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Neighbourhood approaches to public services: research and event to mark 10 years of the NANM

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Images clockwise from top right: Bradford MBC, Roger Bunting (Flickr), Nick Richards (Flickr), Wikimedia commons, and James Clarke (Flickr)

Are you involved in a neighbourhood or locality approaches to local public services?  This could be as a public sector employee, elected Member, volunteer, or community worker.

To mark our 10th anniversary we are conducting an important piece of research to build up a picture of neighbourhood or locality approaches across England in 2018 – where it being used, what models are in place, and what factors are likely to affect its future.

The research involves a survey which we hope you can contribute to. If you have not yet completed it, please take part here >>  https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/NANM2018

The survey results will be triangulated with a literature review of the evolution of neighbourhood approaches to date, and horizon-scanning of what is emerging around neighbourhoods and localism, in the UK and further afield.  The finished research will be made openly available and we hope it will provide a valuable tool for those directly involved in delivering or managing neighbourhood approaches, as well as policy-makers and research in local public services and localism.

The research will be published at a free-to-attend national event we are hosting from 10-4 on Thursday 5 July 2018 at the Whitechapel Ideastore, London.

Book you place here.

You can keep in touch with further news on this research and the July event by joining our mailing list using the sign-up form on this page.

Our “Spotlight on Communities” event – 27 January 2017

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Access all the presentations from the day here on our post-event resources page HERE.

For us events are about the power of making connections – between the people in the room, between like-minded groups and networks – and within local communities.

Access all the presentations from the day here on our post-event resources page HERE.

Some call these ‘intentional networks’ – created through personal relationships, not structure charts – and for specific purposes as well as mutual support and professional development. Almost everyone among the seventy-five people in the room knew at least one other person, some knew many more.  A few discovered connections with people they initially thought were strangers.

Interests and goals overlapped.  The common thread was enabling individual citizens to have more influence over their neighbourhoods regardless of income, social status, skills, or confidence.

Real-life examples were shared from York the hosts, plus Barnsley, Wakefield, Durham, and Bradford.  The fact these places are relatively close made examples seem more relevant.

Most shared the view that these ways of working need human and financial resources to happen, but in today’s financial climate that requires strong arguments to budget holders and funders – based on hard, compelling evidence.  Experiences on this score were listened to with interest.

Many also shared the view that this is about more than minor adjustments to ways of working but something bigger, and more radical – a new mindset about how local amenities and services are controlled and delivered – and about the relationship between citizens and local government.

The day left us tired but inspired – and as ever, it sparked as many new questions as were answered – around demonstrating social value, partnerships with volunteers, sharing power, sharing budgets… 

The risk, is that conversations ends just as they start to get somewhere.  The true measure of success for days like this is whether we can find ways for those who took part to pick up the conversation another time, move forward, and draw new people and networks in.

So our final question is – who wants to host the next stage of this conversation?

To find out more about the event or help us plan another just drop a line to ben@neighbourhoodmanagement.net

The State of Neighbourhood and Locality Working

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Full Agenda June 14 2016

Don't Stop BelievingOn Tuesday 14 June in Birmingham we are gathering professionals and community volunteers to take stock of The State of Neighbourhood and Locality Working. The response to this free event has already been fantastic and it is almost fully booked. We hope this reflects the enthusiasm people have to take stock with others working in similar ways across England, to find out how everyone else is demonstrating value, sharing innovation, and dealing with the pressures of spending cuts

We know those working in neighbourhoods and locality teams are often involved in some of the most important areas of public service innovation.

But they are also under greater pressure than ever to demonstrate impact and defend your approach.  At this one day open space event we hope to help share as many examples as possible of current practice and responses to these pressures. We have already got some great contributions:

  • How neighbourhood and locality teams can demonstrate their impact using technology like ‘Impact Apps‘
  • Different models of collaboration with communities- like Community Councils in London and Place Management in Birmingham
  • Contributing to wider community aims – such as helping schools engage locally, or working with the Police to prevent re-offending

There will also be skills and techniques workshops on:

  • defining and measuring outcomes and using theories of change
  • using simple tools for mapping community relationships and assets, and
  • creating digital stories of impact using everyday technology.

The aim is to share experiences, connect (or reconnect) practitioners in this unique area of public services. and build a national picture of impact of neighbourhood and locality working.

If you want to come then reserve a place now on our Eventbrite booking page – and if you cannot make it then watch this space for updates and more information about how to get involved.

Stay in touch,

The NANM team

Calling all volunteers! FREE opportunity at the Eden Project

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The success of The Big Lunch, the UK’s annual get-together for neighbours from the Eden Project, has been reported widely since 2009.  But what might be news to you is that there’s an exciting follow on project, called Big Lunch Extras.

It’s a free programme to help people run good local projects – like community food groups, shared gardens, green routes in cities, sewing clubs and energy cooperatives – anything that will bring about positive change in their community.  

It starts with a free three-day residential ‘camp’ at the Eden Project, with inspirational speakers, workshops, tours and the chance to network with other people on the programme.   There are just two camps, one in May and one in July, to book your place on, so don’t hang about!

Visit the website to find out more. 

NANM Event – Devolution: single or double?

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Thursday 12 March 2015, 10.30 – 16.00, Barnsley, South Yorkshire

The Scottish referendum has put devolution firmly back on the national political agenda. Should neighbourhood activists and managers be rejoicing?

The renewed interest in devolution across the United Kingdom is partly because of the promises that Westminster politicians made to the Scottish people in order to secure a ‘No’ vote, and the expectations that they have raised of similar deals with the other areas. But it is also a reflection of the stellar levels of engagement that the referendum achieved. With election turnout in general decline, and distrust of politicians growing, the 85% turnout was both a boost for advocates of greater devolution and a challenge to those who say that disengagement with politics is an unstoppable trend. In reality the Scottish referendum was not the start of the debate about greater regional devolution. Greater Manchester and Sheffield City Region have both recently agreed devolution deals with the national government, and other City regions are seeking to take on similar devolved powers.

But what will this sort of devolution mean for neighbourhoods? Will it reinvigorate arguments for ‘double-devolution’ and neighbourhood power? Or could it end up diverting attention away from community empowerment?

These are the sorts of questions we intend to explore in the latest NANM share and learn event, on 12 March.

We are delighted to be holding this event in Barnsley where the approach of the council is placing it firmly at the heart of the devolution debate.

Content and approach

Councillor Sir Stephen Houghton, Leader of Barnsley Council, has agreed to start discussions off by explaining how Barnsley is radically devolving real spending power beyond the Tower Hall to community level. Councillor Houghton also chairs the Sheffield City Region Combined Authority which has secured one of the Government’s recent devolution funding deals.

During the rest of the day there will be a variety of opportunities to discuss issues with a range of other contributors, each of whom is a champion for devolution in a different way. Most of these discussions will be in smaller parallel sessions.

The confirmed list of contributors includes:

  • Councillor Sir Stephen Houghton, Leader of Barnsley MBC and Chair of Sheffield City Region Combined Authority
  • Kate Faulkes, South Area Council Manager, Barnsley MBC
  • Michaela Howell, Service Development Manager, Bradford Trident
  • Michael Dixon, Chair of Airedale Neighbourhood Management Board, Wakefield
  • Big Local partnerships, Lottery-funded groups based in Yorkshire working towards community-led change

As with all NANM events, a major focus of the day is the opportunity it provides to mix with, get to know and share experience with other colleagues. So the programme includes a mix of plenary presentations, smaller group discussions and time to network.

Download [download id=”69″]

Who should attend?

In short anyone who is interested in neighbourhoods and devolution. We hope that it will attract a mix of practitioners and policy makers, people working at a local level as well as people working at the national and regional levels. If it piques your interest it is for you.

What does it cost?

The event is free to attend, although we are asking for a voluntary contribution towards catering and logistics (the guide is £10). If payment is a problem do not let it put you off. The contribution is a genuinely voluntary one. If you are already a paid up member of NANM simply choose the ticket for NANM members.

How to book your place

There is an Eventbrite page for this event. This is the easiest way for us to take bookings. You will be offered the opportunity to make a voluntary contribution towards refreshments and logistics (and get 2 year NANM membership) as part of the booking process. Payment can be online using a credit card and PayPal or in cash at the event.

In case you have problems booking through Eventbrite, we are also accepting bookings by email or telephone.

[This event is now in the past, but we have left the the Eventbtrite page up in case it is still of interest.]

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