More attention to local planning

Most grant schemes operate by inviting applications from community organisations with final decisions being made purely on the basis of the application itself – rarely if ever asking whether the investment or grant aligns in any way with locally agreed priorities for the area. Many communities already have their own plans in place – but these are routinely ignored by the ‘system’. Earlier this year, SCA reviewed evidence of what was happening on the ground. Both funders and planners are missing a real trick by not engaging more directly with these local plans.