Delivering Social Sustainability Outcomes in New Communities: The Role of the Elected Councillor

Author： Johnstone Shona Robison Rosalyn A.V. Manning Rachel

Publisher： MDPI

E-ISSN： 2071-1050|5|11|4920-4948

ISSN： 2071-1050

Source： Sustainability, Vol.5, Iss.11, 2013-11, pp. : 4920-4948

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Abstract

A 2011 Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) report calculated that an additional 750,000 homes would be needed by 2025 to meet projected demand in the UK. If this is to be achieved, a significant number of new communities will be developed over the next decade. Local councillors have considerable potential in influencing the social sustainability of such new developments, particularly in the context of the current “Localism” agenda in the UK. However, this role of the local councilor is not well understood. The aim of this project was to explore the role of the local councillor in improving such outcomes. We selected two rural greenfield and two urban regeneration sites as case studies. Planning officers and local councillors were interviewed across the sites in order to identify factors that can lead to improved social sustainability. Emerging themes indicate the importance of the councillor’s role in community engagement and consultation, the changing nature of relationships, the importance of appropriate and timely infrastructure, and models of governance and accountability. These findings are discussed in terms of their implications for policy.