Neighbourhoods are back in the Westminster policy conversation. There's talk of a Neighbourhood Health Service and more neighbourhood policing. Meanwhile, the Government has been trumpeting its Plan for Neighbourhoods, £1.5bn of funding for 75 places bringing together local residents and business to decide how to spend the money locally.
Why does this matter? It shows the Government recognises change is most tangible when people can see and feel it in their everyday lives. With people feeling increasingly alienated from distant central government, a neighbourhoods approach has the potential to connect more meaningfully with where people live and where they spend the majority of their time. For the community businesses we back at Power to Change, this makes sense; neighbourhoods are where they bring people together and get stuff done everyday, all-year round.
