Everybody needs good neighbourhoods

Local Trust commissioned this research to test our hypothesis that ‘locality working’ through neighbourhood-based initiatives (NBIs) at the hyper-local level – particularly those, like the Big Local partnerships, led by local residents themselves – have a positive impact on a local area and the people who live there.

Conducted over the past two years by Local Trust and our partners at Oxford Consultants for Social Inclusion (OCSI) and Shared Intelligence, the research is a unique mix of qualitative and quantitative data gathering and analysis. It seeks to assess the effect of NBIs – such as those funded through the Big Local programme  – on crime, anti-social behaviour and other ‘liveability’ issues in deprived areas, and what part NBIs can play in strengthening crucial social capital.

Our research found that, compared to the ‘benchmark’ areas with no evidence of neighbourhood-based working, Big Local areas and other examples of communities with NBIs exhibit:

• lower overall levels of crime
• a greater reduction in levels of anti-social behaviour
• a greater reduction in levels of criminal damage
• a better neighbourhood environment
• fewer empty homes
• stronger local social relationships (such as connections between neighbours).

Read the report to find out more about our methods, findings and recommendations.