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Street Trees, the Private Finance Initiative and Participatory Regeneration: Policy Innovation or Incompatible Perspectives
Author(s) -
Whyman Philip B.
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
the political quarterly
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.373
H-Index - 37
eISSN - 1467-923X
pISSN - 0032-3179
DOI - 10.1111/1467-923x.12796
Subject(s) - private finance initiative , citizen journalism , public administration , participatory budgeting , private sector , salience (neuroscience) , public sector , finance , business , government (linguistics) , public service , service delivery framework , service (business) , economics , economic growth , political science , marketing , economy , politics , psychology , linguistics , philosophy , cognitive psychology , law , democracy
In common with other northern cities, Sheffield has experienced a dramatic reduction in funding from central government. Its response has been twofold. Firstly, to reduce the cost of service delivery, in part through augmenting or replacing public sector service provision through transfer to voluntary bodies and/or the private sector; the latter through private finance initiative (PFI) contracts. Secondly, the local authority has sought to promote economic regeneration through increased citizen involvement and participation. The problem for this combined strategy is that the two approaches have clashed over a previously underrated and overlooked area of public provision, namely the maintenance of street trees. Issues relating to the design of the contract, the economic imperative inherent within PFI contracts, initial reaction to popular protests, and reluctance to acknowledge the authority of alternative perspectives, have combined to undermine the salience of the participatory regeneration model for key sections of the local community.