Archives: Reports

The new high street playbook: Community-led innovation in action

This report from UK think tank Power to Change argues that the civic high street is the right organising principle for the shift toward mixed-use, community-centred high streets.  The 'new high street playbook' shares lessons from the Community-Led High Street Innovators programme, and why they matter now. Connecting real world practice to the current policy window, this report reflects a...

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Lessons in local growth

This report from UK think tank Power to Change examines how strategic authorities can achieve inclusive growth in England’s regions with the social economy. The Prime Minister has made strategic authorities a key part of his plans for national economic growth, asking metro mayors to produce Local Growth Plans for their regions. Power to Change’s...

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Introducing the Shuttered Front

This report from UK think tank Power to Change argues that visible local decline matters to people when they head to the polls. This new analysis indicates that support for Reform UK is rising in places with declining high streets, predominantly in the Midlands and Northern England. The report argues that visible local decline matters...

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Closing the void

This report from UK think tank Power to Change sets out concrete recommendations to government and political parties to renew our democracy through grassroots civil society. This research shows that our democracy is in poor health but people who are involved in associational organisations – from book clubs to community businesses to working men’s clubs...

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The economic contribution of community business

This report from UK think tank Power to Change estimates the total economic contribution made by community businesses to the national economy. There have long been gaps in quantitative evidence around the unique economic contribution that community business makes. This new research provides an estimate of the total economic contribution made by community businesses to...

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Department stories

This report from UK think tank Power to Change looks at how communities are reimagining a national institution. Once a destination for generations of shoppers, department stores are on the decline. There’s been an 85% decrease in the number of department stores on Britain’s high streets over the past decade, with many well-known brands leaving...

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Fixing the foundations: A communities strategy for Britain

This report from UK think tank Power to Change explores community cohesion, empowerment and growth in response to the riots across the UK this summer. Torn social fabric lay behind disorder this summer. The government’s communities policy must move from responding to crisis to consistency. We know community cohesion is back on the agenda for...

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Getting it right

This report from UK think tank Power to Change offers detailed guidance for the Government on how to make a Community Right to Buy work for everyone. Across the country communities are being shut out as buildings are boarded up, destroyed or sold to developers and turned into spaces that fail to serve the needs...

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Resilient Communities Fund: Review

This report from UK think tank Power to Change and New Local looks at what they learned from funding the Resilient Communities Fund. The Resilient Communities Fund provided emergency support as quickly as possible to community businesses, to support them to implement energy resilience projects to become more resilient to both climate change and the...

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Financing the future economy

This report from UK think tank Power to Change looks at how community businesses can access the right finance to achieve their ambitions. This report draws on what Power to Change has learned from funding, supporting and advocating for community business since 2015 about the challenges community businesses face in accessing the right types of...

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