Plan for Neighbourhoods: exploring the potential for community-led change

Genecon were pleased to see the MHCLG’s £1.5bn Plan for Neighbourhoods unveiled yesterday. This replaces the Long Term Plan for Towns programme introduced by the previous government before the 2024 election. We look forward to building on our previous work with Wigan Council, Burnley Council and Blackburn with Darwen Council, supporting Neighbourhood Boards to achieve the three strategic objectives of the Plan for Neighbourhoods programme: thriving places, stronger communities, and taking back control.  

We know, having co-created strategic visions, interventions and investment plans with Town Boards involved in the previous programme that the iterative early engagement approach has supported communities to form strong relationships and build capacity. With extended timescales for Neighbourhood Boards to undertake meaningful engagement and a broader set of ‘on-menu’ interventions to select from, this programme can build on the strong foundations already developed through the previous programme. 

Here are our thoughts on the Plan for Neighbourhoods and what it means for Neighbourhood Boards, local authorities and communities. 

1. A broader and more flexible set of programme objectives – whilst the previous programme had three ‘investment themes’ (Safety and Security, High Streets Heritage and Regeneration and Transport and Connectivity), the Plan for Neighbourhoods has been shaped around three strategic objectives and an outcome-based approach – driving forward change in a different way. Rather than interventions being focused and attached to a specific theme, the use of strategic objectives suggests Neighbourhood Boards will be able to specify a more flexible, tailored process, building packages of interventions that complement each other and respond to local priorities.
   
2. Greater range of powers and interventions for local leaders: the range of pre-approved interventions has increased significantly and now includes housing; health and wellbeing; education and opportunities; work, productivity and skills and cohesion in addition to the previous three themes, with a wider scope which includes business, green spaces and far more socially orientated options, for example. The list of available powers has also been updated and will be added to. This holistic approach offers the opportunity for long-term, iterative change. But as yet there is no information about how this approach links to other initiatives – Investment Zones, AI Zones, and local government reform, for example. The Plan for Communities White Paper to be published later this year should build on this. 
3. Support for community-led Governance & Decision Making: promotion of ‘bottom up’ organisational models, working in partnership with local authorities. Neighbourhood Boards can be established in a way that works best for each place – for example, using a Community Interest Company (CIC) or charity model. This approach helps support sustainability and longevity, and the asset lock of a CIC ensures that all community assets stay within a community and cannot be used for private gain. Interestingly, Community Land Trusts (CLT’s) are referred to, but only in relation to housing. These could also potentially be used as a vehicle for Neighbourhood Boards to own and develop a range of community assets, not just housing. 
4. Similar Funding Structure and Flexibility – it’s the same amount of money (£20m), and the same capital / revenue split of 75% / 25% – this approach may limit places who wish to invest heavily in interventions that activate and engage people, such as events, skills and development programmes and creative and cultural activity which support cohesion. 
5. Additional Capacity Funding to support communities to build connections and explore priorities and ideas together – Capacity building funding can be used flexibly for a range of activities, including supporting community organisations to participate in engagement activity, or beginning the planning application process / feasibility studies / exploring legal implications for initiatives and projects within the first Investment Plan.  
6. Longer timescales for in-depth engagement and policy development– Whilst the timescale for establishing Neighbourhood Boards is pretty tight (7 weeks), the guidance states that places can build on existing Boards established from the Long Term Plan for Towns programme. More time and funding has been allocated to capacity building before the first year of interventions kick in, in 2026. This will give neighbourhoods a much more reasonable timeframe for meaningful engagement, activities, relationship building and co-creation of their 10-year Plan. The initial Investment Plan will now be for a period of 4 years, rather than 3 – and a wide window for Plan submission will be given. 
7. Opportunity to redefine the geography of Plans – it looks like places have more flexibility in relation to what ‘neighbourhood’ means to them. This may be different to the previously agreed defined boundaries. Again, 7 weeks have been allocated to determine any altered boundaries for each community.  

Conclusion 

This set of changes has the potential to support Neighborhood Boards and Local Authorities: 

• Work with and secure buy-in / support from the community as a result of carefully planned and consistent engagement and communication 

• Target investment at local priorities (people and places) 

• Achieve long-term change by establishing a community-driven approach which supports thriving, stronger neighbourhoods.