{"id":27076,"date":"2021-10-05T08:30:30","date_gmt":"2021-10-05T07:30:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.powertochange.org.uk\/news\/government-must-abandon-its-centralised-westminster-led-approach-to-levelling-up-or-risk-failure-from-outset-new-report-copy\/"},"modified":"2021-10-21T09:53:58","modified_gmt":"2021-10-21T08:53:58","slug":"building-social-infrastructure","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.powertochange.org.uk\/news\/building-social-infrastructure\/","title":{"rendered":"Older voters sceptical of Government&#8217;s levelling up agenda"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>[et_pb_section fb_built=&#8221;1&#8243; _builder_version=&#8221;4.10.7&#8243; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221;][et_pb_row _builder_version=&#8221;4.10.7&#8243; background_size=&#8221;initial&#8221; background_position=&#8221;top_left&#8221; background_repeat=&#8221;repeat&#8221; width=&#8221;100%&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221;][et_pb_column type=&#8221;4_4&#8243; _builder_version=&#8221;3.25&#8243; custom_padding=&#8221;|||&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221; custom_padding__hover=&#8221;|||&#8221;][et_pb_text _builder_version=&#8221;4.10.7&#8243; background_size=&#8221;initial&#8221; background_position=&#8221;top_left&#8221; background_repeat=&#8221;repeat&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221;]<strong>The new polling by Opinium reveals that over 55s are least likely to say that levelling up will have a positive impact.<\/strong> <strong>45% say that it won\u2019t compared to only 16% who say that it will.<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Less than a quarter of us believe levelling up will positively impact our areas<\/li>\n<li>Over 55s are the least likely to believe that levelling up will benefit their community, while 18-34-year-olds are the most optimistic<\/li>\n<li>71% of us say we have \u2018no\u2019 or \u2018not much\u2019 control over important decisions that affect our neighbourhoods and local communities<\/li>\n<li>Giving communities greater say over how levelling up funding is spent in their area could be the key to boosting its appeal.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>As the Conservative Party gathers in Manchester for its annual conference, ministers may find these statistics particularly alarming given the central role older voters played in securing the government\u2019s success at the most recent general election, particularly in \u2018Red Wall\u2019 seats.<\/p>\n<p>Young people are the only age group who are on balance more likely to say that levelling up will have a positive impact in their local area, with 35% of 18-34-year-olds saying that it will and 32% saying that it won\u2019t.<br \/>\n[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_image src=&#8221;https:\/\/www.powertochange.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/61-sf-sycf-day-one.jpg&#8221; title_text=&#8221;South Yorkshire Community Foundation (SYCF)&#8221; _builder_version=&#8221;4.10.7&#8243; _module_preset=&#8221;default&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221;][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text _builder_version=&#8221;4.10.7&#8243; background_size=&#8221;initial&#8221; background_position=&#8221;top_left&#8221; background_repeat=&#8221;repeat&#8221; locked=&#8221;off&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221;]<\/p>\n<h3>Building our social infrastructure<\/h3>\n<p>The new polling is detailed in <strong><em>Building our social infrastructure: Why levelling up means creating a more socially connected Britain<\/em><\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>The report argues that the government could significantly boost the appeal of this policy programme by allowing local communities to make more decisions about how levelling up funding should be spent in their own areas. This is based on 63% of respondents saying that the levelling up agenda should involve giving local people more power over the decisions, services and spaces which shape the places where they live, while only 7% disagree.<\/p>\n<p>The report sets out several policy measures through which the government could support community organisations and locally rooted businesses to access levelling up funding \u2013 including a recommendation that <strong>25% of the future UK Shared Prosperity Funding should be passed directly to community-led partnerships<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>It says the government must invest in the social as well as the physical infrastructure of disadvantaged places \u2013 creating a <strong>new national commission to spur on the growth of new community institutions<\/strong> which bring people from different backgrounds and generations together to meet and mix. Power to Change and The Cares Family argue that creating more connected communities in this way will reduce regional disparities in health and wellbeing as well as boost local pride and life satisfaction.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Alex Smith, Chief Executive and Founder of The Cares Family<\/strong>, said: \u201cThe government will only succeed in levelling up our country if it breaks open the pockets of power and powerlessness which shape it. That means trusting communities with the tools and resources they require to unleash their areas\u2019 potential and investing in the community organisations and spaces which allow us to come together and strengthen the ties that bind.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>Vidhya Alakson, Chief Executive of Power to Change<\/strong>, said:\u00a0\u201cMany government regeneration initiatives have come and gone, and large swathes of the country remain relatively unchanged despite millions of pounds of investment. It\u2019s unsurprising then, that older voters are perhaps more sceptical of government\u2019s new levelling up agenda.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf levelling up is to succeed, the government must listen to the growing consensus of voices arguing for communities to be in the driving seat. Investing in social infrastructure \u2013 the places and spaces where people come together like pubs, community centres and libraries &#8211; will also be key to its success.\u201d<\/p>\n<h3><strong>Further poll findings <\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Less than a quarter of UK adults believe that the levelling up agenda will have a positive impact on their local area. Just 24% said that it would, whereas four in 10 (40%) said that it wouldn\u2019t.<\/p>\n<p>While over 55s are the least likely to believe that levelling up will benefit their community, 35-54-year-olds are also pessimistic about the agenda \u2013 41% say that it will have a positive impact in their local area and 36% say that it won\u2019t.<\/p>\n<p>The public believes communities are, at present, being given short shrift in decision-making:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>45% of UK adults say they have \u2018not much control\u2019 and 26% say they have \u2018no control\u2019 over important decisions that affect their neighbourhood and local community.<\/li>\n<li>42% say they have \u2018not much control\u2019 and 37% say they have \u2018no control\u2019 over decisions that affect the country.<\/li>\n<li>47% say that local people should have the most say over what happens in their local area, while 35% say local authorities and councillors should and 8% say politicians in Westminster should.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_button button_url=&#8221;https:\/\/www.powertochange.org.uk\/research\/building-our-social-infrastructure\/&#8221; url_new_window=&#8221;on&#8221; button_text=&#8221;View full report here&#8221; button_alignment=&#8221;center&#8221; _builder_version=&#8221;4.10.7&#8243; _module_preset=&#8221;default&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221;][\/et_pb_button][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The public, and older voters especially, are extremely sceptical about the likely impact of the government\u2019s levelling up agenda in their community.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":29,"featured_media":13151,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_et_pb_use_builder":"on","_et_pb_old_content":"<p><strong>New polling reveals 63 percent of us agree local people should have more power over their local area <\/strong><\/p><p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong>The government is unlikely to realise its levelling up ambitions unless it decentralises funding, invests in social infrastructure and puts communities in the lead, according to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.powertochange.org.uk\/research\/backing-our-neighbourhoods\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">a new report<\/a> from <strong>Power to Change<\/strong>, the trust that backs community business in England.<\/p><p><strong><em>Backing our Neighbourhoods: Making levelling up work by putting communities in the lead<\/em><\/strong> argues the government\u2019s current approach risks reinforcing inequalities and levelling up cannot succeed unless it changes the way it invests in social infrastructure \u2013 the physical spaces and community facilities which bring people together to build meaningful relationships.<\/p><p>The report comes as new polling commissioned by Power to Change from Opinium, reveals that 63 percent of us agree the government\u2019s \u2018levelling up agenda\u2019 should involve giving local people more power over the decisions, services and spaces which shape the places where they live.<\/p><p>The government has introduced three pots of money to help deliver its Levelling Up agenda - The Levelling Up Fund, the Community Renewal Fund and the Community Ownership Fund. Whilst the report welcomes the investment, it argues the funds are poorly targeted to support community organisations to deliver on their potential. It argues:<\/p><ul><li>Funding decisions should be taken closer to the places they need to support, so they can more effectively target the needs of particular communities and neighbourhoods. By doing so, there is an opportunity to harness the intensely local knowledge of community organisations and local authorities, and deliver better results for people.<\/li><li>Community organisations have struggled to access to the Levelling Up and Community Renewal Funds, which account for a significant share of the funding currently available for social infrastructure. The scale of the funds on offer, and the risks associated with investing scarce funds into competitive bidding processes, disadvantage community organisations. This represents a missed opportunity. These organisations play an important role in improving the physical fabric of places, particularly where investment is weak, which is essential to restoring pride in local communities.<\/li><li>Funds need to invest in building the capacity of communities to contribute to levelling up. The centralised, competitive approach currently in place favours those who already have the skills and capacity to respond and prioritises \u2018oven ready\u2019 projects over those that will take time to develop. This is particularly problematic because it affects those communities that need support most acutely.<\/li><\/ul><p>The report calls on greater investment in social infrastructure at the neighbourhood level to help tackle the issues facing communities:<\/p><ol><li>25 percent of the future UK Shared Prosperity Fund should pass directly to communities to create strong foundations for economic development at neighbourhood-level<\/li><li>Community ownership should be accelerated in parts of the country where it is currently weakest. By flexing its Community Ownership Fund, the Government should increase access for projects from more disadvantaged communities.<\/li><li>The next tranche of Dormant Assets should be set aside to create a Community Wealth Fund.<\/li><li>The government should move away from assessing value for money of investment in community-led social infrastructure on the basis of narrow, largely economic cost benefit ratios. Instead, it should adopt a balanced scorecard approach and invest in building the data sets to enable this more rounded approach.<\/li><li>There must be a complementary focus on local authorities. The pandemic highlighted the power of communities and local government working together in partnership in an agile way. Levelling up will depend on relinquishing a level of centralised control to unlock the power of that partnership.<\/li><\/ol><p><strong>Vidhya Alakeson, CEO of Power to Change, said: <\/strong>\u201cIf the government is serious about seizing this once in a generation opportunity to genuinely level up the country, it must avoid the mistakes of countless governments that went before. Chief among these errors is the presumption that Whitehall always knows best. Instead, government need to get behind local people and locally-rooted organisations, trusting they are best placed to understand the needs of their local communities. The potential prize is huge.<\/p><p>\u201cOur research shows that community organisations are incredibly well positioned to tackle many of the biggest challenges at the heart of levelling up \u2013 from restoring pride in place and improving local leadership to tackling imbalances in opportunity. Investing in this locally rooted social infrastructure is vital if we are to see levelling up deliver for all communities. Re-orienting the funds associated with levelling up, so that they have greater focus at the neighbourhood level, is a vital first step in unlocking this opportunity.\u201d<\/p><p>Read the full report <a href=\"https:\/\/www.powertochange.org.uk\/research\/backing-our-neighbourhoods\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">here<\/a>.<\/p><h4><strong>Case studies<\/strong><\/h4><p><strong>Bromley by Bow Centre, East London<\/strong><\/p><p>The Bromley by Bow Centre is a vibrant community organisation in the heart of East London. The Centre was founded over 35 years ago and evolved from its previous use primarily as a church. Since then, it has built a national and international reputation for its innovative approach which inspires and empowers local people to transform their lives. The organisation delivers a broad range of activities based on its understanding of the local community and delivered through a unique model that combines social entrepreneurship, the arts, learning, social support, horticulture and holistic and integrated health programmes.<\/p><p>Together these services and opportunities make up an integrated health model delivered in partnership with local GPs in the Bromley by Bow Health Partnership. Community activities and statutory health services are combined to tackle the high levels of poverty and health inequalities in the community.<\/p><p>The Bromley by Bow model has led to many national innovations and breakthrough interventions such as Healthy Living Centres, Social Prescribing, DIY Health and Public Health England\u2019s flagship embedded community research project, Unleashing Healthy Communities.<\/p><p><strong>Ethical Recruitment Agency, Grimsby <\/strong><\/p><p>Nunsthorpe is an estate in Grimsby with roughly 2,500 households, but no secondary school and just a few shops. It\u2019s in the top 3 per cent for multiple deprivation and just 49 per cent of its 16\u201374 year olds are employed. Centre4 is a community hub that has been at the heart of this estate for 26 years. It is committed to the social and economic regeneration of the area \u2013 a place that has seen centrally-developed neighbourhood regeneration schemes come and go.<\/p><p>As Covid hit, a response to the need for local people to get into good jobs was already underway at Centre4 \u2013 the establishment of an ethical recruitment agency, ERA employment (ERA). ERA is a socially responsible employment agency for North East Lincolnshire. It is community-led and provides a personalised service to help people into work, with all surpluses used to support community projects. ERA\u2019s approach starts from the needs of the person looking for work, rather than those of the business offering a job. So, if work isn\u2019t immediately available, ERA supports its members to develop the right skills for local job opportunities through training, and to gain valuable experience and build confidence through \u2018social action\u2019 jobs at local community projects.<\/p><p>During the Covid pandemic, many members of ERA, including people who had been made redundant or were furloughed, got involved in these social action jobs: activities like shopping, digital buddying, gardening and collecting prescriptions for neighbours \u2013 all the while developing their own skills and confidence, building connections in the community, and collecting \u2018points\u2019. The experience makes a useful addition to a jobseeker\u2019s CV, and the points collected can be spent with local businesses or on further training. As a result, 60 people were in temporary jobs in early 2021, 12 of whom have been offered permanent employment. Another 18 are already in permanent roles. Some of these are people who had previously been rejected when they had applied to their current employer, or were previously in retail and hospitality roles \u2013 sectors badly hit by the pandemic.<\/p><p>You can download a copy of <em>Backing our Neighbourhoods: Making levelling up work by putting communities in the lead <\/em>from our website. For more information contact Power to Change <a href=\"mailto:Natasha.Ley@powertochange.org.uk\">Natasha.Ley@powertochange.org.uk<\/a> or 07725 565890.<\/p><p><strong>-Ends- <\/strong><\/p><h4><strong>Notes to Editors <\/strong><\/h4><p><strong>About Power to Change<\/strong><\/p><p>Power to Change is the independent trust that supports community businesses in England.<\/p><p>Community businesses are locally rooted, community-led, trade for community benefit and make life better for local people. The sector owns assets worth \u00a3870m and comprises 11,300 community businesses across England who employ more than 37,000 people. (Source: Community Business Market 2020).<\/p><p>From pubs to libraries; shops to bakeries; swimming pools to solar farms; community businesses are creating great products and services, providing employment and training and transforming lives. Power to Change received an original endowment from the National Lottery Community Fund in 2015.<\/p><p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.powertochange.org.uk\/\">www.powertochange.org.uk<\/a>\u00a0 @<a href=\"http:\/\/www.twitter.com\/peoplesbiz\">peoplesbiz<\/a><\/p><p><strong>About The National Lottery Community Fund<\/strong><\/p><p>We are the largest community funder in the UK \u2013 we\u2019re proud to award money raised by National Lottery players to communities across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Since June 2004, we have made over 200,000 grants and awarded over \u00a39 billion to projects that have benefited millions of people.<\/p><p>We are passionate about funding great ideas that matter to communities and make a difference to people\u2019s lives. At the heart of everything we do is the belief that when people are in the lead, communities thrive. Thanks to the support of National Lottery players, our funding is open to everyone. We\u2019re privileged to be able to work with the smallest of local groups right up to UK-wide charities, enabling people and communities to bring their ambitions to life. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tnlcommunityfund.org.uk\/\">Tnlcommunityfund.org.uk<\/a><\/p>","_et_gb_content_width":"","inline_featured_image":false,"wds_primary_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[339],"tags":[338,371,345,350,337,343,344,349,348,347,346,368],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.powertochange.org.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27076"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.powertochange.org.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.powertochange.org.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.powertochange.org.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/29"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.powertochange.org.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=27076"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.powertochange.org.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27076\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.powertochange.org.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/13151"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.powertochange.org.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=27076"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.powertochange.org.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=27076"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.powertochange.org.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=27076"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}