Brits are proud of where they live but don’t feel they are benefiting from increased investment: new polling

Boarded-up high streets and pothole-ridden roads top the list of voter concerns as new polling reveals a disconnect between how proud people are of the areas they live in and the feeling that they do not know about or aren’t feeling the benefits of investment in their local community.

Ahead of the local elections, new research by JL Partners for the Social Value Commission – an independent group of major UK businesses – reveals that while nearly half the country (46%) are proud of where they live, only 37% of people feel their area is thriving. Over half of respondents (53%) who said that their area was not thriving consider the declining high street to be the biggest reason why, with 44% of all respondents citing potholes as the single biggest annoyance in their area.

While the research finds less than 1 in 10 people trust the national government to deliver tangible benefits to local communities, the polling does find that the majority of people are not opposed to investment and development (net score of +47 in favour of local investment), especially when it comes to providing more housing and public services such as local schools and pharmacies.

The research, which includes polling of 8,000 people and four focus groups across the UK, finds:

• Almost half of UK residents (46%) are proud of where they live - more than twice as many as those who are not (17%) – a net pride score of +29
• 8 out of 10 people feel they haven’t received any positive tangible day-to-day  benefits from investment and infrastructure projects in their local area
• Focus group participants in Hastings, for example, felt frustrated that the Levelling Up Fund  didn’t deliver any lasting benefit to their community because of a lack of local understanding.
• 57% of people living in more rural communities are proud of where they live with Tewkesbury leading the way as the proudest constituency in Britain (net pride score of +69), followed by Mid Leicestershire (+65), Sussex Weald (+64), Horsham (+64) and Stirling and Strathallan (+63).
• People living in Peterborough are the least proud of where they live (net pride score of -4), followed by Bermondsey and Old Southwark (+11), Manchester Central (+15), Erith and Thamesmead (+18) and Tooting (+18).
• When it comes to whether they feel their communities are thriving, Londoners are the most positive, with a net thriving score of +28. In comparison, people living in Scotland and Wales feel like their areas are not thriving (net thriving score of -2 for Scotland and -5 for Wales)      

Over the past 5 years, 57% of respondents said they were aware of significant infrastructure projects and investments that had taken place in their area. However, over a third of people (35%) felt they hadn’t been consulted on these projects and would like to have been.

The Social Value Commission, a group which includes a number of well-known companies including E.ON UK, Heathrow Airport, Knight Dragon, Mott MacDonald, Mitie, Pension Insurance Corporation, Premier League and VodafoneThree, will be producing a number of recommendations before the end of the year to ensure local communities have a greater say in local investment and how projects including new transport, energy, mobile and housing could create long lasting socio-economic value that people can benefit from.

Dom Veney, Interim CEO of Pension Insurance Corporation and Business Chair of the Social Value Commission said:

“Social value is not just a phrase - it is central to our business. As long-term investors in communities, we know development must deliver lasting benefits for local people. Social value should be shaped by local needs, informed by clear data, and driven by strong community partnerships. We are proud to work with leading businesses on this project to advance social value creation and support the delivery of more homes and infrastructure that benefit both local communities and wider economic growth.”

Guy Miscampbell, Director at JL Partners, said:

“It’s clear that Brits feel proud of their local area, even if they’re well aware of its shortcomings. The good news for the Government is that they are clear about what would improve their local areas, and there is a lot of low-hanging fruit. The question is how they can make sure that local investment best goes to the places people think it is needed, such as potholes and local services.”