Empowering communities – brave or foolhardy?

I was extremely interested to read about Suffolk County Council’s bold strategy to outsource a range of services, empowering its communities and the third sector to take ownership of them. I am fascinated to see how this works. My view, having worked on a voluntary basis within the third sector for many years, is that the communities will grasp the mettle, ‘own’ their issues and channel Suffolk’s assets and budgets for the greater good. However, the marketeer in me wants to see robust measurement strategies, clear processes and most importantly, a clear accountability hierarchy before making the leap. Only time will tell…