Earlier this month, I had the opportunity to discuss the themes of Locality’s Community-Powered Neighbourhoods report with other community leaders and MPs in Parliament, exploring about what “community power” really looks like on the ground.
I run a community anchor organisation called Safe Regeneration in Bootle, which supports thousands of local people and helps small businesses, social enterprises and local groups to start up and grow. So, for me this wasn’t a theoretical conversation. It was about whether the government’s devolution drive will actually benefit communities like ours.
There’s a real opportunity right now. Bootle being part of the Pride in Place programme could be a real turning point – but only if it builds on what’s already here, rather than starting from scratch.
One thing everyone in the room agreed on is that organisations like ours aren’t new. We’ve been here for years, running services, managing spaces, and responding when things go wrong. During crises, we’re often the first to step up. Day to day, we’re the ones people trust.
The frustration is that too often, this role is overlooked. Community organisations are expected to fill gaps without the long-term backing to do it properly. If programmes like Pride in Place are going to succeed, that has to change. We need to be treated as partners, not just delivery arms.
There was also a lot of discussion about the wider policy landscape. Alongside the Pride in Place Programme, we’re seeing new neighbourhood governance arrangements through the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill, as well as local policy agendas like Neighbourhood Health and Get Britain Working.
That’s exciting, it shows real momentum behind the idea of neighbourhood-level change. But the message from community leaders was clear: these programmes need to join up and build on each other, not operate in silos or compete for attention locally.
Another big theme was the risk of programmes being too top-down. We’ve all seen what happens when government implements an idea for a community without really understanding it, they duplicate what’s already there, or worse, cut across it.
Communities don’t work to neat administrative boundaries, and we don’t respond well to tick-box engagement. If decisions are made far away from the people affected by them, you lose the very thing that makes local change stick.
That’s why community leadership matters so much. Not just having a seat at the table, but shaping the table itself.
In Bootle, we’ve seen what a difference that can make. Our MP, Peter Dowd, joined the Locality’s roundtable and has been genuinely engaged in making sure our Neighbourhood Board reflects the community it serves. That kind of support matters, it helps shift the balance so local voices aren’t an afterthought.
But community power also means independence. If organisations like ours are going to lead, we need to be sustainable in our own right, not reliant on short-term funding that comes and goes. The Pride in Place programme should be about building something that lasts: stronger local organisations, community-owned assets, and an economy where money stays in the area.
Because the reality is that places like Bootle have seen wave after wave of programmes over the years, and too often the underlying challenges haven’t shifted. This has to be different.
For me, the message from the roundtable was simple: the potential is there, but it will only be realised if government backs communities to lead.
That means trusting what’s already working, investing to create a long term legacy, and being willing to do things differently.
If we get that right, Pride in Place won’t just be another programme or abstract government rhetoric. It will be the start of building genuine community-powered neighbourhoods.