The Making of a Labour Place

By Naomi Russell

Every human society has its own shape, its purposes, its own meanings. Every human society expresses these, in institutions, in arts and learning. The making of a society is the finding of common meanings and directions, and its growth is an active debate and amendment, under the pressures of experience, contact and discovery, writing themselves into the land.
Raymond Williams, from Culture is Ordinary

Stevenage is derived from the Old English Stigenace meaning ‘place at the strong oak.’ In post-war Britain the Abercrombie Plan called for the establishment of a ring of new towns around London and, in November 1946, Stevenage was chosen as the first of the new towns, planned around six, self-contained neighbourhoods.

Stevenage was formed under the auspices of a paternal and proactive welfare state.  Post-war public policy framed and gave birth to the concepts of new towns, and there were also practical and social considerations arising amongst the people who moved out and into them.  Whilst some would describe new towns such as Stevenage as one big council estate, the vision was more far-reaching than this. This pioneering legacy underpins much of what has evolved and the character of Stevenage today.

A key priority in the creation of Stevenage as a new town was to create decent, modern homes alongside first class facilities and the initial master plan included 60,000 units, based on a neighbourhood model. Stevenage is now only 18 minutes on the fast train from King’s Cross, however in 1950 it might just as well have been another continent for the displaced families from London who made their way there, in search of better housing, jobs and greater security. There were social problems associated in moving vast numbers of families from London to the town, some suffering from post-war trauma, many poor and most having lost all their social ties.

Creating a town and political framework in which mutuality and care was prioritised with the help of a strong and well funded voluntary sector, neighbourhoods that included everything you would need in day to day life so that community was at the heart of people’s lives, and the vision, often associated more with Ebenezer Howard’s new town’s such as Welwyn Garden City, to include boulevards and beautiful green civic spaces, was woven into the very fabric of the town. A number of prescient measures in urban planning terms were included when the town was built including cycle routes, the ability to walk to everything you needed and the first pedestrianised town centre in 1959.  Forward thinking was also applied in relation to economics and community engagement. This has characterised the leadership of the Council for a significant period of time; Stevenage has been a Labour run authority for over 40 years.

Stevenage residents have a very strong sense of ‘place’ and know where they live and identify themselves with it. There is a pride in the town and sense of belonging underpinned by a strong neighbourhood model.

For example, Bedwell was the third neighbourhood to be built. It is a spit away from the town centre, and yet the community relate to Bedwell very specifically. The six neighbourhoods in Stevenage are very self-contained and the town centre acts as a meeting point for the town, it is in the neighbourhoods that the real business of going about daily life can be found. This affiliation to ‘place’ is no accident – it is the result of careful planning and robust political decisions not just historic but actively pursued by today’s Labour leadership.

The design of the neighbourhood model in Stevenage is now heralded as one of the most outstanding achievements in town planning and development in the 20th century.
But physical environments are never enough – they require animation: by people, through memories and experiences. This is where Stevenage’s achievement really lies; the neighbourhood model has enabled strong community to be formed.

Localism is emerging as very distinctive for Labour. It refers to concern for an appreciation of the value of community including innovation, needs and accomplishment. Put in a Labour context it puts forward the important proposition at the heart of the socialist ethic that individuals can be co-operative; and that they thrive better in a community. It asserts that strong community is the agent to create opportunities for all and that community is essential for the advancement of individual potential. This assumes that we can create places in which there is a springboard from which everyone can thrive – and, importantly, where the weak can be protected before or when they fall. One could say that Stevenage was doing localism way before it became fashionable and that it’s existed since the start of Stevenage in the 1950s.

Each Stevenage neighbourhood has a community centre, which really are the centre of the community. Community centres were found in each neighbourhood from the start and were instrumental in the formation of the town. They host a range of activities for all ages – lunch clubs, youth clubs, Irish dancing, scouts, cafes, summer play schemes, bingo, nurseries –in one case a VW owners club! Each has developed their own individual identity and many share the space with local churches and the voluntary sector.

Alongside the community centres and at the heart of the neighbourhood model in Stevenage was deliberate planning to ensure proximity to services. Each neighbourhood houses shops, a doctor’s surgery, dentist, school, play facilities and the majority still have a post office. The neighbourhood structure supports a key objective of the Labour council, which is to keep governance close to people – and the council works hard to ensure this is maintained. The council runs regular consultation and engagement initiatives, and a high response rate is the norm. Where problems exist the community are actively invited to identify the issues and suggest solutions that the council commits to acting upon.

Each neighbourhood has an area committee and a dedicated budget.  The latter has reinforced the value placed on building sustainable communities and Labour in Stevenage has introduced a new initiative to strengthen this, introducing teams of officers dedicated to each area covering services including environmental, police, children and families. This practical step is one way in which the Labour council continues to rejuvenate and build on a strong sense of place and community in the town.

This profound affiliation with and understanding of place by the Labour council extends to their desire to influence new housing developments that are current planned for the west and north of the town. These developments will increase Stevenage’s size in the coming years by 11,000 housing units, almost 25%.

Geographically these developments are located on county council territory and the importance of building good-sized homes at reasonable cost was and is not the priority for the neighbouring Conservative administration.   The Labour council has had to fight tenaciously and constructively with their Conservative peers to ensure that the model they know works in support of building communities can be applied. This process is ongoing and has required identifying key essentials to frame negotiations regarding the new developments. These include:

• The new housing should not be dormitory developments;
• The new developments must carry on the ethos of building communities, and a commitment to services within each area is key to this;
• The Labour council hosted visioning conferences to launch the proposals, ensuring community engagement and identifying different interests to bring together in support of the development. This extends beyond political interests – for example, a small community on the edge of Stevenage of 14 homes bordered on one side by the A1, will in time have a huge development on the other side. It is a Labour Council’s role to ask ‘what can we do for everyone’. This means reflecting intelligently on: how will a major new development affect a community of 14 households, how can we accommodate this and make sure their quality of life is made better in the process? Equality does not mean sameness, rather bringing together individual interests for the benefit of the common good;
• Working very hard during the planning process.

In Stevenage it is interesting to note the higher density within one of the developments, currently going up. This is marked in comparison to properties in Stevenage itself, which are well spaced, landscaped and whilst essentially social housing have not been compromised in terms of design quality, facilities and landscaping. In this way Labour values are physically apparent in the make up of the town.

Two underlying values central to a Labour ethos and vision are the concern for social justice and the improving of life chances and opportunity for all. This has been manifest both at the macro and the micro in Stevenage, where intrinsic in the vision of the Labour leadership is that nothing is too good for Stevenage.

Stevenage has now been a solid Labour council for over 40 years and currently has 32 councillors out of 39. Within its wider geographic location in Hertfordshire it is a small red dot in a sea of blue in the area; all the neighbouring county councils are Conservative run.

The former leader of the Council, Brian Hall, was determined to create what one could term a monolithic Labour culture, the priorities were: good places to live, good jobs, good cultural opportunities and good voluntary sector. However, to assume that this meant a static, unyielding type of leadership is misleading. On the contrary, a determination and constancy in asserting and maintaining fundamental Labour values has been allied with innovation, boldness and risk taking. The current leadership is zealous in the ambition to set the bar high. New towns often have an inferiority complex and thus the role for the Labour Council for Stevenage must be to say ‘you can achieve something’.

In looking at Stevenage today, and whether it could be said to be a Labour place in terms of values and not just urban planning, it is relevant that this is a town built out of expressed socialist values and in which Labour has served and governed for an extended period of time. The outworking of these values, where aspirations are high and opportunities are there for all have worked on a range of levels in Stevenage. Underpinning them at all times is a strong budget footprint and sound financial management.

One example is leisure provision. The average wage in Stevenage is £18-22k, and the Labour council see leisure activity for all residents at affordable prices as non-negotiable. Complemented by high annual spend on play service and activities for young people, opportunities are available for people of all ages and backgrounds to participate in culture and leisure activities. Attainment in Stevenage schools is lower than the national average and this investment is crucial in building self-esteem and giving young people opportunities to pursue activities with confidence outside of the academic realm.  Stevenage’s demographic includes a high number of young people and this is a key way in which the authority underpins the support of sustainable, confident communities – embedded in Stevenage’s DNA.

In 1972 Stevenage built the first combined leisure and arts centre at a cost of £3 million. The first centre in the UK combining leisure and culture it was built after the council persuaded the investment bank Goldman Sachs to lend them the money on preferential terms. A precursor to PFI, and manifestly people and community-orientated, the leisure centre today includes a spa to which doctors refer patients – pioneering a prevention rather than cure model.

Achievement and opportunity are empty sound bites without basic skills and knowledge: a good education. Stevenage’s history means the community has come together and grown on the basis of individuals having a job there, or being the children or relatives of existing tenants. Many of the founding residents who came from London in the 1950s have stayed – the current Labour leader’s parents are such residents, and Sharon was born and bred in the town.

The benefit is that Stevenage has a very stable population. Labour Government investment over the last ten years has therefore had a significant impact – perhaps more so than in areas where communities are less well formed and where entrenched social problems will take time to resolve. This is especially so in education where the council works closely with the county councils to raise attainment in schools and ensure that Labour government resources are well directed.  New money from central government enabled the raising of attainment including evidence of higher A-C rates at GCSE. Crucial to the make-up of a good school is leadership and Stevenage now attracts strong candidates for head teacher roles.

Life-long learning across generations is encouraged and one particularly novel initiative led by the council over the last three years is that the town chooses a book. A range of events and activities are programmed suitable for children and adults alike – this learning initiative is a catalyst in building community connections.

The foundations of stable communities, low employment and strong political leadership allied to the funding priorities of a Labour government are a powerful combination in raising standards in education and promoting learning beyond the classroom.

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Well in the first instance of course it was the fact that a job was the only way you were going to get a house, because you realise after the war the housing shortage was terrible and there were no prospects anywhere else. The housing lists in London were astronomical you had no chance whatsoever. But I think after the first six months in Stevenage then you begin to develop this sort of inner spirit, you sort of warm towards it. Because it was new and because it was a pioneering experiment, it was something which the first Labour government did, as one of the first times it had ever attempted to build something like that, you know a number of new towns throughout the country and we felt we were part of it.
Bert Lowe, Builder, 1951

If you were housed in Stevenage in the 1950s it was because you had a job. In 2007, employment in the town has been maintained with only 2% unemployment. It is fair to say that nobody in Stevenage who wants a job is without one. The Labour council has played an important leadership role in sustaining this level of employment through training initiatives, marketing of the town to prospective employers and are now looking to diversify the spread of jobs across public and private sectors, so that the town is not hit hard if a major employer decides to relocate. Labour has used past experience to frame a positive approach to sustaining high levels of employment in the town.

In the 1980s a large number of jobs, several thousand in the space of a few years, were lost. The Labour council had to take a strong lead to rebuild economic opportunity.

The response was proactive. A small business unit and enterprise centre to support the birthing of new businesses was set up. It considered the needs of emergent businesses, including a range of unit sizes so as business grew they had somewhere to be housed at reasonable cost, and factored in support services including marketing and accounts expertise. Now considered one of the best in the country significant new investment is enabling expansion, so that there are ladders of opportunity readily available, as SMEs take the risks necessary to grow and develop their businesses.

Alongside this the Labour council spearheaded a Brighter for Business campaign. Far more than a pure marketing campaign to attract new businesses and major employers, underpinning the campaign were strong Labour values the council wanted business to bring to their engagement with the workforce and the town. Glaxo Smith Kline has very good links within the community; this was at the forefront of the marketing pitch that attracted GSK to locate in Stevenage. Likewise MBDA, a defence company, runs an active programme for schools centred on science and engineering, proving access to research and development facilities and adding value to the educational offer especially at secondary level.

The need to keep a strong watch on employment is a continual challenge. A current focus for the Labour leadership is to build a diverse and sustainable range of employment opportunities for local people. This includes encouraging the relocation of the County Council’s Education, Children and Families department, a new Police centre for the whole county including a training facility in construction, and a planned PCT development combining a super-surgery with other facilities.

Stevenage as a town is strategically well placed for growth. Situated in the South East region, the fast train from is the first stop out of London for major train routes, making it an excellent location for business. The regeneration of the town centre is a terrific opportunity to renew the town, put Stevenage back on the map and work in partnership with the private sector. The town centre has become tired and doesn’t attract much footfall from beyond Stevenage itself. There is a need to create a better retail circuit and pedestrian flow and integrate the town centre with the beautiful planning of the rest of the town where public and green space coheres with neighbourhoods and civic amenities.

The private sector partners, Stanhope and ING, for the project could not be better chosen and have pedigree in bold, enlightened and sensitive developments. They have engaged with and understand the fabric of Stevenage and the values that make it tick, and created a big plan for the town centre – much bolder than that originally envisaged by the council, apt given  the pioneering spirit under which the town was originally built. This will make it commercially more viable and integrate retail space with housing. It marks a step change on from the original new town model where there was a town centre for shopping, neighbourhoods for living, working spaces for working and each were segmented.

In informing the process Stanhope has looked to good practice in Europe, most especially in Holland, of open space retail centres. Creating a regenerated town centre will include 500,000 sq m of retail space over two levels, and 1,100 private sector housing units, alongside community facilities including a new Museum. A key priority will be the attraction of a department and anchor store as founding tenants, much longed for in Stevenage by local shoppers. The new retail circuit will enable the town centre to link to the rest of the town more elegantly, making it more enjoyable for people to come to and will integrate the two transport functions of buses and rail. Crucially, it will build on a sense of pride in the town centre, fundamental to the Labour leadership’s vision for Stevenage.

The example and achievements of Stevenage are pertinent at a time when the very idea of a town or city has become blurred and the challenges of housing provision and the creation of new communities within the four designated Growth Areas are enthusing and vexing politicians, policy makers and private sector partners in equal measure. How can we use the example of places like Stevenage to create new settlements where a high priority is accorded and sustained based on Labour values of community, mutuality and opportunity?

Stevenage is a place where the founding ideals and subsequent longevity of Labour leadership has combined to create a place that reflects Labour values. Achieving this elsewhere, especially where development may need to be accelerated on account of need, and when the imperative of taking account of multiple communities and interests, be they ethnic, social, commercial, political or faith related in Modern Britain is complex. It is probably fair to say that a Labour place cannot be assumed as a result of the combination of enlightened urban planning and political leadership combining strong vision, values and practical application.

However, the example of Stevenage shows that it is possible.  And that it takes time. 

The origin of the word Stevenage, ‘place at the strong oak’ is a good analogy with which to conclude this essay. An oak tree is a hardwood and symbol of endurance representing height, age and strength. There is a proverb that says ‘every majestic oak tree was once a nut who stood his ground.’ This goes to the heart of our challenge.

We believe that fundamental Labour values should and can inspire. This applies to the tiniest constancy through to far-reaching strategic initiatives and visioning. When combined with and practised over time– by the strength of our common endeavour - and stated with clarity and confidence, they can serve to bring about the formation of the communities and kinds of places we believe in, where opportunities and daily life is the very best it can be for people of all classes and backgrounds.

Cllr Sharon Taylor is Leader of Stevenage Borough Council. Naomi Russell is the Director and founder of a small management consultancy specialising in work with the creative, cultural and heritage sectors. A former Labour Councillor in Hackney, between 1995-1997 she worked for Rt Hon Keith Hill MP.

With thanks to Brian Hall and Charles Walford for their input and insights.