A study of community engagement within the Big Local programme (Summary)

Only Reconnect

Published: 2023

A report of the ‘Reconnection Summit’ that took place in October 2022. The summit was organised by the Institute for Community Studies andTPXImpact, in partnership with Engage Britain and its ‘Grassroots Advisory Network (a group of community activists and leaders from across the UK who act as advisors on the work of Engage Britain and identify…

The role of paid workers in supporting a community-led programme

Published: 2022

The Big Local programme aims to put more power, resource and decision-making in the hands of local communities. Most Big Local partnerships have chosen to hire paid staff, who support the delivery of Big Local in a huge variety of different ways.

This briefing is part of Local Trust’s research paper series, originally shared internally with st…

One pandemic, many responses

Published: 2022

This is the third report from Local Trust’s research study exploring how 26 communities across England responded to the COVID-19 crisis.

It follows Strong than anyone thought, published in September 2020, which looked at the initial lockdown period and Now they see us, published in August 2021, which saw the communities adapting to a…

Residents in control: Community grants in Big Local areas

Published: 2022

The Institute for Voluntary Action Research was commissioned by Local Trust to undertake research on community grants. The research explored conditions for successful community grant making and the benefits community grants bring to Big Local areas.

While this report has primarily been written for Local Trust, it may also provide learning for …

The role of small grants in Big Local: scoping paper

Published: 2022

This paper aims to summarise what Local Trust knows about the small grants funds operating in Big Local areas. Research done in June 2020 found that 140 out of 150 Big Local areas were either currently running a small grants programme or had run one in the past. Small grants funds typically aim to provide money to groups operating at the grassr…

Volunteering and Big Local: Who volunteers in Big Local communities, what they do, and why

Published: 2022

Big Local is a resident-led funding programme providing groups of people in 150 areas in England with £1.15m each, to spend across 10 to 15 years to bring about lasting change in their neighbourhoods. In Big Local areas, resident-led partnerships identify local priorities and decide how the money will be spent in their areas.

This report is a…

Big Local relationships with public agencies

Published: 2022

Local Trust commissioned this research to understand relationships between Big Local areas and the four most common types of public agencies they were connecting with: local authorities, housing associations, schools and health agencies.

The research will be of interest to public agencies and people working in communities who want to achieve l…

Now they see us: Communities responding to COVID-19

Published: 2021

The study is based on primary data collection from 26 communities across England and a literature review. Over 500 learning conversations have taken place with members of the community, activists and workers, alongside interviews with Big Local reps (individuals appointed by Local Trust to offer tailored support to a Big Local area and sha…

Power in Big Local partnerships

Published: 2021

This report is about the practice of decision making in a resident-led, place-based programme. It explores the operation of power within decision making, how decisions are made, by and with whom and in what contexts.

It considers how particular ideas gather appeal, how some voices are heard more than others, and how beliefs in ‘the right way…