Understanding the legacies of resident-led community regeneration in deprived neighbourhoods

The project aims to look at the long-term impacts of community-led regeneration, with many of the Big Local projects being over halfway through their allocated funding periods. This allows the basis of a strong impact evaluation of Big Local funding so far and understanding the support provided by the Local Trust. This project proposes a particular focus on the impact of the Big Local on protected groups, as defined by the Equality Act 2010, though comparing similar demographic areas between Big Local project participants, as well as comparisons with legacy scheme of New Deal for Communities and national non-participant areas.

The Big Local project represents a significant change in how traditional community participation projects have been funded. The lack of centrally targeted outcomes differentiates this scheme from similar previous schemes, such as the New Deal for Communities. As a result, there is vast opportunity for comparison between these schemes, and others, to challenge assumptions on how a balance can be struck between evidence-based and resident-led approaches to achieve the best outcomes for deprived communities.

This project is funded through a White Rose DTP Collaborative Studentship, in partnership with the Local Trust. Alice is currently completing the MRes Social Research before beginning her PhD.

Supervisors

• Sarah Pearson
• Rob Macmillan
• Lucy Terry (Local Trust)