Are We Ready to Put Place First?

As ‘Place First’ becomes increasingly prominent in discussions about devolution, high streets, economic growth and community renewal, an important question follows: who has the skills, capacity and leadership to make it happen? In the latest contribution to IPM’s developing Place First conversation, Margaret Dale SFIPM, Chris Gregory FIPM, Esther Worboys FIPM and Graham Galpin MSc SFIPM turn the focus to the people and organisations responsible for leading and managing places.

They ask whether place management should become a more clearly recognised profession, what capabilities are needed to lead increasingly complex place-based partnerships, and whether stronger professional pathways, competency frameworks and continuing professional development are now required.

Join the conversation: Register for our upcoming IPM member roundtable, Are We Ready to Put Place First?, where we will explore what a place-first approach means in practice and what needs to change to make it happen.

Are we ready to put Place First – and are we investing sufficiently in the people who will make it happen? By Margaret Dale SFIPM, Chris Gregory FIPM, Esther Worboys FIPM, Graham Galpin MSc SFIPM

Will the increased focus on the revitalisation and regeneration of the high street and having Pride of Place contribute to economic growth, individual health, wellbeing and community cohesion? People are keenly aware of the changes in high streets and town centres and confuse this with a signal for national decline.  Perhaps this is one reason why the Government has chosen this as its bellwether.

Most of us working in the industry are aware town centres and high streets are going through a very rapid metamorphism from retail and multiple shops to a broader palette of independent retailers, hospitality, health and other services coupled by more residential accommodation. Larger and smaller retail units are becoming vacant and skills may be required to facilitate repurposing them.

Here do we reflect on the role Place managers and industry colleagues in making these important changes happen? Places flourish when a place manager brings together different parties and ensures local voices are heard above the clamour of capital investment. Firstly we should consider who manages and co-ordinates Place. We know the there are many organised groups in communities that represent differing but similar interests. Anyone seeking a career as a planner or accountant would expect to work towards an entry qualification and engage in continued professional development activities as a route to better qualifications to recognise their improving skills. Their professional bodies provide processes and structures to this.  As place managers should we expect to be taken as equals if we have not maintained accreditation of our capacity to do what we do? What needs to be done to ensure this in our membership?

The identity and role of the groups have been explored recently by Chris Wade and I in the Journal of Place Management and Development(ref) in expressing how hyper local governance of devolved place-based governance and delivery. We gave a broad description of who place management agencies could be, but there are five key issues to be considered by whoever is at the helm.

• Who could lead local town centre revival?
• Do they have the support of a broad enough partnership?
• Do partners have the skills to appraise need and deliver appropriate responses?
• How do they get the serious attention of funders and Mayoral or foundation local authorities?

Who could lead town centre and place renewal.

In many areas it is accepted that the Local Authority takes on this role, but as the real need has been recognised many bodies are taking a lead or an important interest. These have included:

• Town and parish councils
• Business Improvement Districts
• Civic societies
• Unitary councils
• Key development partners in education, health, policing and from age related interest groups.

This list is by no means meant to exclude other groups or individuals. Not only should there organisation become members of the local committee, they may even provide the leader of the revitalisation.

The High Street Task Force identified a skills deficit in many of those involved in town centre management. 

This underscores need for a better entry level offer and continual professional development for us all involved in the industry. But there is no structured or expectation for an entry route for those at the starting point of their career. What should be a requirement?

The IPM provides a validation for place managers by offering a Masters level qualification.  This is often taken by people who have become a place manager by accident rather than design. It is also building CPD recognition with other organisations, for example High Street Positives by accrediting their webinars, NABMA by accrediting their certification. There is reciprocal agreements for other organisations by offering CPD recognition.

SLCC has Master’s accreditation for Parish and Town council staff from De Montfort University, and RTPI have their own clear competence hurdles. A clear and reviewed competency framework for IPM will set out what is expected of a place manager at the various stages of their career and chart the improvements in skill level and practice.  It will also enable others to understand what place managers do.

What can we conclude from the above?

It appears that there is an imperative for the industry to support places in delivering on the Government’s policy on Place and for Growth in every post-code, in a highly professional and coordinated manner. It assists the people resident in towns and businesses in the high street to enjoy where they are based. It will support local authorities, businesses and BIDs to come together to speak honestly about the future of their High Street.

This blog discusses the why & what of a potential skills model but not the how. What we have not made clear is how that is to be done. We will share this in the upcoming blog and show below some of the important questions to be raised in this one. These are seeking comments and conversations from members and interested parties and will add to or modify this and subsequent blogs as a result. We are posting questions below for you to consider and reply to. This is not proscriptive. If you want to comment on the subject, please respond directly to:

graham.galpin@placechanger.co.uk

Should Place Management be a distinct & recognised profession?

• Does the growing emphasis on Place raise an important question about the professional capability of those working in the industry?
• How should we recognise the excellent work done by fellow agencies?
• As place managers should we expect to be taken as equals if we have not maintained accreditation of our capacity to do what we do? What needs to be done to ensure this in our membership?
• To reflect competence and experience, should Place Managers have an escalating, graded professional qualification?
• But there is no entry route for those at the starting point of their career, what should be a requirement?
• How can this be achieved?