Principles met

  • We will develop systems that enable citizens to be equal partners in designing and commissioning public services and in determining the use of public resources.
  • We will explore ways for councils to act as a platform for helping the community to contribute to local outcomes, and to re-think the role of councillors as community connectors, brokers and leaders.
  • We will embrace innovation in how we work with local communities to drive positive change.
  • We will capture and ‘expand’ the experience and learning from individual projects and approaches in order to encourage broader application of co-operative principles within individual member Councils and across the Network.
  • In exploring new ways of meeting the priority needs of our communities we will encourage models, such as co-operatives and mutuals, which give greater influence and voice to staff and users. in designing and commissioning public services and in determining the use of public resources.
  • As a membership organisation, we will make this statement of our principles operational by: • Co-operation among members: Our members work together to help each other implement our values, sharing experiences and learning. • Openness of membership: Full, Associate and Affiliate Membership is open to any qualifying Council, organisation or individual who shares our values and is committed to putting them into action. • Co-production of the Network’s work: Members help shape the Network’s work programme and the content of events and written products. • Action-focused: The network is a vehicle for helping councils translate co-operative values and principles into policy and practice. •Membership-based: The network is majority funded by modest membership subscriptions from its member Councils, Associates and Affiliates. •Non-party-political: Members share the belief that working co-operatively within and across communities holds the key to tackling today’s challenges.

Mutual Ventures has supported Brent Council and its partners in adopting a ‘Radical Place Leadership’ approach. This approach emphasises partners working more closely together and thinking more radically about how to support residents better.

Brent is a vibrant borough in north-west London, known for its young and diverse communities, but it faces significant challenges stemming from poverty and inequality, including homelessness and health disparities.

During a series of strategic partnership meetings facilitated by Mutual Ventures, partners from across the borough, including the council, police, health services, and VCSE organisations, agreed that collaboration is essential to tackle these interconnected challenges.

Partners emphasised the need for a more joined-up experience for residents, shifting the focus from crisis response to prevention, and empowering frontline staff to make decisions. There was strong enthusiasm for embracing a radical and courageous leadership approach, and agreement that working collaboratively is the only path to financially sustainable public services.  

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