Why communities should be in charge
The UKSPF is a once in a generation chance for those communities most in need of ‘levelling up’ to secure the resources they need to build their own prosperity. But it will only work if communities themselves are put in charge of it. That is because communities know the unique needs of their neighbourhood. And community organisations are concentrated in exactly the places most in need of ‘levelling up’.
The campaign has long proposed that at least a quarter of the UKSPF is controlled by neighbourhood-level partnerships between local organisations, local councils, small businesses and residents. That way the money will reach the initiatives that will really make a real difference.
In summer 2022, the government published its prospectus for the UKSPF which confirmed that local councils will be in charge of the fund. Crucially, it also insisted that ‘local partnerships’ should be established to decide how to spend the money.
As councils prepare their investment plans, we have produced a briefing for local authorities to show how they can support community organisations to play their full role in the UKSPF.