Since coming to power, Labour has begun to give communities and neighbourhoods renewed attention, with Pride in Place marking an important shift towards longer-term investment and greater citizen involvement in some of the country’s most deprived places. Andy Burnham’s arrival in Downing Street creates an opportunity to go much further than we’ve seen up to now: to make his promise of “good growth in every postcode and hope in every heart” the foundation of a lasting and ambitious communities agenda. The government’s Rewiring the State statement reinforces that ambition, with an unequivocal call for decisions to be made closer to local communities, for people to be involved in shaping them, and for elected officials to be held to account.  Delivering on these promises will require devolution to be more than a transfer of power between institutions. It must be heard and felt on every doorstep – giving people greater influence over their communities and helping to rebuild trust between communities and the state – be that national, regional or local government. Done well, this could help realise Burnham’s first words on entering Number 10 – a call for “a new national sense of unity, of common purpose and positivity”. The question now is what this more ambitious communities agenda should look like in practice.