A move away from the current grant system is one of a number of proposals being put forward by the New Local Government Network to help local communities to integrate new migrant workers. ‘Managing New Migration: A local approach to a global phenomenon,’ also suggests improved training and support for local people.

The report, which is available to buy or download from the Network, says that while some areas have benefited from the arrival of migrant workers changes to the current funding mechanism for local authorities could help other communities who have faced a significant impact from migration to cope. The report’s author, Matthew Clifton, argues that replacing a crude local authority grant with a share of tax revenue could help relieve pressure on services and budgets.

“The share of income tax is particularly powerful and requires no change in the national tax regime, nor does it require the introduction of any new local tax. But a local assignment of income tax does create an automatic mechanism to reward local growth and create an incentive to improve local service management,” he writes. Other proposals in the report, which has been supported by the Learning and Skills Council, include developing better, localised forms of data management and offering greater training and support to long-standing residents who are unemployed or otherwise disadvantaged.

The report acknowledges that people not in education, employment or training – the so-called NEETs – need more support from councils and their partners and suggests those who are long-term unemployed should be guaranteed interviews for relevant jobs. It believes this will help to mitigate the effects of an influx of migrant workers. “Local action should target a generation of disadvantaged people, neglected by today’s global jobs market and unable to participate in Britain ’s growing economy,” the report says.

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A framework has been launched to help local authorities and the communities they serve to establish a Citizens’ Day or even a week of activities. The Citizenship Foundation has drawn up the guidance with the Department of Communities and Local Government.

‘The Citizens’ Day Framework: Building cohesive, active and engaged communities’ has been designed to be non-prescriptive, offering advice instead to councils and their partners in the voluntary and community sector as well as for other organisations and individuals who are committed to building community engagement and cohesion. It has been developed following pilot exercises in Birmingham , Hull , Southwark and Stoke-on-Trent .

It includes advice on how a Citizens’ Day could be linked to existing local activities or key dates. It avoids the idea of establishing a national day as the authors believe it is better for each local area to determine its own most appropriate date. They believe that having events designed by and for the local community is a key element in the effectiveness of the Citizens’ Day programme.

The launch included a speech from the Communities Secretary, Hazel Blears, and a panel discussion chaired by Tony Breslin, the Chief Executive of the Citizenship Foundation. Maureen Alderson, Head of Centre for Local Democracy at the Local Government Information Unit, who was one of the panelists, said the framework would offer local authorities, including councillors working with local people, an exciting opportunity to develop programmes focused on their local experience in order to encourage and celebrate their communities.

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By Stephen Denning

The book introduces the concept of narrative intelligence – an ability to understand and act and react agilely in the quicksilver world of interacting narratives.

It shows why this is key to the central task of leadership, what its dimensions are, and how you can measure it. The book’s lucid explanations, vivid examples and practical tips are essential reading for chief executives, managers, change agents, politicians, teachers, parents – anyone who is setting out to the change the world.

Read more on THE SECRET LANGUAGE OF LEADERSHIP…