Charities and civil society organisations have been asked to share their views on how to “build more connected, cohesive, and resilient communities” in light of last summer’s riots.
The Independent Commission on Communities and Cohesion, which launched this spring, has issued a call for evidence to help shape the early phase of its work.
Hosted by the Together Initiative and co-chaired by former cabinet ministers John Denham and Sajid Javid, the commission aims to develop recommendations for policymakers and a collective vision for the future of communities.
Separately, the Voluntary and Community Sector Emergencies Partnership and Neighbourly Lab have released a joint report highlighting how “communities can bolster their resilience against riots, should they happen in future”.
Call for evidence
The Together Coalition said it has been calling for “coherent and enduring plans to lay the foundations for a more united country”.
These include having local lives and places built on people working together, sharing common stories and building nations, cities, counties and towns where all individuals belong and participate.
“Whilst being aware of the government’s short-term plans [to publish a communities strategy in spring 2025] and engaging with them, the commission is focused on longer-term solutions to what are complex challenges,” it wrote in the call for evidence document.
“Consequently, as a starting point, we’re especially interested in how respondents understand building community (bonding), community cohesion (bridging), community strength or resilience (the ability to react positively at times of challenge and to avoid difference becoming division) and shared stories (making us feel part of the same nation).”
The deadline for submissions is 28 March 2025.
The second phase of the commission’s work will seek citizens’ views, with a final report to be published at the end of the project.
Report on resilience against future riots
Meanwhile, the Voluntary and Community Sector Emergencies Partnership’s and Neighbourly Lab’s joint report sets out how communities can bolster their resilience against future riots.
The Riots to Resilience: Five ways to turn lessons into action report documents the experiences of 80 local, national and statutory organisations affected by the August 2024 riots.
The five recommended ways to increase society’s resilience are know your communities; know your leaders; know your places; know your sources of information; and know your history.
Marnie Freeman, co-founder and director of Neighbourly Lab, said: “We heard that good information flow between organisations of different size, sector and scale was vital. Where it wasn’t in place, communication felt confused and chaotic, and mis and disinformation did more damage.
“We heard about the importance of visible and vocal leadership and of members of the public showing solidarity.
“And we heard that sadly, in some areas, people have experienced an increase in racism, Islamophobia and harassment since the riots happened, causing them to withdraw from local services or make changes to their day-to-day lives, like travelling in pairs, to feel safer.
“Learning from the range of experiences across England has meant we can share strategies to help build resilience in the future.”
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