The impact of local voluntary and community sector infrastructure on community involvement in rural regeneration partnerships

This article reviews the role of local voluntary and community sector infrastructure bodies in promoting and supporting community involvement in rural regeneration partnerships. It shows that they are an essential element in addressing the power and structural inequalities that have often dogged such partnerships in the past. The authors identify key approaches that these bodies can take, both to stimulate local grassroots community involvement in regeneration initiatives and to ensure that community representatives at the strategic level are sensitive to the needs and views of local communities.