What does the guardian make of the Big Local?

“New resident-led regeneration scheme aims to transform communities”

Many of the big-budget regeneration projects since the 1980s made attempts to involve residents in their community’s transformation, some more successfully than others.

The Big Local is the latest programme to attempt resident-led change at neighbourhood level. Through it, the Big Lottery Fund in England is investing up to £200m in 150
neighbourhoods. Each area – covering between 3,000 to 10,000 people receives an endowment of at least £1m to be spent over 10 years.

There are some key differences between the Big Local and earlier schemes. While earlier regeneration schemes have been largely professional-led, even where
residents were involved, decision-making in Big Local areas rests firmly with boards requiring a minimum of 50% resident representation.

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