Governing Stoke-on-Trent:

A study of system, economic and

political failure

Michael Tappin

The Context

Matthew Rice (MD Emma Bridgewater) quoted

in the Daily Telegraph (23rd Nov 2010)

“If you go around Stoke these days there is (sic)

lots of bare land where things have been

demolished. I’ve no idea what it looks like in

Helmand Province, But I get the feeling it

would look a little like here.”

Political Career

• 1980-84 Councillor Newcastle-u-Lyme

• 1981-97 County Councillor Staffs CC

Chair: Planning, Enterprise & Economic

Development Committees

• 1993-4 Chair West Midlands Strategic

Planning Authority

• 1985-94 Member Board West Midlands

Development Agency

1994-1999 MEP Staffordshire West

and Congleton

• Member of Budget, Budget Control and

Economic & Monetary Affairs Committees

• 1995-9 Led for PES on Budget Control Com

• 1994-9 President of Ceramic Inter-Group,

championing the industry in North Staffs and

Europe. Successful in gaining funding for the

industry & preventing illegal Chinese imports

into Europe

2001-6 Chair Stoke South PCT

2004-8 Councillor Stoke City

Cabinet Member for Finance

2007-8 Leader of the Labour Group

2008-10 Member Transition Board

The Stoke Challenges

• The spatial dimension

• “It’s the economy, stupid.”

• The problem of political

institutions/governance

• A broken political system?

The Spatial Dimension

• Geographically constrained. Area 93 sq. km

Tightly enclosed by Stafford (598), Staffs Moorlands (576), & Newcastle-u-Lyme (211)

• Polycentric not Centre-periphery conurbation

• 6 Towns: Hanley, regional shopping centre, Stoke, administrative hub.

• 56 Villages

• Creates a culture of social and political localism and local rivalry. Problem for governance.

Staffordshire - District Boundaries

Transportation

• By passed by M6

• A500 the D Road only serves Stoke

• Road networks poor

• Public Transport poor: problem of linear city

Consequence:

1. Communities isolated/insular. (56 villages)

2. Travel to work problematic

3. Access to public services problematic

• Car ownership: 34% households without a car

“It’s the economy, stupid”

• Oxford student. “I’m reading P.P.E.”

Stokie: “What’s that mean?”

Oxford student. “Philosophy, politics &

economics, stupid”

Stokie: “Well lad, here it means Pits, Pots and

Engineering!”

The Stoke economy pre 1990

Stoke Economy

1939 2001

Smithies 256 0

Mines 13 0

Blast Furnaces 2 0

Potteries 350+ 50

Employment 1

1950s 2001

Ceramics 70,000 6,000

Steel 10,000+ 200

Mining 20,000+ 0

• 1951 Mining 8%

Manufacturing 58% Total 66%

England & Wales figure 40%

Employment 2

Industrial Base 1971-1981

• Trend away from manufacturing to service

sector but only 2% of labour force

• Manufacturing jobs fell by 28,000

• Ceramics down 12,000 jobs affected by over

valuation of sterling

• First of pit closures, Chatterley Whitfield

• Stoke an “isolated” economy (self sustaining)

• A counter cyclical economy

Employment 3

Industrial base 1981 -present

• Shift from manufacturing and energy (coal)

• Manufacturing employment below 20%

• Ceramics decimated and outsourced

• Mining gone

• Rise in distribution and retailing employment

Chatterley Whitfield Colliery

Shelton Bar - Etruria

Unemployment

• 1950s-60s, unemployment averaged 3%

Below 2% and under 2,500 for most of the

period. Labour shortage.

Figures lower than the UK

• 1970s-90s Varied between 10-20,000 or

hovered around 15%

• But unemployment mirrored the UK average

Unemployment:

Latest figures

• 55,550 on “Out of work” benefits in N. Staffs

• Stoke-on-Trent: 35,860 (65%) (Feb 2009)

• 24.1% working age population (17.8%

W.Mids, 15.7% UK)

• 15,350 not worked for 5 yrs or more (43% of

those out of work)

Benefit Figures

Of the 55,550 on benefit in N. Staffs

• 28,470 Incapacity Benefit

• 12,660 Job Seekers Allowance and ESA

• 6,260 Income support

The Culture of Contentment (Galbraith)

Educational attainment

Percentage NVQ attainment of working age

population

Stoke W. Mids England

NVQ Level 2 53.8 61.6 64.6

NVQ Level 3 32.3 42.3 45.6

NVQ Level 4 14.4 24.5 28.7

What is particularly frustrating about the

housing issues in Stoke is that through their

'regeneration' agenda, they are in the process

of creating an affordable housing problem via

the demolition of the area's affordable

housing.

The Problem of Governance

Institutional Problems 1

• 1977-97 Powers to the County.

1. The emergence of County Government:

Education, Social Services, Planning etc

centralised at Stafford

2. District Council status for Stoke

3. Senior politicians go south

4. The second team remain in Stoke

Stoke-on-Trent

Town Hall

Institutional Problems 2

• 1994-6 Powers back to the City OR NOT!

The Options

1.Stoke Unitary Council

2.North Staffs Authority: Stoke, Newcastle, Moorlands, Stafford Borough(?)

3.Stoke and Newcastle

The politicians are gutless!

• 1996 Stoke becomes a Unitary Authority

The Problems of Governance

Politics 1

• 1996 Elections: Labour 60 Rest 0

The arrogance of power

• 2000-2002 The collapse of Labour Party

dominance and the Mayoral campaign.

• May 2002 Mayoral referendum: “Who’s afraid

of the Big Bad Wolfe?” T.O 27.8%

• Elected Mayor system approved 28,601 to

20,578. Wolfe becomes Elected Mayor

Politics 2

2002-2008

• Labour declines still further

Election Seats Vote %

2002 21 40.75

2003 26 34.79

2004 30 35.74

2006 32 32.49

2007 24 30.57

2008 17 25.07

Politics 3

• The rise of the “Independents” and the BNP – “all

politics is local”

• The Conservatives stay grounded

• 2005 Election of Labour Mayor

• 2006-8 The Grand Coalition: Lab + Cons. Libs join

in 2007

• 2009 Mayoral referendum (Again). T.O 19.23%

Elected Mayor goes. Leader and Cabinet model.

Politics 4

Labour 14 Lib Dems 5 BNP 7

City Indep 16 Cons 7 SoT Ind 2

Non-align 3 Libertarian 1 Ind 2

Potteries Alliance 2

• Ross Irving (C) Elected Leader of a coalition with the City Independents

• Labour in opposition

2009 Council (60 Councillors)

Politics 4

2010 Council (60 Councillors)

Labour 27 Lib Dems 4 BNP 5

City Indep 8 Cons 7 Community Voice 5

Libertarian 1 Inds 3

• Mohamed Pervez (Lab) elected leader of a

coalition with Conservatives and Lib Dems

• Opposition fragmented

Former Chief Executive – Steve Robinson

The Problems of Governance

Administrative Leadership

2001-10 The paid service

6 Chief Executives

Chief Education Officer leaves, SERCO appointed

5 Directors of Social Services/Adult Care

3 Finance Officers

Over £6m spent annually on consultants from

A budget of £212m

Problems of Governance

Who Rules in Stoke?

The Fragmentation of Decision-making

• Renew: Housing Partnership

• Local Strategic Partnership (LSP) Now

Public/Private/Third sector + community.

Agrees Local Area Agreement (LAA)

• North Staffs Regeneration Partnership/LEP

• City Council

A Broken Political System

A Poorly Performing Council

Education 80% indicators in bottom 2 quartiles

2007 34.6% 3A* GCSEs A-C(W Mids 42.7%, Eng 46.5%)

21% 16-18 yr olds Not in Emp / Ed or Training

Employment 60% indicators in bottom quartile

Health 70% indicators in bottom quartile.

Life expectancy for men 73.7yrs (76.9) Women 79.9 (81.1)

A baby boy born today will die 3 years earlier and a girl 2 years earlier than in the UK

People in Stoke more likely to die of circulatory disease, cancer, respiratory diseases than elsewhere

A Broken Political System

Safety 63% indicators in bottom 2 quartiles

Community Engagement 82% indicators in

bottom 2 quartiles.

Audit Commissions Organisational health

rating: 68/75 authorities

Housing RENEW project to bring 50,000 houses

up to modern standards

A Broken Political System

Lack of Political Leadership

• Quality of councillors poor

• Lack of strategic thinking

• Localised thinking

Lack of Civic Capacity

• A small middle class

• Long term animosities in the political system

A Broken Political System

Lack of Social Capital

Partnership working poor. Although partners

drawn together and strategies agreed,

implementation has been poor. E.g recent

announcement on cancelling the strategic

partnership

Poor economic regeneration. Where are the

cranes, where are the jobs?

Governance Commission

• Appointed Autumn 2007

• Chair Prof Michael Clarke

• Terms of Reference:

1.“To consider options about future governance

arrangements for S-O-T Council to deliver that

strong, effective & accountable leadership

that the city needs to address the economic,

social and cohesion challenges which it faces.

Governance Commission

2. To give consideration to governance across the wider public/private sector EG the LSP and to the importance of economic regeneration and community cohesion.

3. To consider the relationship between Stoke-on-Trent and the wider sub-regional/ regional/national bodies including other Local Authorities and their partners within the region.”

Recommendations 1

• “Given the evidence of civic disengagement

recommends the creation of a Transition

Board … comprising of people who live and

work in S-O-T to represent the public/private

and third sectors which will monitor the

implementations of the recommendations.

The Council to present an Action plan

immediately with time lines for action.”

Recommendations 2

• All out elections

• Single member wards

• Smaller council

• Devolution of governance

• Improve community engagement

• Strengthen the political machinery

• Member development

• Raise profile of Stoke-on-Trent

• Stoke-on-Trent and North Staffs

Some Solutions

All out Elections with single member wards

Reduce size of Council

Decentralise decision-making establishing

neighbourhood councils

Political parties in invest in training for

prospective civic leaders

Local businesses give staff time off for council

duties.

Some solutions

Council decide on core business: What should a council provide

Improve partnership working

Reduce the number of ad hoc organisations

Make more use of the third sector.

Build civic capacity

Develop leadership skills in the community

Politics IS an honourable profession

A North Staffs Authority (again!)