Community Hubs in Lancashire and South Cumbria: Emergence, Development and Next Steps Research Project: Final Report – Executive Summary

Abstract

Introduction
This report summarises research into the emergence and development of community hubs within Lancashire and South Cumbria (L&SC). The project has been funded by the University of Central Lancashire (UCLan) and was developed following discussions with the Partnerships Manager at Community Futures – the Community Council of Lancashire. It acknowledges a degree of confusion and overlap regarding hubs in the L&SC region, some led by the VCSFE and others by the statutory sector. It addresses differences in perceptions of the role and function of hubs and aims to give an overview of the emerging landscape, challenges, motivations and drivers for hub formation, as well as reflecting on public and VCFSE sector perspectives.

Aims and Objectives
Aims
a) To characterise the emergence and development of community hubs in Lancashire and Cumbria, accounting for their diversity and the key challenges they are attempting to address.
b) To inform the development of a joined-up, coherent and sustainable approach to establishing effective community hubs in L&SC.

Objectives
a) To examine the approaches to developing and resourcing community hubs within L&SC.
b) To gain an overview of existing and proposed community hub-related developments within L&SC.
c) To increase understanding of how these community hub-related developments are responding to community need, infrastructure and provision.
d) To underpin a joined-up approach to working across sectors within L&SC and produce policy recommendations that can lead to better outcomes and less duplication.

Methods
The study followed a mixed-methods approach and ethical approval was secured from the relevant UCLan Ethics Committee. Three phases of data collection included:
Desk-based research and mapping exercise.
Semi-structured interviews with decision makers and project managers from public bodies.
Small-group and individual interviews with participants from a sample of community hubs.