Everybody needs good neighbourhoods
From a report by Local Trust
The impact of resident-led neighbourhood-based initiatives in deprived communities.
In 2022-3, Local Trust commissioned research to test a hypothesis that ‘locality working’ through neighbourhood-based initiatives (NBIs) at a very level – particularly those, like the Big Local partnerships, led by local residents themselves – have a positive impact on a local area and the people who live there.
The research found that, compared to the ‘benchmark’ areas with no evidence of neighbourhood-based working, Big Local areas and other examples of communities with neighbourhood-based initiatives exhibit:
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lower overall levels of crime
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a greater reduction in levels of anti-social behaviour
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a greater reduction in levels of criminal damage
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a better neighbourhood environment
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fewer empty homes
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stronger local social relationships (such as connections between neighbours).
These research findings have implications for local and central government policymaking, particularly given the debate over levelling up and the nature and scale of investment needed to tackle place-based inequalities, especially in the most ‘left behind’ neighbourhoods.
The research is also highly relevant given renewed interest in more preventative public services. These focus on stopping problems arising in the first place, rather than the state picking up the pieces afterwards at an increased cost. Communities have a vital role to play here. The findings suggest that, to be effective, policy should be developed through a neighbourhood lens and implemented in a way that puts
local people in the driving seat.
The research is a contribution to the evidence base on the value of investing in communities, and on the merits of neighbourhood working that puts decision making in the hands of local people.
Read the full report here.
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From a report by Local Trust, 26/03/2024