A Big Local Basic Income: Resident Perspectives

Local Trust is an independent charitable trust that runs the Big Local programme. Big Local is a 15-year Big Lottery funded initiative to support 150 communities in England. Each Big Local area has been awarded £1.15m to spend over 10-15 years. The work in areas is led by local volunteers, and areas set their own priorities. The Big Local programme is administered by Local Trust, which also provides training, networking, research and support to areas. They are committed to putting more power, resources and decision making into the hands of local communities to enable them to transform and improve their lives, and the places in which they live.

The Basic Income Conversation is an organisation dedicated to increasing the debate about basic income in the UK. They believe that a basic income needs to be built from the ground up. This is to ensure a basic income becomes something that everyone in the UK feels they have a right to, like the NHS.

Also, as a basic income goes to everyone, everyone should have their say on how it is designed if it is to provide genuine financial security to all. The Basic Income Conversation team were keen to work with the Local Trust and Big Locals to ensure people in left behind areas are included in the discussion. They felt their values, and the values of a basic income, aligned well with the approach the Big Local programme takes to provide access to resources and decision making at a hyperlocal level.