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Our latest blogs, long-reads, videos and podcasts about all-things community power, local government, public services, and more.
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Community Calling – People want more influence, and policy makers need better local intelligence
At a time when debates are polarised, politics feels stale, and the country is looking for answers to big challenges, it is clearer than ever that we need to...
4th August, 2022
Why the NHS urgently needs to turn to the community – and how to do it
Jessica Studdert on a new way of treating healthcare: one that puts communities – and therefore prevention – first.
12th July, 2022
Community engagement • Community Paradigm • Community Power • Health and social care
What is Community Power? FAQs, answered
Community power is growing as idea and a movement. But what does it mean in practice? What are its implications for policy? And what's next for this new paradigm?...
28th June, 2022
Identity issues: How two councils rewrote their narratives
How does a council rebrand its place, building a story and narrative that helps it to thrive? We explore how it was done in York and Hackney.
19th May, 2022
Council Voices • Innovation • Local government • Narrative building
How We Did It: transferring assets to communities
In our latest How We Did It event, we spoke to Zoe Sharratt of Gateshead Council. They've passed around 45 buildings and spaces to communities.
18th May, 2022
5 challenges of evaluating place-based change
How can we measure long-term change in an area? Lily O’Flynn shares tools and advice for evaluating place-based change.
By Lily O’Flynn, Senior Project Manager for Place Based Evaluations, Renaisi
16th May, 2022
Monitoring and Evaluation • Place building • Public Services • Strategy and leadership
New polling: Public back community-powered solutions to national crises
Our new polling finds widespread public support for the idea of community power - including to tackle the cost of living crisis.
9th May, 2022
“I’d like them for all my patients”: The community members transforming a GP practice
Meet the UK's first Community Heath Workers, local people attached to a GP's surgery who check-in on the health of the neighbours. And who are already showing a different...
25th April, 2022
The Shared Prosperity Fund: Where’s the imagination? Where’s the control?
The new Shared Properity Fund promised a lot - slashing bureaucracy, giving local control, creating wealth. So why does it so closely replicate dumped EU funding? Joe Sarling finds...
14th April, 2022
Central government • Finance • Levelling Up • Local government finance
Top quotes from Stronger Things
A round-up of some of the most notable take-aways from New Local’s festival of community power.
13th April, 2022
Community Voices • Events • Politics • Strategy and leadership • Stronger Things
“There’s not enough community power within ICSs” Donna Hall on NHS reforms
The NHS is embarking on the biggest reforms of a generation - creating an integrated system that should usher in joined-up care and improved outcomes for patients. As new...
By Donna Hall, New Local & Bolton NHS Trust
12th April, 2022
Creating better health starts with admitting what we just don’t know
Structural reform can only go so far. Claire Kennedy looks at why effective population health management means accepting that we don’t know exactly what that means – and working...
By Claire Kennedy, Managing Partner, PPL & Vice Chair, New Local
11th April, 2022
Health and social care • Leadership • Public Health • Public Services
“With really empowered communities, pride follows.” Angela Rayner speech at Stronger Things
The full text of the speech delivered by Angela Rayner at New Local's Stronger Things 2022 at the Guildhall, London on 29 March.
By Angela Rayner
4th April, 2022
“If we don’t involve our people, then what’s the point?” The community-powered mayor.
Adam Lent interviews Rokhsana Fiaz, Mayor of Newham, on how a community power approach shapes the council’s work and her politics.
28th March, 2022
Community engagement • Community Voices • Leadership • Local government • Stronger Things
Putting communities at the heart of place – why a shared vision isn’t enough
5 lessons from 15 years of supporting better outcomes by developing effective place-based partnerships.
By Simon Morioka, PPL
25th March, 2022
Health and social care • Participation and co-production • Place building • Public Services • Stronger Things
Community power: sounds great, but how do we do this?
We spoke to TPXimpact’s Claire Hazelgrove about the importance of giving everyone a voice in change and the practical tips to help the public sector embrace community power.
21st March, 2022
Community engagement • Community Voices • Democracy • Events • Stronger Things
How culture change equips councils for better community engagement
CitizenLab share their top tips for community engagement and explain the value of a dedicated digital engagement team.
By Vanja Pantic, CitizenLab
17th March, 2022
Community Cohesion • Events • Local government • Participation and co-production • Public Services • Stronger Things
Doing Community Power – interviewing the people making it happen
We spoke to some of the leaders speaking on the ‘Doing Community Power’ panel at our Stronger Things event about their big ideas, overcoming doubters, and what they wish...
1st March, 2022
Community Power • Community Voices • Design • Stronger Things
How we did it: The first citizens’ assembly on hate crime
Interview with Waltham Forest's Laura Butterworth on lessons learnt from hosting a citizens' assembly.
28th February, 2022
Citizens Assemblies • Council Voices • Crime and justice • Events • Local government
The Permanent Crisis is Here. The State Must Rapidly Adapt.
In this crisis-ridden era, Adam Lent argues that a bigger state is needed but it must be a fundamentally different, community powered state.
23rd February, 2022
Climate change • Community Power Campaign • Covid-19 • Politics
When it comes to health, it’s all about that place
The government’s new health white paper sets out steps towards what ‘joined-up care’ will really mean, finally recognising the centrality of place. Claire Kennedy finds much to celebrate, as...
By Claire Kennedy, Managing Director and co-founder, PPL and Vice Chair, New Local
16th February, 2022
Building back better from the pandemic starts with community power
A year on from our report about community responses to the first lockdown, some local authorities have made great progress at working with community groups but others still struggle...
10th February, 2022
Community Power • Covid-19 • Local government • Research Reports • Third sector and civil society
A White Paper fit for Groundhog Day
Have we been here before? Jessica Studdert on the Levelling Up white paper, and how laudable ambitions have amounted to a familiar dearth of real powers or policy coherence...
2nd February, 2022
Devolution • Devolution and reorganisation • Levelling Up • Local government • Politics
Devolution: What’s new in the Levelling Up White Paper?
Charlotte Morgan gives a rapid response to the Government's Levelling Up white paper - and what it really says about devolution.
2nd February, 2022
Hear This: Three questions to help build a listening culture
Grace Pollard explores how organisations can ask themselves: How are we listening? Who are we listening to? And does our listening lead to action?
31st January, 2022
Community engagement • Community Power • Culture • Democracy • Local government
Why you should be at Stronger Things 2022
Take a moment to reflect and learn, recharge and connect, and reboot the way you work at the community power event of the year.
28th January, 2022
We should rip welfare policy out of the hands of a failing Westminster
Today’s announcement on Universal Credit is one more example of welfare policy set to serve the interests of the politically powerful rather than the unemployed and the economy.
27th January, 2022
Devolution • Employment • Local government • Politics • Welfare
Funding Cohesion with the Hopeful Towns Bid-Builder
Chris Clarke of HOPE Not Hate introduces a new tool to help councils find and secure funds for community cohesion projects.
By Chris Clarke, Policy Researcher at HOPE Not hate
24th January, 2022
Charities • Community Cohesion • Local government • Local government finance
Why councils should back the new call for a community power act
A new campaign seeks support for a route to decentralisation that is more meaningful and radical than the government’s, writes Adam Lent
17th January, 2022
Community engagement • Community Power • Community Power Campaign • Devolution
Avoiding the pitfalls of community power – 3 tips for councils
Sheffield University’s Dr Matthew Wood shares three tips for councils aspiring to bring communities into decision making.
By Dr Matthew Wood
5th January, 2022
Dear Michael Gove, here’s what real devolution looks like
Following the leak of Gove’s devolution plans, Adam Lent explores the difference between a devolution designed to empower communities and places and one that is stuck in an outdated...
14th December, 2021
Central government • Community Power • Devolution • Devolution and reorganisation • Politics
Why the left should back community power
Luca Tiratelli responds to the view that community power can be a way of cutting public services.
10th December, 2021
Community Power • Economy and business • Local government finance • Politics
How to design relationship-centred services
The Relationship Project's David Robinson shares a framework for making relationships essential to public services, not a 'nice to have'.
By David Robinson
8th December, 2021
Health and social care • Leadership • Public Services • Strategy and leadership
MPs and Councillors have nothing to fear from Community Power
Some elected representatives find community power objectionable. Adam Lent explains why their concerns say more about the failings of the current system than about a community powered alternative.
6th December, 2021
Political reset: Why it’s high time for a Community Power Act
Following the launch of the We’re Right Here campaign, Adam Lent explains why we’ve joined the drive to enshrine the rights of communities in law.
30th November, 2021
Community Power • Community Power Campaign • Community Voices • Devolution • Politics
No Kate Bingham, science won’t solve our government’s problems
A new breed of libertarianism argues that more scientific and data expertise are the only solutions to our democracy’s woes. Adam Lent counters that Westminster’s troubles originate in a...
25th November, 2021
4 steps for building a community-led high street
Vidhya Alakeson looks at how to create social, not just commercial town centre spaces.
By Vidhya Alakeson
25th November, 2021
How community power helps us find common ground on climate change and housing
Listening to communities can unlock co-benefits.
22nd November, 2021
Climate change • Community Power • Housing • Research Reports
The current NHS crisis is the result of repeated failures to overturn a broken model of healthcare
More short-term fixes will only lead to further crisis. It's time for leadership to change the narrative.
18th November, 2021
Building better: Three principles for community-powered housing
We're building under half of the new homes we need, while millions live in unsuitable and overcrowded accommodation. What if involving communities in planning could succeed where decades of...
17th November, 2021
How to take more risks – 9 practical tips
James Arrowsmith of Browne Jacobson shares his insights on how to overcome the fear of risk in your organisation.
By James Arrowsmith
15th November, 2021
This week shows only ground-up pressure will change an inert and dysfunctional Westminster
Holding onto second jobs and central power - Westminster is unable to change itself from within.
12th November, 2021
Community Power Campaign • Devolution • Devolution and reorganisation • Political Systems • Politics
How can councils help shape stories of place?
Bonnie Hewson explores how co-production can help rebuild trust between councils and communities.
By Bonnie Hewson, Power to Change
10th November, 2021
Community Cohesion • Community engagement • Council Voices • Local government • Local government reform
Climate Change: Why the local is the missing piece of our response
How do we blast through the inertia currently gripping British climate policy making?
8th November, 2021
6 principles for developing a story of council and place
Stories aren’t a distraction from action but rather a way to nurture and inspire it.
3rd November, 2021
Community Cohesion • Community engagement • Council Voices • Local government
How to become more community powered – 3 starting points
Introducing our new project on the ‘how’ of community power and our initial findings.
2nd November, 2021
Community Power • Local government • Local government reform • Research Reports
“Genuine reform is needed now”: Prof Donna Hall and Anna Severwright on fixing our broken social care
Anna and Donna discuss why we need to move beyond debating funding to creating a people-centred system.
1st November, 2021
5 reasons the Spending Review wasn’t good news for local government
Looking more closely at the detail beneath the positive Budget headlines.
28th October, 2021
Finance • Local government • Local government finance • Policy • Politics
Out of COP and into communities: why the Government needs to make room for local climate action
Jessica Studdert explains how disadvantaged communities can play a part in the fight against climate change - if they are given the power they need.
26th October, 2021
Climate change • Devolution • Economy and business • Local government
Can better data lead to better decisions for local councils?
Mark Green, from the award-winning Local Data Spaces project, looks at how to improve data sharing to increase impact in your area.
By Dr Mark Green
25th October, 2021
Data • Local government • Local government finance • Public Services