Citizen leadership
The context
Citizen leaders can be anyone who uses services locally and can represent their local communities. This can be at an individual level, or organisational level by working directly with organisations to support how they deliver services, or at a strategic level where they are involved in deciding how services are designed, accessed, and improved. This subject was high in demand, and so we created two cohorts of networks, starting in September and November 2025.
IMPACT Factfile
- Year: 2025 – 2026
- Delivery Model: Networks
- Themes:
Network Meetings
Networks are meeting across the UK, coordinated by:
Cohort 1
People First Scotland
Public Engagement Agency Ltd (PEA)
Changes Plus
Newham Council
Reading Borough Council
In Control Partnerships/Social Care Future
Cohort 2
Rethink Mental Illness
Legacy Foundation Global CIC
Curators of Change Collective CIC
Centre for Independent Living Northern Ireland (in conjunction with Disability Action)
All Wales Mental Health & Wellbeing Forum and Conwy Connect
Healthwatch Cumberland
KeyRing Independent Living Services
Evidence review
The involvement of people in decision-making has grown in recent decades, which has mirrored the growth in policy and legislation focused on people’s rights. The review evidenced that being a citizen leader requires specific skills, which can be supported through training programmes, but equally those working with citizen leaders need support and training to understand the role and how it will impact on their own working practices.
New ways of looking at leadership were also highlighted in the review, such as collaborative leadership. Understanding what makes a good leader is crucial to enable a shared ownership and responsibility between citizen leaders and those who traditionally held power within services.
Recruitment needs a good understanding of what motivates people to become citizen leaders, and the evidence highlighted the importance of an accurate title for the position (which may not be ‘citizen leader).
The review found benefits from the inclusion of citizen leaders, and that while there may be some financial outlay for instigating citizen leaders into service developments, reviews, and planning (for example for recruitment and training), there are small, cost-less changes that can impact on including citizen leaders.
Cohort 1 – Meeting 1 and 2
The first cohort met and they identified some key discussion topics:
the value and importance of citizen leaders, particularly when focused on improving services.
People aren’t always included or heard, and that systems and culture need to change.
Many barriers were identified e.g. not being inclusive, lack of funds, space, and opportunity, and not being accommodating of people with diverse backgrounds and needs.
Training was seen as very important, not just for people wanting to become citizen leaders, but for anyone that they work with from local authorities, charities, community groups, and service providers.
Confusion about use of terms co-production and citizen leadership. More information to help define co-production and citizen leadership was provided at the end of the discussion material.
Engaging with people at all levels of service provision was noted as a key component in getting citizen leaders included in decision-making.
The increased use and preference for online and digital communication was identified as a challenge as they were not easily accessed or used by some community members.
Participants across the networks in cohort 1 agreed:
- Clearer language about power and influence is needed.
- Citizen Leadership is different from co-production: it is long-term rather than time-limited.
- It is collective, relational, and non-hierarchical, rejecting tokenism.
- It is something people do, not a role they are formally given.
- Confidence is both a driver and an outcome, supported by recognition from peers and organisations.
- The aim is to move from having a voice to having real influence within systems.
The networks identified these methods to support Citizen Leadership.
- Co-produced learning was highlighted as key, with training being most effective when citizen leaders help design and deliver it.
- Community hub models were also seen as valuable spaces where residents, local authorities, and third-sector organisations can connect, enabling people to initiate and lead local solutions and helping systems move from consultation to co-production and citizen leadership.
- Standardised Measures for evaluating impact of coproduction and citizen leaders
Cohort 2 – Meeting 1
The second cohort also generated a range of important areas of discussion in their first meeting:
Citizen leadership is about people having real influence over decisions that affect their lives, rather than holding formal titles. Many people lead change without identifying as “leaders”, and citizen leadership is understood as reclaiming power and holding systems accountable to communities.
The language used in citizen leadership is important, as institutional or jargon-heavy terms can exclude people. Using simple, human language helps people feel respected and supports a shift in power and relationships.
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