Social networks in east Cleveland: a study of powerlessness and non-participation

Abstract

This thesis is based on material gathered as part of a larger, multi-methodological study of public participation in Structure Planning in Cleveland County in the North East of England. The variations in local responses to planning policies were investigated through the use of the social networks approach, in which the interaction between individuals and sets of individuals was the main focus of the analysis. The case-study in this thesis covers an area in which there was little, if any, response to the Structure Plans. It is, therefore, primarily an explanation of non-participation. The former "ironstone mining settlements of the Skelton and Brotton area of East Cleveland are marked by declining employment opportunities, poor roads and facilities, and much old and obsolete housing. The image of dereliction, fragmentation and deprivation is reinforced by the planners' treatment of the area, both in the plans and in the way that public participation in the area was managed. Analysis of interaction in networks shows some inter- penetration of group membership, but no coherent, enduring involvement by participators from more than one village together, raising questions of cohesion and conflict. Within the context of fragmentation and competition between villages, the impact of major demolition and renovation schemes is assessed. The explanation of non-participation in a situation of clear inequality and disadvantage necessitates the use of power theory of a more radical type than that which has usually been applied to the inherently political process of planning. A theoretical frame work adequate to deal with the powerlessness of a population whose interests are adversely affected by those in power, is a modified version of Lukes' three-dimensional approach. Ideological factors such as deference can thus be related to the acquiescence found.