The National Association of Local Councils (NALC) has responded to the government's rapid evidence review of community initiatives.
NALC stated that the review made a glaring omission by not citing and recognising the crucial role of local (parish and town) councils in their communities. NALC said that the review should have mentioned environmental capital — one of the keystones of sustainability — highlighting local councils' massive role in protecting it, such as park management.
The government's object for the review is:
- To explore the definitions and concepts of community infrastructure and social capital to help the government determine how and when to use different terminology.
- To understand the strength and breadth of the evidence base about what works to deliver thriving community (including community-led) initiatives to improve local community infrastructure and social capital.
- To understand what could be considered a success in community-led infrastructure initiatives and how government can deliver value-for-money interventions in this space.
- To understand the strength of evidence on these issues and identify gaps and how they could be filled.