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Our lastest blogs, long-reads, videos and podcasts about all-things community power, local government, public services, and more.
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How we are tackling violent crime by listening to other young people
Jessica Tunks, 18 years old, shares the story of Streetbase in Waltham Forest – a project to tackle violent crime that shows the value of young people’s voices. ...
By Jessica Tunks, Streetbase Waltham Forest
15th June, 2021
Community Power • Crime and justice • London • Young people • Youth
“We have a democratic deficit in healthcare” Raj Jain on rethinking the NHS
New Local board member Raj Jain on moving beyond an "ill-health service".
By Raj Jain
8th June, 2021
Community Power • Health and social care • Health care • Public Health • Strategy and leadership
5 Routes to Community Power
What are the practical ways to make community power an everyday practice, not just a long-term ambition?
3rd June, 2021
Local Government Explained Part 2: What do councils do?
Ever wondered what your council tax was spent on, or what goes on inside a town hall? Read this explainer to find out.
27th May, 2021
Devolution and reorganisation • Explainer • Local government
How can we build ‘strong communities’?
Steve Skinner explores the features of strong communities and how local authorities can support them - from the grassroots up.
By Steve Skinner
25th May, 2021
‘Becoming the dog, not the wagging tail’: Transforming a Bristol estate
Mark Pepper was born and bred in Lawrence Weston, an historically neglected estate on the outskirts of Bristol. After one of the area’s last public spaces was closed, Mark...
24th May, 2021
Case study • Community Power • Community Voices • Podcast • Regeneration
3 Graphs that show the NHS is under threat
The NHS as we know it is increasingly unsustainable. These graphs show why - and how we need to change the way the NHS works if we want to...
20th May, 2021
What does Covid-19 mean for the inclusive growth agenda?
What's the role of inclusive growth in recovering from crisis? It's easy to see as a 'nice-to-have', but can be at the centre of helping us build back better.
18th May, 2021
Economy and business • Inclusive Growth • Research Reports • Welfare
The Narrowing Political Sphere and the Need for Community Power
Luca Tiratelli on how the Queen's Speech defines politics as something only done in Westminster, and why we need a community-first way of understanding democracy.
17th May, 2021
Political Systems • Politics • Third sector and civil society
Can community power help save our NHS?
Demand on the NHS is rising. To protect the future, the health service needs more than internal reform - it needs to reach outwards.
13th May, 2021
Community Power • Health and social care • Public Health • Public Services
‘Folks have lost half their body weight by singing. ‘ The GP doing things differently
Why do we keep sending people back to the conditions that have made them ill in the first place? This question is at the core of GP Dr Mark...
13th May, 2021
Case study • Community Power • Community Voices • Health • Health and social care • Health care • Podcast • Public Health
Citizens Assemblies: fashionable focus groups or the great hopes of democracy?
All over the world, people are coming together to make decisions on some of the major issues we're facing today. But what is the potential for real consensus vs...
11th May, 2021
Citizens Assemblies • Community engagement • Community Power • Deliberation • Democracy • Feature • Local government • Long read
Local Government Explained Part 1: Types of councils
Local government can seem complicated, but it's where local democracy happens. We start our explainer series by looking at the different types of council in England and what they...
5th May, 2021
Democracy • Devolution • Devolution and reorganisation • Explainer • Local government
Combined Choice: a new approach to community engagement
Demos’ Jon Nash on the challenges and opportunities for local authorities after the pandemic and a new approach to community engagement pioneered by Demos.
By Jon Nash, Demos
4th May, 2021
2021 Mayoral Elections – what are the parties saying about community power in England?
Voters across Great Britain will head to the polls on 6 May 2021 for important national and local elections. But what are the main contenders saying about community power?...
30th April, 2021
Devolution and reorganisation • Explainer • Political Systems • Politics
The human cost of centralisation
The pandemic has highlighted the gap between local communities and central government. Communities rose to the challenge and came together, central government scrambled to react and lost trust. Jane...
By Jane Dudman
29th April, 2021
2021 Holyrood Election – what are the parties saying about community power in Scotland?
Voters across Great Britain will head to the polls on 6 May 2021 for important national and local elections. But what are the parties saying about community power and...
28th April, 2021
Devolution and reorganisation • Explainer • Political Systems • Politics • Scotland
Beyond the Westminster Circus: Statecraft vs Politics
The latest sleaze scandal shines a light on the rot within national politics. But a more serious, community powered model of democracy is emerging at a local level, writes...
27th April, 2021
Central government • Community Power • Leadership • Political Systems • Politics • Sleaze scandal
2021 Senedd Election – what are the parties saying about community power in Wales?
Voters across Great Britain will head to the polls on 6 May 2021 for important national and local elections. But what are the parties saying about community power and...
23rd April, 2021
Devolution and reorganisation • Explainer • Political Systems • Politics
3 ways to move beyond a service provider mentality
Andy Galloway shares the 'culture hacks' that can help you put people first in your organisation, from the impact of job titles to changing what you measure.
By Andy Galloway, New Citizenship
21st April, 2021
How to guide • Strategy and leadership • Third sector and civil society
The Super League: a major loss for community-powered football
While capitalism and football have rubbed together for years, the new Super League threatens to sever football clubs from the communities that built and help sustain them, writes Luca...
19th April, 2021
Overcoming challenges to community power
FutureGov's Craig Morbey reflects on the most common challenges that councils face when trying to implement community power approaches and how to overcome them.
By Craig Morbey, FutureGov
12th April, 2021
Right to regenerate: defining success
Luca Tiratelli on why the way we define 'community' and 'underused land' will determine the success of the government's new Right to Regenerate.
8th April, 2021
Do what you can to make change happen
PPL's Claire Kennedy on why 'now' is always the best time for change, and how to get started.
By Claire Kennedy, PPL
7th April, 2021
Community spaces: central to our national renewal
The Community Ownership Fund announced in the budget is designed to help communities buy local assets. Power to Change’s Nick Plumb looks at the difference that community ownership can...
By Nick Plumb, Power to Change
23rd March, 2021
Community Power • Devolution and reorganisation • Economy and business • public spaces
Community – the strongest thing of all
We reflect on New Local's recent Stronger Things online event - a range of inspiring conversations about communities and local government making a difference.
19th March, 2021
Smart devolution is the key to Whitehall reform
Giving local government more power isn’t a zero-sum game for central government. It can help the civil service improve as well. How devolution could be the missing ingredient of...
By Dr Simon Kaye and Adam Hawksbee
17th March, 2021
Why the Treasury needs a Wellbeing Approach to Budgeting
Rishi Sunak's budget announcement raised familiar debates about how to best secure growth. But what if we were measuring the wrong kind of growth? Luca Tiratelli puts forward the...
8th March, 2021
Budgeting • Central government • Community Power • Economy and business • Wellbeing
Levelling Up? Not when the NHS gets 1%, while the City’s 1% prosper
Last week's budget has caused controversy with its low payrise for nurses. But what gained less attention was loosened rules around stock market trading - intending to bring more...
8th March, 2021
Central government • Economy and business • Finance • Financial Regulation • Levelling Up
Animation: What is Community Power?
To mark the two-year anniversary of The Community Paradigm, we’ve released a new animation explaining the big idea behind community power. And why it’s needed right now. We’ve also...
4th March, 2021
Podcast: Revisiting the Community Paradigm
In this podcast, Adam and Jess introduce a brand new preface for the Community Paradigm - reflecting on new context created by the Covid pandemic, and the increased urgency...
4th March, 2021
The Community Paradigm – Introducing a New Preface
To mark two years since the report's first publication - and to reflect the dramatic change in our national circumstances and outlook - Adam Lent and Jessica Studdert have...
4th March, 2021
Budget 2021 explained: the fund-amentals for communities
Our Budget 2021 explainer for local community funding - from the difference between the Community Renewal Fund and the Community Ownership Fund.
3rd March, 2021
Economy and business • Explainer • political economy • Strategy and leadership
Sparking the ‘alchemy’ of community power
Places are where the power of different communties can come together and come to life, write PPL's Claire Kenedy ahead of our Stronger Things 2021 event.
By Claire Kennedy, PPL
3rd March, 2021
Community Power • Devolution and reorganisation • Third sector and civil society
Why I’m Building a Youth-Powered School
Jaiden, 19, is a trustee at Rekindle School - the South Manchester-based supplementary school where everything - from the curriculum, to safeguarding, to funding, will be youth-led. Before speaking...
1st March, 2021
Community Power • Education and skills • Schools • Stronger Things • Video • Young people
“I want to dial down our nation’s toxicity” – An Interview with Ruth Ibegbuna
Ruth Ibegbuna has devoted her career to amplifying the voices and broadening the life choices of young people – particularly those from working-class, BAME and Northern backgrounds. Her current...
By Katy Oglethorpe interviews Ruth Ibegbuna
1st March, 2021
BAME Communiites • Community Power • Education and skills • Interview • Schools • Stronger Things • Young people
Proof in the power: Six benefits of putting communities in charge
Here are six ways we found community power is having a positive impact for people, communities and public services, and some of the brilliant examples that show this in...
23rd February, 2021
Community Power • Community Power The Evidence • Monitoring and Evaluation
Escaping the Community Power Evidence Paradox
Community power produces far-ranging benefits. But an ‘evidence paradox’, hard-wired into our policy-making system, is holding back its potential. As we launch our latest report, Community Power: The Evidence,...
23rd February, 2021
Community Power • Community Power The Evidence • Monitoring and Evaluation
“Covid might break the pattern of growing inequality” – An Interview with Danny Dorling
Danny Dorling is a social geographer speaking at Stronger Things 2021.
By Katy Oglethorpe interviews Danny Dorling
19th February, 2021
Community Power • Economy and business • Strategy and leadership
Young leaders want local solutions for a better welfare state
When Children England asked young people to lead their own inquiry into how to create a welfare state that’s fair for children, they focused on local community-led solutions. Chloe...
By Chloë Darlington, Children England
17th February, 2021
Crisis or not, the evidence shows that community power works
The pandemic has shown the powerful ways communities, civil society and the public sector can come together in response to local challenges. But this kind of cooperative local problem...
16th February, 2021
Community Power • Health and social care • Research Reports • Third sector and civil society
Changing the system not the person: how an asset-based approach can change lives
How do you try to solve a problem like homelessness? By working with Bridges Outcomes Partnerships, Kirklees Council focused on asking people what they wanted to achieve. How a...
By Sarah Cooke, Managing Director, Kirklees Better Outcomes Partnership
15th February, 2021
Four ways to boost local vaccine take-up
As the vaccine rollout widens, how can local services reach eligible people who remain hesitant to make an appointment? In this how-to guide, the experts from the Behavioural Insights...
By Cathy Coleman and Eva Kolker, Behavioural Insights Team
10th February, 2021
Behavioural Insights • Councils Respond • Covid-19 • Health and social care • Local government
New research: Creating cultural communities for young Londoners
Covid-19 has had a severe impact on the social, economic and mental wellbeing of young people. Through a new Listening Project, we'll explore how to build 'cultural communities' for,...
2nd February, 2021
Childrens' Services • Community Power • Covid-19 • Events • Inequality and fairness • London • Young people
The response to the Covid-19 pandemic: lessons in governance and leadership
The Covid-19 pandemic has shone a light on how the UK functions: how decisions are made and by whom; the interlocking - or isolated - roles of health care,...
By Prof Sir Chris Ham
1st February, 2021
Central government • Covid-19 • Governance • Health care • Long read • NHS • Strategy and leadership
How councils and communities ‘shifted the balance’ during Covid
Together, councils and communities did extraordinary things during Covid-19. Our Shifting the Balance research explores how practices, cultures and attitudes changed - and how to keep hold of some...
27th January, 2021
Community Power • Covid-19 • Leadership • Local government • Shifting the Balance
“I’ve never felt as close to my community” – Pembrokeshire, the pandemic & me
Neil Prior, Head of Transformation at Pembrokeshire County Council reflects on the transformation that the Covid-19 pandemic fuelled in his council - particularly in forging a closer relationship between...
27th January, 2021
Community Power • Community Voices • Council Voices • Local government • Shifting the Balance • Video
The lockdown strikes back, but local lessons give hope
Covid-19 has brought unimaginable hardship to local communites, but it has also sparked a shift in mindset, culture and practice that helped many get through the pandemic and will...
13th January, 2021
Build Back Better • Community Power • Covid-19 • Local government • Shifting the Balance • Strategy and leadership
How our new network will build hopeful, hostility-free towns
From the start of 2021, HOPE not hate Charitable Trust are starting to build a Towns Leadership Network, to improve community cohesion. The initiative is a central part of...
By Chris Clarke, Policy Researcher, HOPE not hate.
11th January, 2021
Community Cohesion • Community Power • Diversity • Immigration • Leadership • Resilience • Towns
Overheard during Covid: What the pandemic has taught us
Over six months, Pippa Coutts and her colleagues at Carnegie Trust talked to communities across the UK to gather their experience of the Covid pandemic. The resulting ‘Listening Project’...
By Pippa Coutts
9th December, 2020