Levelling up local outcomes: The importance of community spaces to neighbourhood regeneration

‘Left behind’ neighbourhoods in England are critically lacking in social infrastructure, with a far lower density of community assets than other similarly deprived areas and the national average.

In terms of community assets, these neighbourhoods are behind in almost every major category – ranging from cultural spaces and sports and leisure facilities, to community-owned assets. 

This paper is the first in a new ‘policy short’ series exploring the key issues facing ‘left behind’ neighbourhoods, providing an accessible overview of the evidence and key recommendations for generating long-term improvements for these areas and their residents.

Key recommendations: 

• A long-term, hyper-local, evidence-led strategy that places social infrastructure at the heart of levelling up

• A reinvented funding model that targets investment at ‘left behind’ neighbourhoods

• New community rights, underpinned by new resources from central government. 

Local Trust acted as secretariat to the APPG for ‘left behind’ neighbourhoods over the course of its activities in the 2019-2024 parliament.