Tag: Community Power

Local authorities are indispensable in our current crisis and are therefore under enormous pressure. They manage the public services that people are increasingly reliant on, support the most vulnerable people […]

3rd April, 2020

Community Power • Councils Respond • Covid-19 • Public Services

27th March, 2020

Community Power • Councils Respond • Covid-19 • Public Services

A deep global slowdown is a gift to the authoritarians. Adam Lent argues democrats need to unite around a vision of politically empowered communities to see them off. @adamjlent According […]

24th March, 2020

Community Power • Covid-19 • Democracy

Built in the 1930s, the Grade II-listed Bryne Avenue Baths had fallen into a state of disrepair when the council made plans to knock the building down. That was until […]

10th March, 2020

Community Power • Powerful Communities

Women do the vast majority of unpaid care, and are often at the heart of community work. But can community empowerment help create a more egalitarian approach to paid and […]

9th March, 2020

Community Power • Employment • Health and social care • Women

Simon Kaye explores the legacy of Elinor Ostrom, the first female Noble-prize-winning economist, who proved that communities can successfully take charge of the assets around them. It’s work that should […]

8th March, 2020

Community Power • Economy and business • Ostrom • Public Services

Kajal Odera ran campaigns for Youth Parliament, Crisis and Macmillan before joining Change.org – an online petition website with over 240 million users worldwide. She became the UK Executive Director […]

6th March, 2020

Community Power • Interview • Powerful Communities

We meet Alison Haskins, who taught sewing in Lesotho before helping to revitalise a community in a diverse area of Yorkshire.

27th February, 2020

Community Power • Interview • Powerful Communities • Public Sector Voices

As part of their partnership with our Stronger Things event, Tim Pitts from digital technology provider Agilisys explores the potential of technology, data and creative thinking for local government. Local […]

27th February, 2020

Community Power • Public Services • Technology

In July 2010, during his honeymoon period as Prime Minister, David Cameron unveiled what he called his “great passion” – the Big Society agenda. Built around principles of localism, volunteerism, […]

26th February, 2020

Community Power • Conservatives • Public Services

Head of Communications Katy Oglethorpe responds to the Centre for Local Economic Strategies’ critique of the Community Paradigm , by arguing that communities – working in partnership with government – […]

24th February, 2020

Community Power • Powerful Communities • Public Services

Get to know Hannah Sloggett who revitalised an area of Plymouth through Nudge Community Builders, starting with a street party and going on to turn an empty pub into housing for single parents.

20th February, 2020

Community Power • Interview • Public Sector Voices

With the new government committed to building ‘places we want to live in’ by giving communities more say on development, and the upcoming NLGN conference in March looking at how […]

18th February, 2020

Behavioural Insights • Community Power • Public Services

On 14 February, Camden Council is celebrating Valentine’s Day in a rather disruptive way. 130 people from across the country and from a range of organisations are coming together in […]

14th February, 2020

Community Power • Place building • Public Services

Millions of people in communities across the country find it difficult, or even impossible, to work because of the impact of a disability or long-term health condition. These disabilities and […]

7th February, 2020

Community Power • Disabilities • Employment • Public Services

If any main theme has emerged in the Labour Party’s leadership contest so far, it is community empowerment. Almost all the candidates have at least mentioned the importance of decentralisation […]

24th January, 2020

Community Power • Labour

Adam Lent argues that our intensifying climate crisis requires a political, economic and cultural revolution rooted in the empowerment of communities. @adamjlent We enter this new decade in the grip […]

20th January, 2020

Climate change • Community Power • Environment • Public Services

So, the new decade begins with Australia literally on fire. Unsurprisingly, many of us are feeling the moral imperative for climate action more strongly than ever, and yet a glance […]

6th January, 2020

Climate change • Community Power • Environment

Exploring how to manage demand using insights from behavioural science.

13th December, 2019

Behavioural Insights • Community Power • Impact • Innovation Insights • Members • Strategy and leadership

In theory, a Conservative government with a very strong mandate should prove a tasty prospect for the local government sector. The party’s manifesto commits the government to a devolution white […]

13th December, 2019

Community Power • Conservatives • Democracy • Public Services

How to overcome common challenges and think strategically when implementing climate change policy.

4th December, 2019

Climate change • Community engagement • Community Power • Innovation Insights • Members • Narrative building • Strategy and leadership

Exploring the importance of prototyping in developing an innovation.

28th November, 2019

Community Power • Design • Impact • Innovation • Innovation In-depth • Members • Strategy and leadership

With this Community Paradigm front and centre in our minds, here’s our take on the highlights from each party’s manifesto and what these say about their vision for local government and communities.

27th November, 2019

Community Power • Democracy • Politics

In response to the debate about a Community Power Act, Adam Lent argues that culture change is vital but alone it is not enough to transform a highly centralised, resistant system.

26th November, 2019

Community Power • Democracy • Public Services

NLGN is working to empower communities in this bid to take back control with our overarching Community Paradigm agenda, and our latest project is an investigation into the research and insights of Elinor Ostrom.

15th November, 2019

Community Power • Economy and business • Ostrom

Donna Hall CBE discusses leadership, the Wigan Deal, and what drew her towards NLGN and its vision of a world where communities hold the power.

11th November, 2019

Community Power • New Local Board • Strategy and leadership • Video

NLGN's Director makes the case for a new law that would shift power from public institutions and into the hands of citizens.

11th November, 2019

Community Power • Democracy • Governance • Politics

How does the design of the places we live, work and play shape our health and sense of belonging?

29th October, 2019

Community Power • Design • Housing • Impact • Innovation In-depth • Members • Place building • Transport

Looking at data, culture, and other challenges to adopting preventative approaches.

20th September, 2019

Community engagement • Community Power • Culture • Data • Members • Partnerships

A summary of the main ideas and lessons that emerged from the day’s discussions

20th September, 2019

Budgeting • Commissioning and Procurement • Community Power • Impact • Local government finance • Members

The number of children in care has never been so high, rising by 4% over the last year alone and by 2025, the funding gap for children’s services is expected […]

11th September, 2019

Childrens' Services • Community Power • Public Services

This report makes a case for a future of children’s services that is led by children and families. It argues that to ensure the future sustainability of children’s services, we need to start in the community – to grow...

9th September, 2019

Childrens' Services • Community Power

The number of looked after children has reached a thirty-year high, with spending in this area accounting for over half of spending on children’s services in 2018-19. Despite the injection […]

9th September, 2019

Childrens' Services • Community Power • Public Services

Last week’s Spending Review announcement provided something of a proverbial crutch for children’s services, but offered few reassurances for the medium to long-term sustainability of what many see as the […]

9th September, 2019

Childrens' Services • Community Power • Public Services

Support the community commissioning agenda and transform the way local authorities interact with communities For almost a decade, local authorities have struggled to manage increasing demand for public services whilst […]

13th August, 2019

Community Power • Economy and business

Since publishing The Community Paradigm in February, a question I get asked more than any other is what community-led services look like in practice. Clearly, there is a hunger out […]

10th July, 2019

Community Power • Devolution • Strategy and leadership

A new vision for public services in which communities are placed at the heart of delivery was set out in NLGN’s report The Community Paradigm, published in February this year. […]

9th July, 2019

Community Power • Public Services

What is the point of public service inspectorates like Ofsted and the Care Quality Commission? The standard line is that they are there to make sure public sector bodies offer […]

9th July, 2019

Community Power • Devolution • Devolution and reorganisation

This report makes a convincing case for why the process needs to be led by citizens and service users not public sector professionals. Importantly, it also explains in detail how this shift is happening in practice.

8th July, 2019

Commissioning and Procurement • Community Power • Powerful Communities • Public Services

In February of this year NLGN set out a compelling new vision for public services in The Community Paradigm The report argued that for a preventative approach to public service […]

8th July, 2019

Commissioning and Procurement • Community Power • Public Services

Two weeks ago, after months of hard work, we opened the doors to a brand-new cultural hub in the centre of Wigan. The hub is situated in one of our […]

30th May, 2019

Community Power • Strategy and leadership • Wigan

The plight of children’s services is a well-documented one, and it is in some ways a relief to see that organisations such as the Local Government Association are now listing […]

1st May, 2019

Childrens' Services • Community Power • Public Services

“All adults should always do what is best for you.” – Article 3 of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, child-friendly version (1989) On the thirtieth anniversary […]

28th April, 2019

Childrens' Services • Community Power

Nationalise or privatise? That has been a classic dividing line for politicians ever since Margaret Thatcher made the latter a core part of her platform in the 1980s. And even […]

27th March, 2019

Community Power • Democracy • Political Systems • Public Services

Created in 2012 following riots in our inner cities, the Government’s Troubled Families Programme has received praise and criticism in equal measure over the last seven years. Created by the […]

19th March, 2019

Community Power • Public Services • Research Reports

“Thanks for this short bright moment in a very gloomy world” – Silver Sunday guest Last week when I opened the NLGN Annual Conference, I cited “Silver Sunday” as an […]

15th March, 2019

Community Power • Participation and co-production • Public Services

Exploring how councils are working to tackle loneliness.

14th March, 2019

Community Power • Health and social care • Innovation In-depth • Members • Mental health • Wellbeing

‘@adamjlent Two things make Big Picture schools fundamentally different from conventional schools. One is the extent to which students are able to shape their own curriculum and learning journey. The […]

27th February, 2019

Community Power • Democracy • Public Services

A new approach to public services is gradually emerging on the front-line. Many innovations coming from local government, the health sector, education and social enterprises are flourishing independently of each […]

25th February, 2019

Community Power • Public Services

While the Westminster Bubble obsesses over the daily drama of haggling and brinksmanship over the shape of EU withdrawal, the NLGN Leadership Index reveals new insight into what is actually […]

29th January, 2019

Brexit • Community Power • Resilience