A Westminster Perspective: Lord Mawson’s View on The Opportunities the New Government Will Bring
(An abridged version of this article featured in a recent 360 Degree Society newsletter. If you’ve arrived from there and would like to continue where that left off, jump ahead to the fourth paragraph.)
Photo by Jordhan Madec
Our Chair, Lord Andrew Mawson, is a leading national voice on placemaking, social impact and social entrepreneurship, he is also the 2022 Royal Society for Arts (RSA) Albert Medal winner and a pioneer of social prescribing. We invited him to share his perspective on the key opportunities and challenges in the built environment sector, as we transition to a new government.
“At month two, it’s too early to tell whether this new government really understands the issues faced by communities, organisations and businesses up and down the country, but if they are interested in innovation and unblocking the routes to growth, then there will need to be a serious and detailed engagement with the broken siloed machinery of the state. We are optimistic from early conversations that the incoming leadership has a real desire to find practical ways to join the dots at place and deliver real outcomes for our most disadvantaged communities. Our 360 Degree Society Learning by Doing programme sits at the centre of this space.”
Reflecting on the need for a successful growth and regeneration programme, Lord Mawson highlighted the importance of stable leadership within government departments. He noted, “There is a need for continuity of leadership in government departments both politically and in the civil service so there is a serious engagement with the detail on the ground. The endless merry-go-round of changing secretaries of state of the last government needs to stop. We now need serious competent people committed to staying the course and delivering on long term strategies.”
He also emphasised the necessity of pragmatism over ideology, saying:
“Government and the civil service need to move on from a culture too dominated by ideologically driven policy-people who have never built anything, and get seriously interested in practitioners and social and business entrepreneurs who embrace complexity. Pragmatism must be the new religion.”
When discussing how to engage with communities to create integrated, healthy, and thriving places, Lord Mawson stressed the importance of focusing on individuals rather than rigid processes. He advised, “Search for, and back, individuals and people before structures and process... Experience, competence, attention to detail and hard work is what must count if the British economy is to grow.”
He also shared his personal views about the limitations of a simplistic lens on representation, particularly in the context of experience, saying, “There are already issues in the Lords about naive ideas about age. Some of the most experienced people on both sides of the political spectrum are over 80, why would you want to lose them on the back of a theory about representation and democracy? A pragmatic approach to representation and inclusion in regeneration, needs to be focussed on ensuring that we have people with the right skills in the right places and if we invest in regeneration projects which put local people and entrepreneurs at the heart of them, you will bring diverse talent to the fore”
Lord Mawson concluded with a powerful reflection on the need to rethink public service, stressing the importance of character, honesty, and experience in leadership. He stated, “We need to reinvent what public service actually means, and that has real implications for the calibre and competence of all those who would claim to represent us at every level. The individual's character, honesty, and experience now matter. It’s not about surface issues: Martin Luther King was always right in this.”
As the 360 Degree Society continues its mission to create vibrant, healthy, and sustainable places, Lord Mawson’s insights provide a crucial guide for leaders and changemakers committed to making a real difference.