Community involvement in rural regeneration partnerships in the UK: Evidence from England, Northern Ireland and Scotland

To date much research on community involvement in public-private partnerships for local development and regeneration has focused on urban areas. This report explores how such involvement works in rural communities, how this differs from the urban context and highlights the lessons for best practice.

It also the first study to explore such partnership across England, Scotland and Northern Ireland, rather than concentrating on the English experience alone. In particular, the report looks at the importance of:

• Local voluntary and community sector infrastructure in supporting community involvement;
• Community involvement in small-scale projects in order to build up expertise and confidence;
• Small-scale funding schemes to support community involvement.