Two former ministers launch commission on community cohesion
Two former communities secretaries have launched a commission on community and cohesion aimed at rebuilding social connection across the UK.
John Denham and Sir Sajid Javid will chair the independent commission that will call on housing associations to submit evidence on how to strengthen community connectedness and resilience.
The aim is to develop recommendations for policymakers. It has the support of prime minister Sir Keir Starmer and opposition leader Kemi Badenoch.
Thinktank British Future and membership body Belong are supporting the scheme, which is convened by the Together Coalition.
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The first phase of work will include an initial call for evidence, focus groups and roundtables.
Sunder Katwala, director of British Future, said: “This first phase of the commission is all about gathering evidence of the challenges to cohesion and the responses that are most effective. So we’d like to hear from housing associations with evidence of what’s happening in communities across the country, and what they are doing to bring people together.”
Shalni Arora, co-chair of trustees at Belong, said: “Six months on from the summer riots, this commission could not come at a more pivotal moment for social cohesion in the UK. The country is feeling increasingly polarised and we are in desperate need of an honest conversation about where we go next.
“At Belong, we know from our work with local authorities, charities and faith networks that there are already those doing brilliant work on the ground in their local communities, but this commission offers a chance to join the dots.”
Following the riots in summer 2024, membership body the Housing Diversity Network issued advice to support tenants and communities. This included recommending that providers reach out to tenants who may have been directly affected by the disturbances.
Kelly Fowler, chief executive of Belong, added: “A national conversation that allows people to voice their concerns and, importantly, examines how we address them, is long overdue.
“Belong already works with a number of towns and cities across the UK to support efforts to connect people across divides and support the development of cohesion strategies in their areas. We know first-hand it is critical we involve local people in shaping priorities and building resilience in their communities.”
The organisations will also carry out a national survey and set up discussion groups across the UK, focusing on answering the question: ‘How do we live well together in our communities?’.
A final report will be published at the end of the project.
