{"id":29248,"date":"2021-12-03T13:02:50","date_gmt":"2021-12-03T13:02:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.powertochange.org.uk\/?p=29248"},"modified":"2022-02-08T15:21:52","modified_gmt":"2022-02-08T15:21:52","slug":"why-power-to-change-is-supporting-were-right-here-the-campaign-for-community-power","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.powertochange.org.uk\/news\/why-power-to-change-is-supporting-were-right-here-the-campaign-for-community-power\/","title":{"rendered":"Why we are supporting We\u2019re Right Here, the campaign for community power"},"content":{"rendered":"

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by Vidhya Alakeson, CEO of Power to Change<\/strong><\/p>\n

The pandemic has woken us up to the power of community. We saw communities pull together in moments of crisis to get through, stay connected, and begin to bounce back.<\/p>\n

We know this proactive response by local people to their communities\u2019 needs isn\u2019t new. People have always been there, working together to support one another, create good local jobs and improve where they live. In doing so they tackle the biggest challenges of the day \u2013 whether that\u2019s loneliness or mistrust, the climate crisis or local decline. What is clear is that when communities step up, they make a difference.<\/p>\n

Through the work we do at Power to Change to support community businesses across England, we see the potential of communities every single day. We also know that too often communities face an uphill struggle. Pots of funding are available but accessing them can be complicated and hard to navigate and rights that communities can theoretically exercise to make changes in their local area are, in actual fact, almost impossible to use.<\/p>\n

Too often the places impacted by initiatives, investment and programmes are often the last consideration. This is because power is too remote; decisions are made behind closed doors far away from the people affected by them. Research from Power to Change and the Cares Family<\/a>, found that 71% of people in the UK felt they lacked control over the important decisions that affect their neighbourhood and local community. We need a new approach. We need to put power and control in the hands of our communities.<\/p>\n

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That is why we are supporting We\u2019re Right Here, the campaign for community power. Led by community leaders and backed by national organisations like Power to Change, we are calling for Parliament to pass a Community Power Act. This legislation would fundamentally change where power lies in our country by:<\/p>\n

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