Anna Randle, Head of Strategy at London Borough of Lambeth in south London talks to Jo Barratt about redefining local government in the fourth Civic Radio podcast

If citizenship is a reciprocal relationship between the individual citizen and everyone else in the communities of which we are part, what is the role of local government? This is something that Lambeth councll is grappling with, as they develop the notion of  a 'cooperative council' seeking to establish a more equal relationship with their citizens.

But what does it mean in practice?  What is involved in re-imagining local government? What does it mean to shift from being 'a paternalistic provider of services' to a 'facilitative enabler'.  Is it just about doing local government on the cheap?

In this thoughtful  interview, Anna Randle talks persuasively about how a council can empower its citizens, without washing its hands of its responsibilities.

Open spaces, parks etc,  in the borough provide a good example of the approach as Anna explains, "There was a point at which we realised we needed to say, 'these are your spaces, they aren't the council's spaces, they are the community's spaces, you own them. You don't have to ask for permission to do stuff, we want you to do stuff, so if you want to go and plant some bulbs, just do it'."

Civic Radio is part of Civic Workshop.

Picture of Barnsley Council offices by James Sheriff