Big Local is ending – but the legacy of resident-led change continues

Over the years, Big Local has shown us what is possible when communities are trusted with money, time and control — residents step up, forge connections, and build things designed to last. As the programme comes to an end, Local Trust’s chief executive, Rachel Rowney, reflects on 15 years of resident-led change, what made Big Local work, and why the idea behind it will continue.

Now that Big Local has come to an end, it feels like a moment of pride and reflection. 15 years ago an ambitious experiment began: 150 neighbourhoods across England were each given £1m along with the complete freedom to choose how it should be spent. The people who lived in those places would set the priorities, make the decisions and lead the work themselves.

More than the money, what made Big Local special was the time and trust it gave communities. Residents had 15 years to listen to one another, test approaches, debate, thrash ideas out and adapt if things didn’t work on the first run. More importantly they were given control. This was their money, to be spent on their terms, on behalf of their communities.

The connections and social bonds formed when residents came together – whatever the project, whatever was achieved – will last too.”

What residents achieved through long-term flexible funding

The results have been remarkable. Across England, thousands of residents stepped up to lead activities in their area. Together they backed youth projects, revived community spaces, supported local businesses and helped neighbours through the roughest of times.

In many places, they built things designed to last for a very long time. In Lawrence Weston, Bristol, residents bought a 4.3 kilowatt wind turbine that now channels electricity into around 3,500 homes.

Ambition Lawrence Weston’s community-owned wind turbine. Photo credit: Local Trust

In Ramsey, Huntingdonshire, locals saved the vital number 30 bus route from immediate closure. In Gateshead, partners worked from a bungalow to bring cycling clubs, allotments and affordable food pop-ups to the community. These are just three examples plucked from 150 areas, but they are typical. All are united by the same spirit, and the same idea.

And here’s the thing. Big Local is ending, but the blades of that turbine will keep rotating; the seeds in the allotment will continue to sprout, and the number 30 bus will carry on shuttling residents back and forth between Ramsey and Huntingdon.

The connections and social bonds formed when residents came together – whatever the project, whatever was achieved – will last too. Bonds formed in busy church halls, on the sidelines of football matches and in restored community spaces, whose renewal has given neighbours a new confidence in their ability to take control of their destiny, together.

Why the impact of Big Local will last beyond the programme

I have had the privilege of meeting many of the people who made Big Local succeed. And again and again I notice the same qualities: patience, determination and a great love of home. Big Local gave residents the means to act, yes. It gave them support. But it was the qualities, the energy and the extraordinary commitment of residents that made the programme a success.

Why resident-led change is shaping future policy and funding

There is a second legacy too.

Big Local has proved an important point – when people who live in a place have real influence over the decisions that shape it, they often find better answers than anyone else could give.

And the idea behind it, that ordinary people, trusted with time, money and responsibility, can achieve extraordinary things, is only growing stronger.”

The government’s Pride in Place Programme will give 284 areas up to £20m to spend over the next decade. It places local people at the centre of decision-making, reflecting the same instincts that shaped Big Local in the beginning. Big Local is going away, but the idea is not. Far from it: it is now being taken seriously on a much larger scale.

So this moment carries mixed feelings. Pride in what residents have achieved together. And a little sadness as the programme itself closes and comes to an end.

But nothing is ending, really. Big Local was always only meant to last 15 years. But the work it started will continue, across the country. And the idea behind it, that ordinary people, trusted with time, money and responsibility, can achieve extraordinary things, is only growing stronger.

Find out more about the legacy and impact of the Big Local programme on our new website Learning from Big Local.