Shifting the balance: Local adaptation, innovation and collaboration during the pandemic and beyond


Published: 2021

2020 was the year when community power proved possible. The most successful responses to the Covid-19 pandemic were local, with councils, civil society, community groups and businesses took up new cooperative approaches at high speed. Shifting the Balance, written by New Local’s Simon Kaye and Charlotte Morgan, explores this new community-pow…

Health on the high street


Published: 2020

Health and wealth have long gone hand in hand. A healthy community is one that is more productive, and a community with more wealth is healthier and enjoys more years of healthy life. Rather than further decimating our high streets as we emerge from COVID-19, we believe creating multi-functional, ‘destination’ high streets and town centres …

Navigating uncertainty and remaining resilient – The experience of community businesses during Covid-19


Published: 2020

This report, written by The Young Foundation, explores the impacts of Covid-19 on community businesses in England and the ways they adapted in response. The fieldwork took place online over a 12-week period from June to August 2020. Across this period, up to 27 representatives from community businesses answered themed questions, entered weekly …

Navigating uncertainty and remaining resilient – The experience of community businesses during Covid-19 – Research Summary


Published: 2020

# Preview | Download RI-28S-Navigating uncertainty and remaining resilient.pdf126kB Author(s) Eve Avdoulos Zoë Wilkins Victoria Boelman Citation Avdoulos, E., Wilkins, Z. and Boelman, V. (2020) Navigating uncertainty and remaining resilient – The experience of community businesses during Covid-19 – Research

Rapid research COVID-19 Briefing #8: Community responses to COVID-19 – The role and contribution of community-led infrastructure


Published: 2020

Briefing 7 identified community-led infrastructure (CLI) as an additional dimension of the structures and systems that support civic life, alongside social and voluntary sector infrastructure. This paper takes this a step further by exploring what CLI looks like on the ground, how it is supported and its role in responding to crises, such as th…

Relationship Makers Impact Review: Supporting a cohort of Community Businesses


Published: 2020

In 2020, members of our Empowering Places programme joined The Relationships Project for their first Relationship Makers training programme. Over 8 weeks, participants mapped their relationships, diagnosing areas to prioritise and developed action plans to take forward. This report captures the programme and process of the training programme.

The ‘Locally Rooted’ Community Business: Meanings, practices, challenges and the role of community assets


Published: 2020

# Preview | Download ORC-2020-12-The ‘Locally Rooted’ Community Business.pdf4MB Author(s) Bethany Rex Katrina Foxton Citation Rex, B. and Foxton, K. (2020) The ‘Locally Rooted’ Community Business: Meanings, practices, challenges and the role of community assets. Research Report. UAL Social Design

The digital toolkit for communities


Published: 2020

Working and collaborating remotely using digital tools is becoming much more commonplace. For many, this means developing new skills. However, working online doesn’t need to be difficult, and is a great way to bring people together when you can’t meet in person. In fact, it can make things easier and remove barriers to participation.

This …

The good councillor’s guide to community business


Published: 2020

# Preview | Download G-2020-12-The good councillors guide to community business.pdf979kB Author(s) Unspecified Citation Unspecified (2020) The good councillor’s guide to community business. Practice Guide. National Association of Local Councils. Details Report type: Practice Guide Publisher: National Association of Local

The social implications of Covid-19 on Communities


Published: 2020

For over 20 years scholars and, more recently, policymakers have proposed that a ‘turn’ to community will occur in times of uncertainty and globalised crisis. The global outbreak of Covid-19 has presented an unprecedented test for this hypothesis in the UK context. Individual and family- focused organising surged and continues to happe…

A short guide to community business: What they are and how they make places better


Published: 2020

# Preview | Download G-2020-11-A short guide to community business.pdf3MB Author(s) Unspecified Citation Unspecified (2020) A short guide to community business: What they are and how they make places better. Practice Guide. Power to Change. Details Report type: Practice Guide

Employment and skills: The role of community businesses


Published: 2020

This report explores how community businesses’ skills and employability development activities contribute to local economic development. SERIO, an applied research unit at the University of Plymouth, carried out case studies with twelve community businesses. SERIO engaged with community business leaders, staff, volunteers and beneficiaries of…

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