Lord Lucas urged the government to rethink its decision to close the Community Ownership Fund, recognising how it helped communities buy the places they love.
The new Community Right to Buy needs to come with funding and support so it’s truly accessible and can work for communities everywhere.
In Parliament, Lord Mawson shared how a community plan to improve a local park was derailed by a change in government.
It’s a reminder that goodwill isn’t enough. We need neighbourhood governance that embeds community power so no matter who's in power, communities have a lasting seat at the table.
A new report from @ipprnorth.bsky.social, supported by @localtrust.org.uk, argues that unitarisation must go hand-in-hand with reviving local democracy.
We strongly support its call to establish inclusive neighbourhood boards with 50%+ community representation.
Support is building for community‑led models of neighbourhood governance. Labour councillor Sam Dalton shares why locally rooted decision‑making must be central to the UK’s democratic renewal 👇 @right-here.org
Final push: the English Devolution & Community Empowerment Bill is in its last stages.
Can you take 2 minutes to write to the Minister asking her to back more community power over shaping services, controlling investment, & influencing decision-making?
And for a bonus article, ‘Labour’s quiet quest for democratic renewal’ via @labourlist.bsky.social
@sam-dalton.bsky.social, Councillor
👉 labourlist.org/2026/02/labo...
Reading list 🧵10/10
Local government’s missing layer: Neighbourhood governance.
Callin McLinden, @localis.bsky.social
👉 www.right-here.org/local-govern...
Reading list 🧵9/10
Participatory democracy is good for you! Neighbourhood governance in a Neighbourhood Health Service.
Sam Pluckrose-Oliver, @locality.org.uk
👉 www.right-here.org/participator...
Reading list 🧵8/10
Neighbourhood governance: a chance to break the all-pervasive culture of centralisation.
Shaun Roberts, @unlockdemocracy.bsky.social
👉 www.right-here.org/neighbourhoo...
Reading list 🧵7/10
Planning from the ground up: Neighbourhood governance and the future of development.
@tomchance.bsky.social, Community Land Trust Network
👉 www.right-here.org/planning-fro...
Reading list 🧵6/10
What Big Local taught us about community power and neighbourhood governance.
@maddiejennings.bsky.social, Head of policy and communications, @localtrust.org.uk
👉 www.right-here.org/what-big-loc...
Reading list 🧵5/10
Why we need community-powered neighbourhood governance – and how local infrastructure can support it to happen.
Rich Warrington, NAVCA
👉 www.right-here.org/why-we-need-...
Reading list 🧵4/10
How neighbourhood governance can help us beat the far right.
Misbah Malik, @hopenothate.org.uk
👉 www.right-here.org/how-neighbou...
Reading list 🧵3/10
Why is nobody talking about neighbourhood governance?
Annoushka Deighton, We're Right Here Campaign Leader:
👉 www.right-here.org/why-is-nobod...
Reading list 🧵2/10
Our 8-part blog series exploring how to shape new neighbourhood governance arrangements has come to a close.
Part of the Devolution Bill, these structures will shape how power works across England. Get them right, and communities thrive. Get them wrong, & power stays distant.
A reading list 🧵1/10
In his @labourlist.bsky.social piece, councillor @sam-dalton.bsky.social argues that community-powered neighbourhood governance should be the centrepiece of a wider agenda to redistribute power.
"Democracy would become a lived, everyday practice."
In the final blog of our series, @localis.bsky.social argues that:
“If binding routes for community power are not hard-wired alongside local government reorganisation, England risks simply redrawing centralisation into a new network of local Whitehalls.“
A community in Bolton had to send people halfway across the world to access care that should have been available on their doorstep.
Read the story behind Recover Bolton and the importance of inviting local people to co-design and co-run services: www.right-here.org/addiction-se...
What would it take to build a health system focused on prevention, rooted in neighbourhoods and led by communities?
@locality.org.uk argues that new neighbourhood governance arrangements need to enable local people to have a real say in local healthcare decisions. www.right-here.org/participator...
A pink graphic of a busy high street with the title: 'A Blueprint for community-powered neighbourhood governance' with logos of the co-authors
Read our blueprint for community-powered neighbourhood governance: www.right-here.org/wp-content/u... 🧵 8/8
"We must have accountability that all local authorities are held to to ensure residents' voices are not just simply heard, but embedded in the outcomes and delivery of council decisions and services."
Gareth Dowling, Co-operative Party and West Lancashire Borough Council
🧵7/8
"We need to think about the legacy we want to leave after the Pride in Place programme is over so that 10 years from now, the community has what it needs to sustain itself."
@cllrneghat.bsky.social, Nottingham Council Leader 🧵6/8
"When you make decisions with the community, like co-designing services, the community start to trust that the local authority cares about their needs and in turn you'll see more people use the spaces and services available to them."
Leah Chikamba-Mulando, Angels of Hope for Women 🧵5/8
"If you look at neighbourhood governance through the prism of a process, you're already off to a bad start. But once you look at it as a philosophy about how you work with the community, it becomes an opportunity."
@peter-mason.bsky.social, Leader of the Council at the London Borough of Ealing 🧵4/8
"Self determination is in our Labour and Co-operative party DNA, so working with the community should be intrinsic to the way our councils operate."
@aroojshah.bsky.social, Oldham Council Leader 🧵3/8
"This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to reinvigorate democracy & make partnership with communities central to our way of governing. There's loads of great practice across councils we can build on, rather than starting from scratch."
@nickplumb.bsky.social, @powertochange.org.uk 🧵 2/8
A panel talk on shaping community-powered neighbourhood governance at The Labour Party and the LGA Labour Group Conference
We had a great time hosting yesterday’s panel talk on shaping community-led neighbourhood governance with the @coopparty.party.coop at The Labour Party and @local.gov.uk Labour Group Conference.
Read 6 insights from our 6 panellists in the thread. 🧵 1/8
“It’s centralisation on steroids.”
@unlockdemocracy.bsky.social criticises the Government’s devolution plans for falling short – but sees potential in new neighbourhood governance arrangements, provided they reflect and serve truly local communities.
www.right-here.org/neighbourhoo...
How can community-powered neighbourhood governance help rebuild trust in one of the most contested areas of local decision-making: planning and development?
Read our guest blog by @tomchance.bsky.social, Chief Executive of the Community Land Trust Network.
After 15 years of #BigLocal, @localtrust.org.uk has built deep insight into what works in unlocking community power and neighbourhood-level change.
In a new blog, they set out how new neighbourhood governance arrangements could draw on those lessons.
www.right-here.org/what-big-loc...
