big local

I must admit in terms of this article that I have form. I am the Big Local rep for Boston Central. I do find the approach to engaging residents really fascinating and far less top down and more importantly far less taregt driven than any initiative I have ever been involved in before. It will be interesting to see what the ultimate outcomes of the initiative are but I suspect they will do some good where they have been set up in rural communities. This article tells us (and if you want ot know more about Big Local drop me an email):

Many of the big-budget regeneration projects since the 1980s made attempts to involve residents in their community’s transformation, some more successfully than others.

The Big Local is the latest programme to attempt resident-led change at neighbourhood level. Through it, the Big Lottery Fund in England is investing up to £200m in 150 neighbourhoods. Each area – covering between 3,000 to 10,000 people – receives an endowment of at least £1m to be spent over 10 years.

There are some key differences between the Big Local and earlier schemes. While earlier regeneration schemes have been largely professional-led, even where residents were involved, decision-making in Big Local areas rests firmly with boards requiring a minimum of 50% resident representation.

Each area is assigned a representative, who works with local residents and acts as a mediator with the Local Trust, which oversees the programme. Support is also available from a designated ‘locally-trusted organisation’, but councillors, local service providers and consultants are only called upon where they are wanted by residents. Some might see giving groups of inexperienced people budgets of up to £1m as a risk, but 18 months into the programme, the Big Local areas are showing encouraging signs of budgetary responsibility and long-term thinking.