Power to Change unveils guidance for ‘Community Improvement Districts’
This week, Power to Change unveiled new practical guidance to bring the concept of a 'community improvement district' to life. Ian Harvey was a member of the advisory board for Power to Change's Community Improvement District Work. Further details on the guidance can be found here.
The guidance primarily caters to community businesses, local authorities, organisations, and groups with a vision to empower communities in leading the revitalisation of their town centres. It outlines four distinct stages of community-led high street regeneration, provides clear explanations for the typical practical steps necessary for such groups, and showcases captivating case studies. The authors behind this valuable resource are Kate Swade and Julian Dobson. We will be inviting the authors to an event to discuss the guidance.
Civic Voice's thinking has evolved from calling for Community Improvement Districts to be more specific. Our manifesto for 2019-2023 called for all Business Improvement Districts to have a mechanism for meaningful community input to shape local spending priorities. We will discuss this with The BID Foundation at a future webinar.
This guidance represents another significant effort to help reshape the narrative, with an unwavering emphasis on empowering local communities to play a more prominent role in shaping the future of our high streets. We understand that many civic societies and community groups will find this report interesting. We routinely receive feedback from the High Street Task Force team regarding civic societies' pivotal role in towns nationwide. Have you been involved with the High Street Task Force? Please do share your experiences with us.