This paper considers the limited conceptual focus of community development activity in the United Kingdom. It argues that workers need to equip themselves with a broader theoretical understanding of the world. Currently, Freire and Gramsci provide a theoretical underpinning for critical community development practice. However, it is argued that this takes us only so far. The paper suggests that community development workers could usefully apply ideas drawn from ‘theories of everyday life’. To explore how this might work in practice six, short case studies are considered.