A new report by Power to Change calls on funders, social investors and government to address the challenges facing community businesses in accessing the right finance to start up, grow and scale their businesses.
All high streets
Access to affordable, flexible and accessible finance is essential to helping community businesses achieve their ambitions. Our latest report shows how we can unlock this funding so communities can create an economy fit for the future.
Power to Change has a renewed purpose and ambitions. With it, we’re shaping the conditions for community business to thrive.
The Labour Party has recently published its plan to save the high street. But what’s missing, and how can Labour drive a community powered revolution on our high streets?
Labour has begun to set out a new vision for our high streets. Power to Change has the tested ideas to enable communities to take charge of high street regeneration.
Last week Labour announced their answer to the levelling up agenda. What role can community business play in powering up Britain?
Our high streets and town centres have faced significant decline in recent years, but a new community-led ...
Power to Change visits some of the brilliant community businesses and social enterprises driving change in their communities in Liverpool and the Wirral.
Local communities often have amazing ideas for town centre buildings, but struggle to get affordable, secure access. Here are some practical steps and free templates for reviving vacant buildings in partnership with asset owners.
There's a growing movement to fix the town centre property system, and transform how communities access space. Introducing Platform Places...
When it comes to regenerating our town centres, Community Improvement Districts aim to amplify the voices of community led organisations and residents, bringing them into partnership with businesses, councils and property owners, says Chris Neath.
A new report on 'levelling up' from Power to Change reveals that some progress has been made for communities, but there is little impact being made, leading to public pessimism.
High street regeneration is a complex picture, but Back on the Map in Sunderland are piloting a Community Improvement District - convening a broad and inclusive local partnership to ensure regeneration efforts succeed.
Community businesses need more certainty and support from government to make it through this period of crisis.
One way of doing this is through enabling community ownership, which will support the sector to continue playing its crucial role in strengthening communities and revitalising our high streets.
Stoke-on-Trent South MP and councillors met with Power to Change and high street community businesses supporting local people through the cost-of-living crisis.
British politics is currently full of surprises. What does all this change mean for communities, and how can politicians look to support the communities agenda?
This week’s Conservative Conference in Birmingham was full of drama. Amongst all that, conversations around the future of levelling up and tackling the decline of our high streets showed that supporting communities still remains top of many MPs' agendas. What remains to be seen is whether this view is held by those now at the top of the party.
This week’s Labour Party Conference in Liverpool featured a buoyant party confidently setting out its progressive agenda. Where do communities fit in this, and how will community power and investment feature in a Labour government?
No matter your age, there is often a ‘back to school’ vibe to the start of September, perhaps even more so this year as the new Prime Minister – Liz Truss – enters Number 10.
A new report from the Centre for Regional Economic and Social Research at Sheffield Hallam University and Power to Change has shone a light on the need and opportunity for supporting communities to save ailing high streets and support the levelling up agenda.
Community businesses could succeed in revitalising Britain’s high streets – with the right support. New research by the Centre for Regional Economic and Social Research at Sheffield Hallam University explores how.
The second tranche of Community Improvement District pilots have been announced as part of a pioneering new initiative.
A new programme by Power to Change and the British Academy will help to better understand how social infrastructure approaches can contribute to the government’s levelling up agenda.
Power to Change’s Ailbhe McNabola responds to the Queen’s Speech 2022 and what the proposed Bills mean for communities.
Power to Change’s Nick Plumb is appointed to government task force tackling high street decline.
Power to Change’s Nick Plumb outlines why community ownership on the high street is essential to their survival.
New report reveals a decade of accelerating shop closures and calls for a new fund to help local people secure property on the high street.
Power to Change’s Nick Plumb outlines the four things he’ll be looking out for in the Levelling Up White Paper when it publishes in the coming weeks
Nick Plumb reveals the two London high streets named England’s first community improvement districts in a bid to revive the UK’s struggling town centres.
Power to Change responds to the House of Commons Levelling Up, Housing and Communities Committee's high streets report.
It's been an eventful few days at the Labour Party conference. In the second of his conference diaries, Nick Plumb reflects on Labour's bold spending pledges for greening the economy and its solution to our struggling high streets.
22 high street leaders including property developers, investors and national government bodies, join forces to launch a new town centre property innovation programme.
High Street Tracker to test impact of social infrastructure on economic resilience.
Today, community business champions Power to Change and Co-operatives UK, supported by the Mayor of London, launched a new funding pilot designed to boost the capital’s high streets and civic centres.
The Covid-19 pandemic has pushed many UK businesses deep into financial crisis, but not all have suffered equally. In fact, the pandemic has produced some unlikely winners in the retail sector.
Our aims to put community at the heart of town centres, by Policy Manager, Nick Plumb.
Local community access and ownership of key buildings on the UK’s thousands of high streets could be pivotal to their future survival according to a new report commissioned by independent trust Power to Change.
Our Policy Manager, Tom Hamilton Shaw, reacts to the Grimsey review
Vidhya Alakeson writes about the future of high streets post-lockdown for the Financial Times