Evaluation Report Neighbourhood Planning Capacity
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Evaluation Report Neighbourhood Planning Capacity Building in Deprived Areas December 2015 - June 2016 Table of Contents Table of Contents ....................................................................................................... 0 Introduction ................................................................................................................ 2 Background ................................................................................................... 2 Objectives of the programme ........................................................................ 3 Programme design and delivery ................................................................... 3 Programme learning ..................................................................................... 5 Section 1: Research and learning methodology ............................................. 0 Our approach ................................................................................................ 0 Research methods ......................................................................................... 0 Limitations of research methods .................................................................... 2 Section 2: Selection process and six pilot areas ............................................. 3 Section 3: Overview of training and capacity building ................................ 6 Facilitator support ......................................................................................... 6 Training design workshop ............................................................................. 6 Development of local training plans .............................................................. 6 Delivery of local training plans ...................................................................... 7 Delivery of community activities ................................................................... 8 Participant feedback ................................................................................... 10 Selection of participant quotes .................................................................... 11 Section 4: Area Journeys ...................................................................................... 15 Basildon, East of England ............................................................................ 15 Blakelaw, North East .................................................................................... 21 Beechwood, North West .............................................................................. 27 Burnt Oak, London ...................................................................................... 33 Calderdale, Yorkshire and Humberside ...................................................... 40 Tipton, West Midlands................................................................................. 46 Section 5: Outcomes and key findings ............................................................ 51 Survey data ................................................................................................. 52 Limitations of outcome data ......................................................................... 53 Analysis of outcome data ............................................................................. 54 Section 6: Conclusions and recommendations ............................................ 66 1.Stimulate the market ................................................................................. 66 2. Identify ‘opportunity’ areas ..................................................................... 67 3. Align message to motive ......................................................................... 67 4. Redistribute resources into deprived, urban areas .................................. 69 5. Empower and enable community organisations ...................................... 69 6. A funded programme of face-face support .............................................. 70 7. Bite-sized training .................................................................................... 71 8. Link spatial to social ................................................................................ 72 9. Join up at the neighbourhood and national level ...................................... 73 10. Clear, time-bound programme .............................................................. 74 11. Iterative engagement ............................................................................ 74 12. Getting Started Funds ............................................................................ 75 13. An effective digital solution ................................................................... 75 Section 7: Acknowledgements ........................................................................... 77 1 Introduction This report presents the findings of the Neighbourhood Planning Capacity Building in Deprived Areas project: a DCLG funded programme to support deprived urban areas to engage with neighbourhood planning. The report outlines the journey of the six neighbourhoods involved and provides an analysis of the outcomes of the programme. It also provides recommendations for how to encourage a greater take up of neighbourhood planning in the future. Background Neighbourhood planning is one of the government’s flagship policies for devolving power and decision making to local communities. The government wants communities to become more self-reliant and to take advantage of new powers that are available to them to improve their local areas, including through neighbourhood planning. Although the take up of neighbourhood planning across England since the Localism Act came into force in 2011 has been good, it is by no means universal. There are parts of the country where take up is low, and urban areas in particular have been slow to take advantage of the opportunity. The Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) commissioned the Neighbourhood Planning Capacity Building in Deprived Areas project to build the capacity of community organisations in six of the country’s most deprived areas so that they can advocate for neighbourhood planning and support communities to take up the opportunity. The project fits into the neighbourhood planning mobilisation strategy which sets out a number of activities that will create a big ‘push’, resulting in many more communities becoming aware of neighbourhood planning and the benefits of taking it up. The aim is to create a pipeline of new communities coming forward to deliver neighbourhood planning in the future. 2 Objectives of the programme The programme was designed to achieve four main objectives: • To build the capacity of local voluntary and community organisations in six areas in the most deprived 20% of wards, on the Index of Multiple Deprivation (IMD) 2015 to enable them to raise awareness of neighbourhood planning within their local community through a greater understanding of the process and benefits of neighbourhood planning; • To support the community organisations to deliver on-the-ground activities in their local communities, funded through small grants awarded to the organisations and designed to encourage local people to get involved; • To inspire similar communities and enable them to take up neighbourhood planning through capturing and disseminating the learning from this project, through the production of legacy materials including training materials and case studies; • In the long term, to increase the number of communities in deprived areas who are using neighbourhood planning to take control of how their area develops in the future. However, it is recognised that this outcome will take place beyond the end of this project. Programme design and delivery Renaisi worked in partnership with Tony Burton CBE, the Community Development Foundation (CDF) and a cohort of Renaisi associates who work as Big Local reps to design and deliver the programme. Delivery partners’ lead roles and responsibilities are outlined below. Service provider Activity Renaisi Overall project management, quality assurance, and research and evaluation Tony Burton CBE Design of training programme and provision of neighbourhood planning expertise and support Neighbourhood Facilitators Recruit community organisations and deliver programme of training and capacity building CDF Grant management and due diligence of community organisations 3 A summary of the programme with key milestones is outlined below and are described in more detail in section 3 of the report. Date Activity Dec 2015 Six neighbourhoods identified amongst the most deprived 20% on the Index of Multiple Deprivation Jan 2016 Six local community organisations selected within the identified neighbourhoods, spread across 6 regions Jan 2016 Training plans developed and agreed with each area Jan – March Training and capacity building delivered in each area 2016 Jan - March Getting Started’ project plans completed by each organisation and engagement 2016 activities delivered March 2016 Forward plans completed by each organisation setting out future mobilisation activities in their communities March – June Links established between community organisations and other neighbourhood 2016 planning areas May - June Production of legacy materials to inspire other areas to take up neighbourhood 2016 planning June 2016 Production of evaluation report to capture the project and share learning and recommendations 4 Programme learning The delivery of the programme varied in each of the neighbourhoods, in order to