Community-led approaches are effective at producing regeneration in poor communities, according to an NCVO evaluation of a £200m Big Lottery Fund project.
The Big Local Project, run by the charity Local Trust, has given grants to 150 communities across England to provide resident-led improvements.
More than £9m has been allocated to communities across England in the first three years of the project, according to research released last week.
Some 94,000 residents have been involved with Big Local programmes across the first 83 areas to complete the first phase of activity and more than 2,000 places have been taken at Big Local learning events.
Research conducted in partnership with NCVO and Local Trust revealed that 85 per cent of people involved with the project said Big Local has given them a chance to put their skills and knowledge to good use for their community.
Some 90 per cent of community members said they felt confident that their plans were based on what residents said was most needed in their area, and 88 per cent of respondents said they were confident in their ability to make Big Local happen.
A spokesman for Local Trust said the programme was “tapping into a previously untapped resource of resident talent, and drawing out people’s passion for their own area”.
Debbie Ladds, chief executive of Local Trust, said: “Organisations are often guilty of thinking they know best. We want to challenge this mind-set and demonstrate how a resident-led approach can be much more effective and empowering. It is early days for Big Local, but the results of our initial evaluation are promising and we’re confident that giving control to residents is the way to achieve lasting positive change.
"Community-led regeneration does require risk taking but we believe it is the future for long-term sustained change when aligned to a community development approach. It is important to empower local residents and to trust them to make the right decisions. A key challenge now will be engaging new residents to make sure that each project is reflective of local community needs.”
Big Local was set up in 2010 and will continue for the next 15 years. The programme provides residents in each community with at least £1m of funding to improve their local areas.
Local Trust said it hopes the “initial evaluation and overall approach of the programme will influence other charities, policy makers, service providers and funders to consider a different approach to community improvement, giving power and control to residents to help deliver sustainable, tangible change for local areas”.
Projects funded by the programme have included giving new life to disused buildings and changing the use of existing community resources. It has also led to a growth of local “in-kind contributions” to projects.
Nick Ockenden, head of research for NCVO said: “This has been an incredibly exciting programme to evaluate. It’s early days for Big Local but it seems to be providing a real catalyst for change in local communities.
"Supporting this kind of thing is never easy, but Big Local appears to have struck the right balance between being there when needed, alongside a light-touch approach that doesn’t over-burden. It’s given communities choice and control, something that’s really helped to get people excited, inspired and active.”
