Report

Local, actually: establishing hyperlocal governance in England

This report from UK think tank Reform sets out policy ideas for a new kind of hyperlocal governance: a universal, capable, and empowered tier of Neighbourhood Councils.

A wave of local government reorganisation and regional devolution is sweeping across England, fundamentally changing the face of the local State. And as this happens, the gap at the neighbourhood level is growing ever wider. This lack of hyperlocal governance must be corrected in order to confront an eroding social fabric, declining institutional trust, and disenchanted communities around the country that are ever more detached from the decisions which affect their lives.

Local, actually sets out policy ideas for a new kind of hyperlocal governance: a universal, capable, and empowered tier of Neighbourhood Councils to ensure that every community – rural or urban – has a credible and representative local voice, in direct collaboration with local communities.

This report outlines a practical framework for ‘filling in the map’ of hyperlocal government through new Neighbourhood Councils and Combined Neighbourhood Councils, where existing parishes are encouraged to join forces and find a more sustainable population footprint in order to draw down new responsibilities from other tiers of government. This would enable communities to mobilise resources, manage local assets, and shape the decisions that affect them most. In places where no hyperlocal governance yet exists, local authorities will be required to support the spread of this tier through close coordination with community groups.

Local, actually calls for a renaissance of the neighbourhood, with governance that is not only resilient and democratically legitimate, but also embedded in the lives of communities; a vital foundation for a more responsive, participatory, and future-ready State.