Neighbourhoods take the stage
We kicked things off with an event close to our hearts. Our venture with Local Trust, 3ni, the national network for neighbourhood improvement, teamed up with the New Statesman for a session titled ‘Building social capital for neighbourhoods’.
Dan Crowe (Director, 3ni) joined Dr Henry Kippin (Chief Executive, North East Combined Authority) Cllr Jane Ashworth OBE (Leader, Stoke-on-Trent Council) and Deborah Stephens (Chief Executive, L30 Community Centre) for a packed-out event that put neighbourhoods at the centre of the conversation.
Dan captured the mood in the room: “The message was clear. Positive, lasting change in our communities doesn’t happen because the government announces another plan. It happens when trust is built, when people feel connected and when neighbourhoods have the investment and tools to lead. And that’s exactly the spirit behind the recently announced Pride in Place programme”.
You can read Dan’s insights on Pride in Place here.
Short talks. Big ideas.
Later that day, our own Ignite Your Fringe event was a standout moment. A collaboration between Capacity, Kindred and Ignite Liverpool promised short talks and big ideas. And it absolutely delivered. What really stood out wasn’t just the brilliant, diverse range of talks but the energy in the room.
Chris Catterall, Capacity chief executive, summed it up perfectly.
“More than anything, the conference was a powerful reminder that there are hundreds and thousands of people helping to create change across the country.
I saw it on Monday night. We tried something different. Taking an established grassroots event, like Ignite, to create a fringe event that gave local organisations and people the chance to showcase how they are creating change in their areas.
Quickfire talks from organisations like L30 Big Local in Netherton, Options for Supporting Living, Juno and Café Laziz. Each one told a story of hyper-local innovation – from people-centred social care to refugee support to residential care. It was more inspiring than any policy paper. Just real people doing real things.”
Read the full blog here.
Devolution revolution
One of the most talked-about panels came courtesy of IPPR and Local Trust’s ‘Devolution Revolution’. Emma Lord, Capacity Director, reported back from a panel stacked with heavy hitters – Andy Burnham (Manchester Metro Mayor), Alison McGovern (Minister for Housing, Communities and Local Government), Rachel Rowney (Local Trust Chief Executive) and Jack Burkinshaw (Brereton Big Local).
Andy Burnham was bullish about Greater Manchester’s devolution deal. “Ten years in and the model is working; faster growth than the national economy and productivity ahead of London Devolution comes with an opportunity to build a new politics – putting place, not politics first. Whitehall needs to get out of the way and let our regions reimagine the state from the bottom up.”
Alison McGovern built on that but with a reality check. “If we want to grow economies, we need more than money. People and social capital matter just as much, especially in communities that feel forgotten. That sense of disconnection is fuelling the rise of the far right. Whitehall and Westminster can’t keep doing business as usual if we want a stronger, more inclusive economy.”
Rachel Rowney pointed out that power is still shuffled between government departments rather than shared with communities. Pride in Place is an opportunity to reset. “But only if we cut through the bureaucracy and invest directly in people and spaces, backing local spaces like youth clubs that bring social infrastructure and connections into our neighbourhoods.”
And Jack Burkinshaw cut straight to the heart of it. “Local authorities are key players, but lasting change only happens when communities are trusted to lead regeneration programmes and make the decisions, not just casual bystanders.”
Power to Change
Ailsa Horne, Capacity’s Head of Enterprise wrapped things up at Power to Change’s drinks reception in Baltic.
“The room was alive with conversations about the impact that community businesses make, what they need from the systems they work within to be able to go further and most importantly a space in the busy conference agenda to celebrate the people already rolling up their sleeves and doing what matters most in their local areas.”
The last word
So what were the big takeaways from the week?
Neighbourhood and place-based regeneration was a constant theme throughout the week. And the success of programmes like ‘Pride in Place’ will rely on ventures like 3ni to play a starring role.
But investment in neighbourhoods only works if it lands where it matters – in the hands and expertise of the people and communities across the country. Lasting change isn’t made in Whitehall. It’s made in youth clubs, community centres and high streets up and down the country. These are the beating heart of our communities.
It’s a sentiment that echoed throughout the week. There are many neighbourhood initiatives – Pride in Place, Neighbourhood Health Services, Neighbourhood Pioneers, Family First Partnerships, Family Hubs, Community Wealth Funds, to name just a few.
They’re initiatives with great, but very similar intentions – help people early, close to their home, in a joined-up way and in a community which is alive and vibrant where local people can lead local changes.
But when these initiatives all arrive at the local level, they can feel similar yet unconnected. It’s a challenge for places to align activity, sometimes driving a focus on meeting programme-specific targets rather than the bigger purpose.
This isn’t a new issue. There’s already work underway to strengthen the relationship between central government programmes and devolved areas, including through integrated settlements. The opportunity now is to find smarter ways of connecting and coordinating efforts, so local areas can focus on what matters most for their communities without being stretched by too many overlapping demands.
Let’s have joined up ‘scaffolding’ for local areas and let them get on with it. Because local areas know what the challenges and opportunities are and can lead local change.
At Capacity, we know how hard leaders from Options, Juno, L30, Cafe Laziz and many, many others have worked to do things differently and create positive impact. If we can get the scaffolding right around these leaders, we could power them and many more to reducing inequalities and creating the conditions for real social and economic growth.
That’s the real story of the conference.
As an organisation based in Liverpool City Region, we’ll never get tired of being in the thick of the conference and welcoming thousands of people and organisations creating change across and the country and the world.
Looking forward to seeing everyone again next year! Bring good shoes.
