When local people have power, lasting change happens

Why communities need more power

Who gets to make the decisions that shape a neighbourhood? For too long it seems the answer has been 'not the people who live there'. In the UK Government's most recent Community and Engagement Survey:

• only 26% of people felt they could influence decisions affecting their local area

• less than 1 in 10 had taken part in any form of civic participation in the past year

Devolution, now with the momentum and backing from the top of government, is starting to change where power sits in this country. It's moving further from Westminster to regions, mayors and new devolved settlements. That shift matters, but devolution that stops at town halls, combined authorities, and institutions is not enough. I was resolute about this when we published our strategy, It starts with community. If power does not reach neighbourhoods themselves, the people closest to the problems are still left furthest from the decisions. This increases mistrust and fear. Being asked for your views is not the same as having the power to decide. Too often, communities receive short-term funding while others continue to make the key decisions. Real community power means local people having the authority, resources and time to shape what happens where they live, rather than being consulted after the decisions have already been made.

I think of Jess Steele, whose work with Hastings Commons has turned neglected buildings into affordable homes, workspaces and community assets. Jess and her neighbours did not just identify which buildings mattered and why. They took on the risk, the decisions and put in years of work turning that knowledge into something real. What strikes me is not just their knowledge of the place, deep as it is. It's what became possible once residents had genuine control over decisions and resources, not merely a seat at someone else's table. Knowledge of a community is common, power to act on it is rare. That difference is what community power is about, and it's the difference the Community Wealth Fund is designed to make.

Which neighbourhoods will receive funding

Announced last year, the Community Wealth Fund is a new £175 million, 10-year commitment - a powerful combination of National Lottery and Dormant Assets Scheme funding.

Today, we're naming the 60 neighbourhoods that will share the funding. They are places across England facing high levels of disadvantage and low social infrastructure. Applications to lead the funding locally open in phases from January, starting in the East Midlands, the North East and Cumbria, and Yorkshire and the Humber.

The image shows the neighbourhoods that will receive funding.

North East

Neighbourhoods receiving funding in the North East include:

• Murton North and Parkside, County Durham

• Owton Manor, Hartlepool

• Ayersome, Middlesborough

• North Ormesby and Brambles, Middlesbrough

• Walker Souht, Newcastle upon Tyne

• Grangetown, Redcar and Cleveland

• Town End Farm, Sunderland

North West

Neighbourhoods receiving funding in the North West include:

• North East Centre, Blackpool

• South Promenade and Seasiders Way, Blackpool

• Grange, Halton Brook and Hallwood Park, Halton

• Stockbridge Village, Knowsley

• Belle Vale, Liverpool

• Kirkdale South and Vauxhall, Liverpool

• Boothroyden and Higher Blackley, Manchester

• Heywood Town, Rochdale

• Langley and Wood Side, Rochdale

• Little Hulton North, Salford

• Seaforth South, Sefton

• Derbyshire Hill, St. Helens

• Tranmere, Wirral

Yorkshire and Humber

Neighbourhoods receiving funding in the Yorkshire and Humber include:

• Kendray, Barnsley

• Bransholme Central, Kingston upon Hull, City of

• Southcoates East, Kingston upon Hull, City of

• Belle Isle North, Leeds

• Halton Moor, Leeds

• Grimsby East Marsh and Port, North East Lincolnshire

• Nunsthorpe, North East Lincolnshire

• East Herringthorpe, Rotherham

• Firth Park, Sheffield

• Shiregreen North, Sheffield

• Woodthorpe, Sheffield

• Ferry Fryston, Wakefield

East Midlands

Neighbourhoods receiving funding in the East Midlands include:

• Ingoldmells and Chapel St Leonards, East Lindsey

• Kirby Frith, Leicester

• Ermine, Lincoln

• Top Valley East, Nottingham

• Aspley, Nottingham

West Midlands

Neighbourhoods receiving funding in the West Midlands include:

• Buckland End, Birmingham

• Frankley, Birmingham

• Quinton East, Birmingham

• Turves Green, Birmingham

• Henley Green & Wood End, Coventry

• Church Hill South, Redditch

• Smith's Wood North, Solihull

• Abbey Hulton, Stoke-on-Trent

East of England

Neighbourhoods receiving funding in the East of England include:

• Yarmouth Parade, Great Yarmouth

• North Lynn, King's Lynn and West Norfolk

• Clacton Rush Green, Tendring

• Jaywick and St Osyth, Tendring

London and South East

Neighbourhoods receiving funding in London and the South East include:

• Becontree South, Barking and Dagenham

• Becontree West, Barking and Dagenham

• New Addington South, Croydon

• Stockheath Common, Havant

• Landport, Portsmouth

• Sheerness West, Swale

• Cliftonville West, Thanet

• Dane Valley and Northdown Hill, Thanet

South West

Neighbourhoods receiving funding in the South West include:

• Withywood, Bristol, City of

• Park North and Park South, Swindon

• Paignton Central, Torbay

About the Community Wealth Fund

What makes it different is not the scale of the investment but the generational opportunity the Community Wealth Fund offers to reshape where the decisions sit. Local charities and community organisations will apply to lead delivery, but it's residents, coming together as Community Decision Makers. They'll agree priorities, shape a long-term plan and decide how the funding is invested. That might mean a youth council giving young people a stronger voice in local decisions, or a community space that brings people together who are isolated or struggling with their mental health. The point is not the particular project, it's that the people living with a problem are the ones choosing the response. Rather than investing in projects we design, we're investing in people, relationships, local organisations and the social infrastructure that allows a community to act for itself over time.

The 10-year horizon is deliberate, so too is going to areas with highest levels of deprivation and low social capital. We and the Government recognise deep-rooted challenges are not solved by short grants and single interventions. They need time, stability and the kind of trust that only builds through a long-term relationship. That's a higher bar for us as a funder, too and one we have been readying ourselves for over several years. We have to be willing to back communities' judgement, including when their priorities differ from what we might have chosen. And to stay committed when progress is slower or less visible than a one-year grant would demand. We will be supporting the programme to meet its aims, however hard that is.

The Community Wealth Fund builds on years of work by the Community Wealth Fund Alliance. And on the experience of Big Local, which showed that residents trusted with long-term resources and real decision-making power can transform a neighbourhood in ways no centrally designed programme can. We're also learning alongside our Community Power Fund, which builds the capacity of organisations to support community-led change. All of this work sits within our wider strategy, It starts with community, and our belief that lasting change happens when it stays with community. When communities hold genuine power over the challenges they face and the solutions they create for the long term.

How we'll measure success

Success here should not only be measured by what gets built or funded. In 10 years, the real test is whether these 60 neighbourhoods have more power, agency and capacity to act than they do today. And whether local people feel more confident, more connected, and more able to shape what happens next, long after the funding itself has ended.

Because devolution cannot stop at institutions but must genuinely shift power to communities in every postcode. When local people lead, that's when real and lasting change happens.

Next steps

For more information or to apply, visit Community Wealth Fund.