Rashid Iqbal, CEO of the Winch, questions what kind of relationships the state should have with communities in a blog based on a speech he delivered at a We’re Right Here workshop.
How can community-powered neighbourhood governance help rebuild trust in one of the most contested areas of local decision-making: planning and development? In the fourth blog in our series, Tom Chance, Chief Executive of the Community Land Trust Network, makes the case that new neighbourhood governance arrangements could give local people a meaningful role in shaping the planning policies that affect their places – provided they’re genuinely steered by communities.
Something potentially transformative has been quietly moving through Parliament and hardly anyone seems to be talking about it: Neighbourhood governance. This Bill will introduce a new layer of governance across England in places where neighbourhood-level institutions, like town or parish councils, don’t already exist. That’s a huge deal.
When the government announced the Pride in Place programme, we felt genuinely encouraged. This isn’t just another initiative with a catchy name, it recognises that the power to shape thriving neighbourhoods lies with the people who live there.
In March 2025, a community in Bradford was handed the keys to an old vicarage. After three years of negotiations, the hands-on work of transforming the space into a hub of local life could begin. Spearheading the project is Josiah Sulc, CEO of charity Rooted In and a We’re Right Here Community Champion. We interviewed […]
In the late eighties, Claude Hendrickson led an inspiring community-build project, which saw unemployed African Caribbean men gain construction skills and build homes for themselves and their families in Chapeltown, Leeds. Since then, he has received an MBE for his continued work holding the torch for community-led housing. Claude Hendrickson is a community land trust […]
Our campaign leader Annoushka responds to the Community Right to Buy proposed by government, drawing on personal experience of buying a beautiful Manchester public hall.
Josh Westerling sets out some cost-effective options for the next government that would help to ensure that communities in all parts of the country can take advantage of new powers.
Annoushka Deighton on her story of the campaign to save a historic Manchester building from being sold off to developers – and turning it into a thriving and socially valuable space.
Born and bred in Camden, Nazma wanted to make a difference in her community. In this interview she explains how Camden Giving’s participatory grantmaking has supported her to do just that, and why a Community Power Act would help people like her to do more for their community.
