If 2025 was the year we finally remembered that neighbourhoods matter, 2026 is the year we actually do something about it.
Because where you live still shapes far too much of your life chances. From your health to getting a job, transport links to decent public services. The postcode lottery still determines whether opportunity feels within reach or something that just happens to other people and communities.
That gap isn't accidental. It's the result of decades of underinvestment in the social capital of our communities. The places, networks and community spirit that help people look out for one another and get things done.
At 3ni we're making the case that to improve our neighbourhoods, we have to rebuild the everyday infrastructure of community life in places that have too often been written off as ‘left behind'.
It's why we've been working alongside ICON (the Independent Commission on Neighbourhoods) to advocate for something radical and simple – long-term, hyper-local investment in the communities that need it most.
And it's the reason we've been rolling up our sleeves with local authorities across the country to turn the Government's Pride in Place ambitions into something real and meaningful. How do you take a national programme and make it work neighbourhood by neighbourhood, street by street?
Pride in Place puts local people firmly in the driving seat. Neighbourhood Boards must now be resident led. That's a real vote of confidence in people who, for too long, have been talked about rather than listened to.
But confidence alone won't cut it. Communities that have experienced decades of reduced services and broken promises need proper support to take on these roles. Capacity building, skills development and long-term backing aren't optional extras – they are the work.
Pride in Place is at heart a social programme – investing in people as much as in bricks and mortar. At 3ni, we'll be supporting Local Trust's national events in the weeks ahead and offering tailored support to councils and communities as they turn their prospectuses into real plans.
This is the chance to build a movement – powered by people, rooted in place and serious about closing the gap between where you live and how well you live. Let's not waste it.
Dan Crowe is Director at 3ni (The national network for neighbourhood improvement)
