The Act creates a once-in-a-generation opportunity to strengthen neighbourhood governance across England. It arrives at a moment when racial tensions and division are rising. At the time of writing violence has erupted in multiple parts of the UK and many racialised and minoritised communities are reporting unprecedented levels of intimidation and fear.

This act must be used to its best effect for the UK’s diverse and multicultural population, to meet this moment. As communities, local authorities, and elected representatives consider what arrangements will work best in their areas, a critical question must be answered:

How do we ensure power is shared with communities themselves, rather than simply devolved between institutions? 

Existing approaches can play a valuable role in local governance. But none of them places residents themselves at the centre of listening, priority-setting, and action. That is what Neighbourhood Assemblies do. 

Neighbourhood Assemblies are a new model of community-led neighbourhood governance: organised and facilitated by local residents and community organisations; funded directly by National Government as democratic infrastructure; rooted in approximately ward-sized areas defined by residents; shaped through listening campaigns and responsive to ongoing action; mandated to steward local budgets and assets, and shape policy priorities; and independent but complementary to existing democratic systems.

This model has been co-developed through structured interviews with 17 experienced community organisers and deliberative practitioners in the Humanity Project network.