[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.14.2″ hover_enabled=”0″ global_colors_info=”{}” sticky_enabled=”0″][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.14.7″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” width=”100%” max_width=”800px” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”3.25″ custom_padding=”|||” global_colors_info=”{}” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.14.7″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n
Vidhya Alakeson, CEO of Power to Change and member of the Government\u2019s High Street Task Force, says:<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cToday\u2019s report from the Levelling Up, Housing and Communities committee recognises that our town centres are vital community spaces that are too important to be lost. Action needs to be taken at all levels to support high streets as big retail continues to move out and risks leaving behind shuttered ghost towns and disconnected communities.<\/p>\n \u201cThe report quite rightly points to well-meaning but short-term and fragmented approaches to regenerating our high streets. Funding has been made available, but it risks falling short of realising its potential because accessing it is needlessly competitive and centrally controlled. The people of Hartlepool or Oldham understand the needs of their local high streets far better than a civil servant in Whitehall, for example.<\/p>\n \u201cLocal high street and town centre strategies are much needed but it is essential that these are created locally, in partnership with local business, property owners, local authorities and most importantly, the local community. The evolution of Business Improvement Districts in Scotland to include strong community voice in decisions about the high street is really beginning to make a difference. This must be an aspiration everywhere.<\/p>\n \u201cGreater community ownership and access to high street buildings is a cornerstone to reimagining our high streets and ensuring they are relevant and sustainable. From Bodmin to Hebden Bridge, Maidstone to Manchester, I\u2019ve seen first-hand how a strong community presence on the high street can bring vibrancy and long-term stability. And so I\u2019m pleased to see the challenges communities are facing accessing the Community Ownership Fund outlined in the report and recommendations to make it more accessible to community groups. The committee\u2019s call for future rounds of high streets funding to support place leadership and placemaking resources alongside capital investment is also absolutely right.<\/p>\n \u201cFinally, I\u2019m delighted to see the report calling on government to explore legislating for Community Improvement Districts (CIDs). Power to Change is currently working in partnership with the Mayor of London to establish England\u2019s first CID pilots. We stand ready to share our learning with government and the committee to inform the development of any future legislation.\u201d<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_button button_url=”https:\/\/committees.parliament.uk\/publications\/8172\/documents\/83568\/default\/” url_new_window=”on” button_text=”Read more” button_alignment=”center” _builder_version=”4.14.7″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_button][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Power to Change responds to the House of Commons Levelling Up, Housing and Communities Committee’s high streets report.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":29,"featured_media":29392,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_et_pb_use_builder":"on","_et_pb_old_content":" New polling reveals 63 percent of us agree local people should have more power over their local area <\/strong><\/p> \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 new report<\/a> from Power to Change<\/strong>, the trust that backs community business in England.<\/p> 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> 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> 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> The report calls on greater investment in social infrastructure at the neighbourhood level to help tackle the issues facing communities:<\/p> 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> \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> Read the full report here<\/a>.<\/p> Bromley by Bow Centre, East London<\/strong><\/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> 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> 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> Ethical Recruitment Agency, Grimsby <\/strong><\/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> 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> 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> You can download a copy of Backing our Neighbourhoods: Making levelling up work by putting communities in the lead <\/em>from our website. For more information contact Power to Change Natasha.Ley@powertochange.org.uk<\/a> or 07725 565890.<\/p> -Ends- <\/strong><\/p> About Power to Change<\/strong><\/p> Power to Change is the independent trust that supports community businesses in England.<\/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> 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> www.powertochange.org.uk<\/a>\u00a0 @peoplesbiz<\/a><\/p> About The National Lottery Community Fund<\/strong><\/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> 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. Tnlcommunityfund.org.uk<\/a><\/p>","_et_gb_content_width":"","inline_featured_image":false,"wds_primary_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[339],"tags":[338,371,345,412,350,337,343,344,349,348,347,346,368],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.powertochange.org.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29386"}],"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=29386"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.powertochange.org.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29386\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.powertochange.org.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/29392"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.powertochange.org.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=29386"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.powertochange.org.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=29386"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.powertochange.org.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=29386"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Case studies<\/strong><\/h4>
Notes to Editors <\/strong><\/h4>