Since coming to power last July, the Labour government has made devolving power a core part of their agenda. At the time we warned about the real risk of devolution stopping at the sub-regional level, with more empowered Metro Mayors but no meaningful transformation at the neighbourhood level. However, the English Devolution White Paper made clear that “a new approach to communities” is a central part of the devolution story, with a commitment to legislate for a Community Right to Buy. Furthermore, the subsequent Plan for Neighbourhoods seeks to learn from the pioneering work of Locality members like Back on the Map and Safe Regeneration “to empower local people to take back control of their future” with long-term, flexible funding.
So, what’s needed to really turbocharge this agenda and put community power front and centre of the government’s emerging devolution plans?
In many areas, community organisations are already tackling some of the biggest challenges at the top of the government’s in-tray – from reversing economic decline through local enterprise to reducing hospital admissions through preventative public services. And most recently they have been instrumental in rebuilding trust and cohesion in the face of societal division.
But for too long, support for these organisations has been fragmented – short-term funding, layers of red tape and missed opportunities for deeper collaboration often restricting their ability to make the impact we know they can.
If the government wants to unlock the true potential within our communities, we need a clear, long-term, coordinated approach that sets out how it intends to empower local people to drive meaningful change.
The role of community anchor organisations
Community anchor organisations need to be at the heart of the government’s work to create thriving communities. These organisations are rooted in their community and have consistently adapted to meet evolving local needs.
Recent polling from the We’re Right Here campaign showed that almost half (43%) of the UK want the government’s top priority for devolution to be “giving community organisations a more significant role in decision making”, as opposed to improving local government structures (20%) or creating new city-level Mayors (6%).
The Independent Commission on Neighbourhoods (ICON) also recently recognised the crucial role of these organisations, calling for targeted government support in areas that need organisations like these the most. We couldn’t agree more; the government must support the development and stability of community anchor organisations across the country to serve as vehicles for community power.
What we’re calling for:
Our pre-election manifesto – Building Thriving Neighbourhoods – set out a wide range of reforms that we think can inspire a community power revolution. There are now three key areas to focus on to ensure community organisations are at the heart of the government’s emerging policy agenda:
Sustainable funding through community ownership and procurement reform
Thriving neighbourhoods require stable, long-term investment to create places and spaces for everyone, where people have access to everything they need to live the lives they choose.
However, the availability of inclusive and sustainable community spaces is significantly lower in the most disadvantaged neighbourhoods. This is why it’s essential to build on the success of the Community Ownership Fund, expanding, extending and improving it over the next spending review period. This will empower more communities to take ownership of local assets so they can drive economic growth, provide preventative public services and maintain the social fabric of their places.
Of course, public spending is constrained. So a big opportunity is to make better use of the money government spends already. The government’s recent National Procurement Policy Statement made helping local VCSE organisations secure contracts a central priority. This is a great start. As our Keep it Local work has demonstrated, large scale contracts and complex procurement processes crowd out community organisations. We’d like to see the government build on this to make ‘keeping it local’ the mainstream priority of procurement, taking community providers out of the strictures of competitive tendering and instead able to collaborate with councils to create services that really work.
Stronger powers for communities
The government’s commitment to introducing a Community Right to Buy is a step in the right direction of tackling this disempowerment, but it could be the start of a much wider community power revolution beyond asset ownership.
This is why we’re supporting the We’re Right Here campaigns call on the government to increase local people’s control over their neighbourhoods. We’d like to see new neighbourhood governance structures – Community Covenants - enabling local people in every community to be formally embedded in local decision making; and an accompanying Community Right to Shape Public Services, so people who understands the needs of the communities best, can design services they truly need.
Capacity building in disadvantaged neighbourhoods
It is vital any new powers can be exercised in an equitable way everywhere. Investing in capacity building will help ensure local groups – particularly in neighbourhoods and with communities that experience structural disadvantage – have the resources to harness their expertise and make the most of any new community rights that are introduced.
Targeted support for community ownership will be key. The community wealth fund has now been included as a “cause” that can benefit from the government’s dormant assets scheme. This fund can help build capacity in places that lack social infrastructure, strengthening community anchor organisations and their services.
The government has already committed to transforming the way it works with civil society, with a new Civil Society Covenant. The next step is to back this up with bold action.
By strengthening community organisations, we would be laying the foundations for a future where local people can truly take back control. A future where communities themselves can shape the places they’re proud to call home.