Neighbourhood working

3ni has collaborated with OCSI, Local Trust, and Shared Intelligence to deliver an innovative counterfactual research study on the importance of residents leading change in their neighbourhoods. This work compares 29 areas with neighbourhood-led initiatives, including Big Local programme areas, to similar benchmark places without such initiatives. The findings clearly demonstrate that neighbourhood-led initiatives lead to better outcomes across multiple factors.

Key highlights include:

• Business growth accelerated: Businesses in areas with neighbourhood initiatives grew by 41%, compared to just 22% in other neighbourhoods.
• Child poverty increased more slowly: While child poverty rose across all areas studied, the increase was significantly lower in communities with neighbourhood-led regeneration.
• Crime rates declined more sharply: Big Local areas saw a reduction of 19.1 crimes per 1,000 people, compared to a 10.5 reduction in other areas.

This analysis provides compelling evidence that long-term, community-led initiatives can meaningfully improve life outcomes and foster more resilient, thriving neighbourhoods.

This study by Shared Intelligence (SI) examines which neighbourhood approaches local authorities in England are using to support their most disadvantaged areas, based on the Index of Multiple Deprivation (IMD). The findings show that, while most local authorities analysed adopt some form of neighbourhood working, the type, scale, and council involvement vary greatly.

The increasing variation is related to the current financial landscape, with budget pressures in some cases forcing councils to dilute their approach, but also to adopt innovative strategies. While the report reveals great strength in placing local public services geographically close to residents in order to combat inequalities, it also calls for local authorities to adopt strategies that directly address their most disadvantaged communities.

This report from Sheffield Hallam University’s Centre for Regional Economic and Social Research marks the 25th anniversary of the launch of the Social Exclusion Units seminal report Bringing Britain Together: a National Strategy for Neighbourhood Renewal.

The report looks at evidence on the effectiveness of past regeneration programmes in England, and how they have improved outcomes for many residents living in low income neighbourhoods. It supports the case for a new approach to neighbourhood renewal and explores what would be needed in order to meet today’s challenges.

Think Neighbourhoods, the Independent Commission on Neighbourhoods’ interim report, argues that a neighbourhoods-approach is essential for delivering the change the country needs, including the government’s missions, and to restoring a sense of renewal and purpose to the country.

The Independent Commission on Neighbourhoods has worked with Oxford Consultants for Social Inclusion (OSCI) to identify which neighbourhoods are most at risk of not achieving the government’s missions.

In this report ICON explores attitudes in these neighbourhoods through polling done by Public First, arguing that a targeted approach is needed to improve disadvantaged neighbourhoods and achieve national renewal.

We will be building on our interim report throughout the year with additional research, policy development and analysis, before publishing our final report later this year.