Building Connection: how local community action promotes social cohesion

In response to the Equality and Social Justice Committee’s inquiry into social cohesion, BCT’s Policy and Research Advisor, Eleri Williams, explores how local community action promotes social cohesion and identifies the changes needed to maximise this contribution.

We believe social cohesion comes from a feeling of togetherness which relies upon three linked elements:

·        inclusive, accessible and sustainable community-led organisations

·        the presence of and access to social infrastructure (ideally community owned or led spaces and places)

·         social capital in the form of strong levels of trust between people, groups and across sectors

Whilst few of the community groups and organisations we work with would describe their work as focusing on “social cohesion”, this lack of labelling does not diminish the vital contributions they make to building stronger connections and fostering a sense of belonging locally.

We deliberately take a broad (and optimistic) view of social cohesion, linking it to the Wellbeing of Future Generations Act’s vision as part of the cohesive communities goal, defined in law as “attractive, safe, viable and well-connected”. This appears to contrast with the narrowly focused governmental delivery plans, which emphasises action to mitigate and ameliorate challenges related to discrimination and prejudice. Whilst these reactive actions are unfortunately, necessary, they do not represent the full range of approaches to building social cohesion.

In contrast to this approach, we’d like to see a greater focus on upstream and preventative approaches which actively build and bolster a sense of togetherness and connection across any lines of difference.  To truly bolster social cohesion, government, the public sector and community organisations should not be working in silo. Collaboration and co-production approaches are vital to building social cohesion throughout Wales.     

Inclusive, accessible, sustainable community organisations
Having a locally based group to participate in, can help reduce loneliness and isolation, and provide opportunities for people to have fun, learn new skills and make new friends. This is in addition to providing urgent assistance and support, often in ‘out of hours’ or on weekends. Throughout BCT’s Invest Local and Community Anchor Development Programmes there are numerous examples of informal chances for people to meet, socialise, gain skills and have fun: Hubberston and Hakin Community Centre, Cefn Golau’s Multi-Use-Games Facility, MaesGeirchen’s Fun Zone, coffee mornings and Craft Club in Clase, all of which help to build stronger connections and contribute to improved social cohesion.

Social infrastructure
Another essential factor in building social cohesion is provision of social infrastructure; the spaces and places for community groups to run activities from. The importance of free or low-cost spaces and places for people to go, things to do and people to meet, is even more acute following a sustained period of austerity, underinvestment and hollowing out in some communities. In England alone, an estimated 75,000 council assets, with an estimated value of £15 billion have been sold since 2010. In Wales, the scale of loss is unknown.

Whilst maintaining and protecting existing assets remains important, it is not enough to build social cohesion. There are growing levels of interest in ownership and control of facilities. Many community organisations are prioritising this, to ensure an asset’s survival, preventing its permanent loss from public sector cuts and revitalising communities along the way. Without access to community-owned or led assets, community activity becomes much more challenging as accessible locations are a prerequisite for most things that people want to do.

Legislation in England and Scotland ensures communities have the option of a right to buy key assets when they come up for sale. In Wales, where no such rights exist, communities are the least empowered when it comes to community ownership rights, leaving them dependent on the goodwill of landowners to retain or take on valuable community assets.

Without changes to the policy and practice guiding community ownership rights, the avenues open to community groups to own, manage or control key assets are limited. This reduces the scope for community action to promote social cohesion.  

Social capital
Alongside social infrastructure, strong social capital is necessary for building social cohesion. The ability to trust one another is vital to sustain community action, which is largely voluntary in nature. Fundamental to the success of community organisations and action is the ability to engender trust within their local neighbourhoods and the quality of relationships with local people. Trust is necessary within community groups and between them (as well as with partners in other sectors).

We have witnessed a legacy of mistrust between residents and potential partner organisations in several of the communities where we work. Some of this can be traced to the long-term impact of cuts in public funding, ongoing stigma from public bodies and the legacy of mistrust left by earlier development initiatives that were felt to have failed in some communities. If left unresolved, a high degree of mistrust can pause or even delay collaborative working which in turn inhibits action to strengthen social cohesion.

Where there are lower levels of trust and weaker social capital, attempts to strengthen social cohesion can be hampered. Undoubtedly, cuts to services undermine trust in public bodies and act as a barrier to future collaborations. It is therefore necessary for decisionmakers to prioritise developing a communities strategy incorporating a framework for cross sectoral collaboration and measures to build social capital.  

It is without question that community action helps to promote social cohesion by providing chances to build connection along lines of difference. In the current climate of growing mistrust and division, decision makers must focus on preventative approaches, building social infrastructure and social capital, to help meet the vision of “attractive, safe, viable and well-connected” communities across Wales.