Repository
A curated and searchable collection of community-related research reports, case studies and publications from the Institute for Community Studies and other organisations.
Community-managed libraries as community hubs
Published: 2020
The Community Managed Libraries National Peer Network conducted a small study into community managed libraries (CMLs) as community hubs. This report considers the wide range of services and activities currently offered by CMLs and looks at how well positioned CMLs are to turn themselves into community hubs. Despite the Covid-19 pandemic and res…
Community Shops: A better form of business – 2020
Published: 2020
This state of the sector report from the Plunkett Foundation, funded by Power to Change, shows community shops thriving and making a significant contribution to community development. In 2019: 12 new shops opened 372 community shops were trading in the UK by the end of the year The total share capital raised from their communities by newly open…
Community Pubs: A better form of business – 2020
Published: 2020
This state of the sector report from the Plunkett Foundation, funded by Power to Change, shows community pubs thriving and making a significant contribution to community development. In 2019: The community pub sector grew by 19% with 19 new pubs opening during the year 119 known community pubs in total were trading across the UK at the end of 2…
The impact of community businesses on people
Published: 2020
As part of our commitment to evidencing the impact of Power to Change and the community businesses we support, we aim to regularly produce evidence reviews. Our latest research report brings together our evidence base about the impact of community businesses on the people they work with and support. This report is not just about the response to…
The Community Asset Transfer of Leisure Facilities in the UK: A Review and Research Agenda
Published: 2020
This paper reviews recent work on community asset transfers (CAT): a transfer of management of facilities from the public sector to the third sector, largely led by volunteers. The review focusses on leisure facilities due to their non-statutory nature, making them more vulnerable to public spending cuts. The experience of CATs is reviewed, inc…
Stronger than anyone thought: Communities responding to COVID-19
Published: 2020
In the context of COVID-19 and public health-related lockdown measures, Local Trust commissioned a study examining how communities react to, cope with and recover from major crises. The study started in April 2020 and the first two phases are due to conclude in June 2021. It presents a unique opportunity to gain grounded insight into commu…
Saving the high street: the community takeover
Published: 2020
Saving the High Street: the community takeover by the London School of Economics and Political Science, reveals how fragmented property ownership; a lack of transparency on who owns high street buildings; and absentee landlords with no vested interest in local places, are a barrier to creating unified high street regeneration strategies that ca…
Rapid Research COVID-19 Briefing #5: Volunteering through crisis and beyond: Starting, stopping and shifting
Published: 2020
The contribution of volunteers in the response to COVID-19 has rightly received considerable attention. Media reports have suggested levels of participation are soaring, but behind the headlines lie a series of questions about what volunteering is taking place, who is getting involved and how it is organised. This briefing draws on literature a…
Housing by the community for the community: An assessment of the value for money of community led housing in England
Published: 2020
This report assesses the value for money of community led housing in England, exploring how community led housing is meeting housing needs that would otherwise not be met, improving the wellbeing of communities and providing high returns. With findings showing that, over thirty years, each £1 of public support delivers £3.10 of benefit (when …
Big Local and Community Economic Development
Published: 2020
Residents of many Big Local communities have been seeking to influence and improve their local economies. Community Economic Development (CED) is the process of economic development within a specific geographic area to benefit the community. At its core, it is about local collective action to resolve economic and social challenges identified by…
Rapid Research COVID-19 Briefing #4: Blending formal and informal community responses
Published: 2020
In Briefing 3: Grassroots Action, Rob Macmillan explored the literature on the value of informal community activity in conditions of crisis. This included a classification of responses (Whittaker et al, 2015) from established crisis response organisations to expanding organisations meeting the demands of the moment as well as extending organisa…
Homes in Community Hands – Baseline Evaluation Report
Published: 2020
Power to Change’s Homes in Community Hands (HCH) programme provides grants to help build and refurbish affordable housing. Specifically, the programme is supporting the development of community-led housing (CLH) in England and has been allocated £7.6 million to do this. Between 2016 to 2018 £1.8 million in grants was disbursed in a vanguard…