Four Viewpoints of Whole Area Public Partnerships

Total Place was a policy initiative introduced in the final year of the UK New Labour government to pilot whole area public partnership working. Whilst the title ‘Total Place’ did not survive the change of government in 2010, the underpinning desire to achieve greater efficiency and effectiveness in public spending will remain central to government policy, particularly in a time of economic retrenchment. This paper argues that the success or failure of such policy interventions substantially depends on the way they are understood by local actors. It explores how Total Place was viewed in one of the pilot areas. Utilising Q methodology, four main viewpoints emerge with striking patterns of shared, ambiguous and divergent discourses, particularly about partnership working, financial management and citizen empowerment. The paper concludes that for the successful implementation of a complex policy initiative such as Total Place, it will be as important to surface and discuss issues where people disagree, as to reinforce views which are commonly held and understood.