustration with the current metropolitan settlement is more than palpable. Instead of turning to London the Churches need to find inspiration elsewhere. And it is in Birmingham and Derby, Liverpool and Portsmouth that it might first be found.

David Urquhart is the Anglican Bishop of Birmingham. He has also been chair of a major commission of enquiry into social and economic needs that has embraced not only the second city’s faith groups but also its businesses, local state and other networks. Since 9/11 Urqhart and his fellow faith leaders have developed a consistent habit of working together to discuss and address needs. In partnership with the City Council they are on the verge of announcing a new civic ‘covenant’ both to commit themselves to enhance that role and to demand a fair response from government.

In Derby Bishop Alastair Redfern not only led the wide ranging Redfern Commission of stakeholders from across the city region to explore local challenges but has played a significant role in the development of the ‘Derby Embassy’. This pioneering initiative mobilises Derby’s businesses to work together to use their London links as a base to encourage companies from out of area to join Bombardier and Derby University, among others, in creating investment, jobs and skills closer to home. One of Redfern’s parishes has launched the St Peter’s Innovation Centre to give young people access to enterprise.

Meanwhile in Liverpool the last Bishop, working with the city’s directly elected Mayor, convened a summit of faith groups from across the major eight 'core cities' in the English West, and North, to debate the structure of the future as it impacted the huge swathe of the economy and population that these cities represent. And in Portsmouth the Cathedral has unlocked unused meeting spaces to support local social entrepreneurs. This brings together a coalition of educators and businesspeople, the poor and the wealthy to provoke innovative new responses to social exclusion. When the city was divided as to the wisdom of Sir Ben Ainslie racing team re-locating to its shores it was to the Cathedral that its inhabitants retreated to explore the options. On October 3rd the Cathedral Innovation Centre launches a Hampshire Festival of mental health and the Mind, having already helped establish a St George’s Day Festival with Sikh and Muslim young people at the heart of its activities. The Cathedral Innovation Centre has aleady supported the development of over thirty new businesses.

The Labour Party, with its depleted membership, may need fifteen months to organise a national conversation. The Prime Minister, in a hurry to seize political advantage and backed by the politically astute Chairman of the 1922 Committee of backbenchers, Graham Brady MP, may want to reach for an instant fix. An alternative option would be for every major cathedral, mosque, bishop, council, university, FE college and Chamber of Commerce to move at speed together to convene their own local conversations. The Deans of the Anglican and Catholic cathedrals are well placed to act as distinctive and neutral convenors of renewal – and as experienced organisers of events that gather the whole of a community. For while a constitutional convention is now essential it cannot wait for a slow moving political party, or until after an election where division and disillusionment could become even more entrenched, especially among the English poor.

For in their bones ordinary English voters realise that the Scottish referendum has already changed something south of the border forever. It is partly about money. It is significantly about the kinds of decision-makers our culture throws up. It is certainly to do with the patronising tone by which governance and support of great cities, proud counties and struggling industries has been handled by London. But it also tinged with a certain excitement that at least some change can be grasped by those who step up to the task. Ed Milliband needs to give the constitutional convention away to the whole of society. The Prime Minister should unlock some resource to make that task possible. The Churches and other faith communities could now be key to such an opportunity – and Derby, Liverpool, Birmingham and Portsmouth give us glimpses of how it could just be done.

Francis Davis is a former UK cabinet level ministerial advisor with a twenty year involvement in social enterprises in the English North West and Wessex. He is a graduate of Durham, Warwick and Southampton universities. He is a member of Theos' Advisory Group.

 Image by Michael D Beckwith from flickr.com under the Creative Commons Licence.

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