It is characterised by an adherence to "principles of devolution, localisation and democratisation"[2] and foregrounds the belief that "communities have knowledge, skills and assets which mean they themselves are well placed to identify and respond to any challenges that they face".
Community power advocates contrast their approach to public service design and delivery with other models that they characterise as being driven by either state or market.
[12] One of these challenges is the fact that demand has been rising for acute public services of all kinds since 2010, while budgets, especially in local government, have been cut substantially.
Another perceived challenge relates to Britain’s unusual level of centralisation,[14] and an interpretation of political events in this country since 2016 as being driven by a dissatisfaction on the part of the British public with democratic institutions.
[21] At the national level, a group of 10 Conservative Party MPs co-authored a report exploring the potential for a right-wing vision of community power.