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Research: Can ‘kindliness’ be fostered in communities?

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Increasing geographical mobility, economic change and the rise of an individualist culture in the UK have contributed to the loosening of close ties in communities. What can communities do to cultivate the ‘background hum’ of sociability that is associated with neighbourliness?

In the study ‘Landscapes of Helping: Kindliness in Neighbourhoods and Communities‘ researched informal helping – or neighbourliness – in Hebden Bridge in order to try and understand how it can be fostered in communities. [Source: Joseph Rowntree Foundation, 17 March 2015]

Researchers say civic energy could provide half electricity by 2050

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What would our energy system look like if the move to a low-carbon society wasn’t left to governments and big energy companies but was instead led by civil society?

Realising Transition Pathways, a consortium of researchers from across nine UK universities is exploring how existing community energy projects – run by groups of citizens – could link with new roles for local authorities as energy service companies to form a “civic” energy sector. [Source: The Conversation, 3 March 2015]

Big Local – evaluation of the early years published

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In April last year Local Trust brought in the first team of independent evaluators to assess how well things are going across the Big Local programme – to look at areas’ progress, whether Big Local is starting to make a difference, and what kinds of things have helped and hindered areas in their Big Local journeys. At heart the big question was – is Big Local working?

Find out more about the research, undertaken by NCVO in partnership with the Institute for Volunteering Research and the Office for Public Management, and read a summary of their findings here. On the same page you can also download the full report, as well as a shorter summary. [Source:  Local Trust, February 2015]

NANM network survey 2014: What did we learn?

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Earlier this year we invited members of the NANM network – people who have come to NANM events, read the NANM newswire, follow @NM_Association on Twitter or just keep an eye on the NANM web site – to complete an online survey. The purpose of the survey was to find out more about who currently makes up the NANM network, after a period of some considerable change, and how you would like to engage with NANM and other network members. Promotion was relatively low key. A link from the NANM website, mention in the Newswire and a follow-up mailing, and promoted in a few Tweets.

This was the first NANM survey for over two years and as ever we are deeply grateful to all those who responded. The responses we did get were full and enthusiastic.

So what did we learn?       

  • NANM Newswire is the main way most people currently engage with NANM, although nearly half of respondents also mentioned NANM’s learning events
  • There is scope to develop the usefulness of the NANM web site, and Twitter emerges as the least engaging of NANM’s communication channels (amongst respondents and in terms of encouraging people to complete the survey)
  • People responding to the survey suggested that NANM should develop its offer in three areas:
    • Support for knowledge sharing: Providing access to information, developing case studies, making connections and offering advice
    • Opportunities for learning: Bringing people together to learn (recognising that there are currently severe constraints on funds for learning, including travel)
    • National profile: Using NANM’s national profile to support neighbourhood action.
  • Suggested topics around which to share learning ranged from understanding the causes of neighbourhood decline, through particular challenges people were facing (how to get employment support into estates, how neighbourhood planning can help local enterprise, how to get allotments going) to the best way to demonstrate the value of neighbourhood working and make the case for continued investment
  • A number of those responding to the survey offered to share their own projects and experience, by providing an article for the web site or speaking at events
  • Looking to the future slightly more people were positive about the future than were not, although about 30% said there were just too many variables.


You can read a more detailed summary of the survey findings in this short report. NANM Survey 2014 - What did we learn? (851)

We’d love to hear your responses. Do the findings ring true? Are you involved in projects that you think could help other network members (and would you be willing to write or talk about your experience)? Are there issues that weren’t picked up?

Five models of localism: which are you?

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What does effective representation and accountability look like ? Does it look the same at local authority, ward and neighbourhood level? Can academic theory and research help? If there are differences, do we have the language to discuss them?

The next NANM open space workshop, Five models of localism: which are you?, is on Wednesday, 4 December 2013, 10:30 to 15:30 (coffee from 10:00) at The University of Manchester, Sackville Street Campus (nr Manchester Piccadilly Station), Manchester. You can book on-line at Eventbrite.

In their recent paper Who is accountable in localism? Liz Richardson (University of Manchester) and Catherine Durose (University of Birmingham) identify five models of local accountability based on new research and a review of existing literature. They call their first model the ‘British Political Tradition’ in which power and influence is hierarchical and public agencies see citizen involvement happening mainly at local elections when the public’s role is either as voter, or candidate. Community participation efforts therefore focus only on encouraging more people to stand for election, or to turn out and vote.

At the other end of their scale they describe a model which constantly seeks the public’s involvement as decision makers and problem solvers. In this model, local public bodies see power as coming from many directions and their own role is one of mobiliser, enabler, and convenor.

It is self-evident most of those involved in neighbourhood working aspire to an enabling model. But how can we test the extent that practical experiences of communities match what we aspire to?

That is the question that we’ll explore during the workshop.

To start Liz Richardson will introduce us to the five models she and Catherine Durose have proposed, and explain how they are intended as a practical guide or diagnostic to enable others to test what models of local accountability exist in practice.

We will then convene open space discussions to enable participants to identify which model they think they are working in themselves. This will be a participative day and we hope everyone attending will contribute from their own first hand experiences.

You can find out more about the event and book your place on our page on Eventbrite.

We have funding to cover the costs of this event, which means we can make it free to attend. But we will gratefully accept contributions towards the cost of catering and logistics. Our suggested contribution is £10, which would also entitle you to become a member of the NANM for two years from the date of the event.

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