Participation and community cohesion – exploring the link Dr Stella Creasy Deputy Director Involve

Why participation?... to improve services... to improve decisions... to improve democracy... to improve communities?

“if we build it they will come” Local Government White Papers Community call to action powers and participatory budgeting Devolved budgets to ward councillors Best Value framework to “ensure the participation of local citizens in [council] activities” Development Trusts and Community Asset Ownership 200 different neighbourhood initiatives in England (Carley 2005)

in one month you could go to ….. Neighbourhood Forum/ NDC Board Residents/Tenants Association Police Consultative Committee Surestart Board School Governing Body Community Council / Area forums Patient Forums Housing Association Management Board Scrutiny Committee Full Council Service user panels

…which could make you feel like this!

Participation can... “...[engender] public debate on issues in a way that improves understanding, promotes cohesion rather than division and makes people feel positive about getting involved”. Lyons Inquiry “help build cohesive and self confident communities” Local Government White Paper 2006

Everybody Needs Good Neighbours ? Evidence less clear cut Little practical guidance Study of those on the ground showed widespread agreement that Yes, bringing people together can strengthen communities... BUT there were also concerns...

...does the rhetoric match reality? “ asking people to share values and to share ideals and visions is kind of pie in the sky really” Bring people together around real-life issues that connect them Focus on actions, not rhetoric

...does the cohesion agenda ask too much? “ the term community cohesion implies that when people don’t want to mix, there is a problem” Ideal community that is active, socialising and engaging in institutions is not always realistic or desirable Lack of mixing could be reflection of demographic and lifestyle Find a definition that meets the needs and aspirations of the local community

...what about the underlying issues? “ trying to achieve cohesion is a tall order when people are living in deprivation and perceive the authorities to treat them unfairly ” Participation is no magic bullet but one tool amongst many Get to know the community: tailor cohesion strategies to local needs Don’t ignore underlying issues e.g. deprivation, inequality, discrimination, immigration

...the challenge of formalising the informal “informal methods are extremely powerful and difficult to measure” Learn from how people interact in the community In contrast – formal events can feel contrived Tap into and learn from existing networks and social activities rather than add more opportunities

...what about the bureaucratic barriers? “all we get is three to five years funding for projects, which means that we can’t do follow- through work” Gap between strategy and delivery leads to cross purposes and duplication of efforts Secure shared understanding and political buy-in See community cohesion as a golden thread Maintain a long-term perspective – this takes time!