The importance of social cohesion and communities

Approximate read time: 30 minutes

On 6 December 2024 the House of Lords is due to consider the following motion:

The Archbishop of York to move that this House takes note of the importance of social cohesion and strong, supportive community life during periods of change and global uncertainty.

The issues around social cohesion are broad and complex. Whilst the focus of debate in the UK has often been on the international dimension, social cohesion and strong and supportive communities is also a domestic issue, extending into many areas. In his response to the King’s Speech this year, the Archbishop of York emphasised the importance of building consensus and working together in response to what he described as an erosion of respect for the rule of law and convention:

No one meant it to happen, but there has been an erosion of respect for the rule of law, convention and the weighty responsibility to tell the truth. However, the nature of our uncodified constitution is that it relies as much on conventions that are derived from tradition as anything else. Therefore, it is up to us to respect each other, listen to each other, build consensus and work together.^[1]

1. What does the term social cohesion mean?

1.1 United Nations Economic Commission for Europe

The United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) has described social cohesion as “broadly speaking […] the ‘glue’ that binds society together”.^[2] UNECE argues that understanding social cohesion can help with the understanding of topics such as:

• globalisation
• ethnic and group fragmentation
• inequalities
• barriers to social mobility

The UNECE has said that despite this, creating a precise definition of social cohesion can be difficult:

It’s not something that can be directly observed or measured, and encapsulates a whole host of different dimensions, which can be overly broad and all-encompassing if not adequately defined through a set of relevant dimensions and levels of analysis.^[3]

Although defining the concept is challenging, the UNECE states that societies with higher levels of social cohesion “are documented as generally being healthier, more resilient to external shocks and crises, and experiencing higher economic growth”.^[4] The UNECE argues that reduced social cohesion is characterised by a “diminished sense of belonging, increasing inequality of opportunity, declining trust in institutions, weakened social ties and numerous other economic, social, and political phenomena”.^[5]

Whilst social cohesion is said by the UNECE to be a “latent concept” that is not directly observable or measurable, it has also said it is measured through key dimensions of interest which can include:

• sense of trust
• sense of belonging
• legitimacy of institutions
• sense of recognition
• social inclusion
• social capital
• civic engagement
• shared values^[6]

The UNECE has argued that social cohesion should be defined by what it is, rather than what it is not. However, the organisation has argued that it can also be useful to examine how threats to social cohesion impact the various cohesiveness dimensions. In a report examining the conceptualisation and measurement of social cohesion, the UNECE categorised threats to social cohesion into the following three groups:

• Economic. Economic threats to social cohesion include forms of relative deprivation (eg inequality), absolute deprivation (eg poverty, lack of access to necessary services, lack of economic security), and low social mobility.
• Socio-cultural. A broad range of social and cultural issues are also of relevance to social cohesion. National identity, shared values (within or between groups), widespread impacts of digitalisation, and a number of social anxieties can impact social cohesion.
• Political. Political threats to social cohesion, and perhaps most specifically political polarisation, are relevant to social cohesion. Political polarisation, defined as the process whereby differences between groups are increasingly condensed into a homogeneous dimension, can lead to animosity between ‘in-group’ and ‘out-group’ members, which in turn hinders cohesiveness.^[7]

However, the UNECE has also stated that the concept of social cohesion has been criticised for being “overly broad and all-encompassing”.^[8] It has said there is a balance between defining the concept broadly or being more specific:

Such breadth facilitates wide-ranging analytical possibilities but can also diminish the guidance that the concept provides in identifying key issues and trends. Identifying threats to social cohesion is challenging in this context. If left vaguely defined, the utility of social cohesion is limited in contrast with more narrowly defined concepts that can be applied to specific issues and contexts.^[9]

1.2 Khan review on threats to social cohesion and democratic resilience

In her recent review of social cohesion for the UK government, Dame Sara Khan also reflected on the potential breath of the concept, stating that “‘social cohesion’ as a term can mean different things to different people”.^[10] In her review, Dame Sara states:

Social cohesion is concerned with how we live well together in a diverse democracy and how we peacefully navigate disagreements for the common good, despite the differences among us.^[11]

Referencing the work of Professor Ted Cantle, who led the official review following the 2001 race riots, Dame Sara said that the characteristics of a cohesive community and society include:

• being able to provide a positive and common vision of our country
• nurturing a sense of belonging for all citizens
• cultivating a stronger sense of an individual’s rights and responsibilities
• providing similar opportunities and access to services to people from all backgrounds
• appreciating and recognising the value of diversity among people
• encouraging meaningful relationships between people from differing backgrounds in their local areas

The Khan review argued that in a cohesive democratic society it is essential that there is common ground around which different groups and identities can coalesce. Dame Sara believed that this common ground must be “based on the fundamental principles of democracy including the democratic rights and freedoms of all within our society” and that:

These principles include but are not limited to the importance of individual liberty, non-discrimination, freedom of expression, freedom of religion or belief, gender and racial equality and human rights.^[12]

The review argued that individuals could not be forced to value these principles but social cohesion was an important concept for preserving rights and freedoms:

One cannot force individuals to value any of these principles—what we value is complex, personal and cultural. However, social cohesion can help individuals to respect, appreciate and abide by such principles and norms as a basis for preserving their own rights and freedoms. More than a form of social contract, this should form part of the common ground that helps bind diverse groups together in a pluralistic society. The support, protection, and defence of democratic rights and freedoms must lie at the heart of social cohesion.^[13]

2. Impact of the conflict in the Middle East on social cohesion in the UK

The subject of social cohesion and the importance of strong communities in the UK has recently been informed and influenced by international events such as the conflict in the Middle East, which has followed the attacks by Hamas on Israel on 7 October 2023. The Community Security Trust, a charity that works to protect British Jews from terrorism and antisemitism, has reported increased levels of antisemitic incidents following these events.^[14] Tell MAMA, a service for reporting anti-Muslim incidents, has also reported increased levels of anti-Muslim incidents.^[15] The most recent official statistics by the Home Office on hate crime show that although hate crime offences recorded by the police decreased 5% between 2022/23 and 2023/24they remained higher than 2020/21 and followed year-on-year increases between 2012/13 and 2021/22.^[16] The Home Office also explains that while there was an overall decrease between 2022/23 and 2023/24, “there was a 25% increase in religious hate crimes compared with the previous year”. The department’s report states that “as in previous years, the majority of hate crimes were racially motivated, accounting for over two-thirds of such offences (70%; 98,799 offences)”.

In her review on social cohesion and democratic resilience, Dame Sara described the events in the Middle East as a “stark reminder” that “national and international events feed polarisation and division on our streets”.^[17]

3. Recent reports on social cohesion and communities

This section provides information on three recent reports that address different areas within the general scope of social cohesion and strong and supportive communities.

3.1 ‘Love matters’: Strengthening family life in England—Archbishops’ Commission on Families and Households

The Church of England has highlighted the importance of family life and described it as the “base unit of our communities”.^[18] However, it has also highlighted recent challenges brought about by global and domestic issues. In the foreword to ‘Love matters’, the final report of the Archbishops’ Commission on Families and Households published in April 2023, the Archbishops of Canterbury and York argued for the importance of families and households to society:

Our flourishing as a society depends on the flourishing of our families and households, the base unit of our communities. We can only solve the most intractable policy challenges of our times by ensuring that families and households are at the heart of our collective thinking and actions.^[19]

The Archbishops’ Commission on Families and Households was established in March 2021 by the Archbishops of Canterbury and York.^[20] The genesis of the commission was the 2018 book by outgoing Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby entitled ‘Reimagining Britain: Foundations for Hope’.^[21] In it, the Archbishop pointed to the centrality of the family in every community, while also recognising the diverse nature of families in the 21st century. As explained by the commission:

Cautioning against idolising families, Archbishop Justin acknowledged that family life, while being the greatest source of contentment and hope, can also be the main location of despair and the cause of unhappiness and trauma. He therefore questioned how families should be understood in modern society, and the values that will support and sustain them. Drawing attention to the ‘gross inequalities’ in education, health and income, and the importance of reimagining the common good, Archbishop Justin asked readers of his book to consider the kind of society they want to build for the future.^[22]

The commission said that since the publication of the Archbishop of Canterbury’s book, “the last three years have witnessed unforeseen dramatic events such that it is even more critical to answer the questions” it had posed. It highlighted the following global and domestic challenges:^[23]

• Covid-19 pandemic. The report said that the pandemic had “turned everyone’s life upside-down” and required politicians and individuals to remain vigilant “as we learn to live with a potentially deadly virus, and with the long-term detrimental consequences and impacts of Covid-19 and the severe restrictions which were imposed on all of us”.
• Cost of living crisis. The report highlighted the impact of increases in energy costs which accompanied “the dramatic increase in the cost of living which reached crisis point in 2022”. It argued that families and households had not been prepared for this and had only begun to recover from the impacts of the 2008 financial crash. Referencing choices faced by people “between eating and heating”, the report stated that “it was inevitable that families and households already experiencing poverty would struggle even more to make ends meet”.
• Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The report said that the “extensive destruction of communities” in Ukraine brought about by Russia’s invasion “threatened global security, and negatively impacted the supply of vital grain and energy across the globe”, hitting the poorest countries most harshly. ‘Love matters’ also highlighted the separation of Ukrainian families as a result of the war, and that particularly women and children had had to leave in search of safety, including coming to Britain.
• Continuing humanitarian disasters. The report referenced earthquakes in Turkey and Syria as an example of humanitarian disasters elsewhere in the world. It also stated that “ongoing conflicts and repressive regimes continue to blight the lives of many millions of children and families”. ‘Love matters’ said that these conflicts and disasters lead many people to flee areas, sometimes through economic migration and some as asylum seekers and refugees. The report argues that “it is essential that Western societies and the wealthier nations of the world find new ways to ensure protection and a fair, just and compassionate approach to the plight of those seeking a safe place to live”.
• Climate change. ‘Love matters’ referenced the Archbishop of Canterbury as describing climate change as “an existential danger to the planet and to its human occupants”. The report also pointed to the “care for creation as an intrinsic value is deeply rooted in the whole of scripture, beginning in Genesis where human beings are tasked with caring for creation”. It also highlighted “the relatively greater impacts of climate change on poorer nations”.

The commission argued that strong and stable families and households are the foundation of society and of central importance to the individual wellbeing of children, young people and adults. In addition, it called for singleness to be recognised and honoured, calling it a “major part of society”.^[24] Noting that family life can be “difficult and messy”, the commission concluded that all relationships “can benefit from support at different life stages”.^[25]

The commission identified five key messages, stating that society must:

• value families in all their diversity, meeting their basic needs by putting their wellbeing at the heart of government policymaking and our community life, including religious communities
• support relationships throughout life, ensuring that everyone is able to develop and maintain loving and caring relationships, manage conflict well and promote the flourishing of individuals and families
• honour singleness and single person households, recognising that loving relationships matter to everyone
• empower children and young people, developing their relational skills and knowledge, recognising their value and agency, protecting them from harm, and giving them the best start in life
• build a kinder, fairer, more forgiving society, removing discrimination, division and deep inequality for the sake of every family and household

In addition, the commission cited the following areas as key priorities for action. It called on society to:

• maximise the protective effect of family
• ensure that all loving relationships matter and are valued in everything we do
• give every child the best possible start in life
• tackle societal issues which limit people’s ability to flourish^[26]

The report included 36 recommendations for the Church of England, and 29 for the government. For further discussion of the report, see: House of Lords Library, ‘Strengthening family life in England: Archbishops’ Commission on Families and Households’ (30 November 2023). The House of Lords debated the report on 8 December 2023.^[27]

3.2 Moment to movement report: The Jo Cox Foundation

In November 2023, the Jo Cox Foundation published its final report from its ‘Moment to movement’ project. The Jo Cox Foundation was established following the murder of Jo Cox, former MP for Batley and Spen. The charity states that it believes that “a kinder, fairer and more connected world is possible”, underpinned by the idea that “we have more in common than that which divides us”.^[28]

The ‘Moment to movement’ project’s overall vision was “for a society of stronger, happier communities where we all have a sense of identity and belonging, and in which we are proud of our diversity and the things we have in common”.^[29] The ‘Moment to movement’ report is structured around the key learnings from the project. The report stated that it hoped they would be helpful “to the wider communities sector and all those who are striving to make their communities stronger and more cohesive”.^[30]

The report identified two external factors that needed to be understood to fully understand the ‘Moment to movement’ project.^[31] These were the Covid-19 pandemic and the cost of living crisis. The report found the cost of living crisis had impacted people’s ability to participate in community events, and specifically cited the cost of transport as a reported factor.

The learnings identified in the report were:

• Participating in community events and volunteering makes people happier and less lonely.
• Attending and organising community events inspires people to go on and engage more deeply in their local community.
• There are barriers to engaging people with both attending events and long-term volunteering in their community.
• Bigger isn’t always better! Smaller events can have a deep impact, and the type of event makes a difference to the experience of participants.
• Training and peer networks are important when building long-term sustainability into volunteer projects.^[32]

On the impact of the report beyond the work of the Jo Cox Foundation itself, the report said one of the key areas of wider impact was around emphasising the ability of events to bring people together and help connect them:

For funders and policymakers, understanding the value of supporting projects that bring people together is important, as is further deepening the understanding of how we can support people, particularly those who do not currently take part in community activities, to engage.^[33]

3.3 Khan review

In March 2021, Dame Sara was appointed by the prime minister as independent advisor for social cohesion and resilience.^[34] Dame Sara published an independent review into social cohesion and resilience in March 2024.^[35] A number of ‘rapid evidence reviews’ were also published alongside the review itself.

In her foreword, Dame Sara described Britain’s diverse and cohesive democracy as its “most precious asset” and argued it was “a mistake to assume the endeavour towards building an inclusive and cohesive society is accomplished”.^[36] Dame Sara said many of the risks she identified in the review had “[sat] below the radar”, and their impact had not been properly assessed thus far:

This review is an examination of some of the contemporary threats to social cohesion and our country’s democratic resilience. Many of the risks I outline are eroding cohesion and our democratic norms at an individual, institutional and societal level. Rather than high risk and acute threats such as terrorism, cybersecurity and foreign state interference, many of the cohesion risks I identify are chronic, insidious and often sit below the radar; the impact of which is not actively measured or even fully appreciated.^[37]

The review identified what it described as “freedom restricting harassment”, which it defined as “a growing and dangerous climate of threatening and intimidatory harassment leading to serious censorship”. The review said this was affecting politicians, those in public life and members of the public.

The review also found that global events could affect social cohesion in the UK:

A further trend in today’s interconnected world is that interethnic tensions and social ruptures are increasingly crossing borders. Events at a local level in the UK might also be subjected to national and even international influences, from legitimate debate to divisive outside actors spreading disinformation and conspiracy theories to drum up local division. Similarly, events in other countries are ever more likely to lead to domestic unrest, to varying degrees and consequences.

We have seen this with movements such as Black Lives Matter following the murder of George Floyd in the United States and most recently, following events in Israel and the Palestinian Territories. In the case of the latter, there have been angry and often polarised debate about the conflict on our own streets and on social media platforms.^[38]

The review argued that the erosion of social cohesion could leave the UK more vulnerable to domestic and foreign state-sponsored and non-state-sponsored actors who sought to “exploit these tensions for their own ends, to weaken, disrupt and destabilise our democracy”. The review said an effective cohesion policy could act as a defence against such cross-border activity.

The review presented the following key findings:

• What this review has termed “freedom-restricting harassment” has become widespread and is corroding both social cohesion and our democratic rights and freedoms.
• Victims of freedom-restricting harassment suffer devastating impacts yet are often not treated as victims or offered the support they need. The impact on the religious studies teacher at Batley Grammar School provides a harrowing example.
• Local authorities and responders are struggling to manage evolving social cohesion threats. Whitehall lacks a national strategic approach to help improve local authorities’ capability in identifying, preventing and responding to cohesion threats.
• There is an incomplete, inconclusive and at times contradictory picture of social cohesion and democratic resilience in our country. An examination of some cohesion indicators suggests a declining trust, confidence and participation in democracy and its institutions, declining civic engagement, and a complex picture of how tolerant we are to difference despite progress made in recent decades.
• In the absence of a comprehensive cohesion assessment framework, we lack the analytical capability in assessing the state of social cohesion at a national and a local level. This severely restricts the ability of local and national government to assess progress towards a more cohesive society, or to identify and respond to early warning signs of a break down in cohesion across the country.
• There have been twenty years of reports, recommendations and strategies on social cohesion, yet government focus has been intermittent, and the outcomes have been mixed. Today, there remains a continuing failure to institutionalise social cohesion. This is due to ongoing structural obstacles—identified as the 3Ps—where policy, practice and the politics of social cohesion have hampered progress.
• This review calls for a new approach to social cohesion and democratic resilience, to ensure we harness the many benefits while also ensuring we have the capability to identify and respond to new trends and threats.^[39]

The review made 15 sets of recommendations. Several of these were for government and included:

• The government should establish and fund an independent, impartial Office for Social Cohesion and Democratic Resilience (OSCDR). Dame Sara also set out what the OSCDR should do, including that it should establish “a national cohesion assessment framework to identify and collect relevant national and local data including from all local authorities”.^[40] The OSCDR should also develop an understanding of “what works” and commission and publish research “examining what the risk factors are in an area that make it susceptible to a weakening of social cohesion, for example extremism and disillusionment with democracy”.
• The government should publish a five-year social cohesion and democratic resilience strategy (SCDR) and action plan, with long-term objectives alongside the levelling up strategy. An integration strategy should be distinct from the SCDR strategy and it should “be considered as a short and medium term approach, with the aim of helping new migrants successfully integrate in Britain”.^[41] Sara Khan said that the SCDR strategy should be driven by evidence produced by the OSCDR and have three objectives. These were to promote and protect social cohesion including democratic freedoms; identify, pre-empt and prevent threats and activity that would undermine social cohesion; and respond to and recover from threats and incidents.
• A cross-Whitehall cohesion response unit should be created.
• Government should officially recognise the phenomenon of freedom-restricting harassment and publish an action plan detailing how they will work to prevent and respond to it.

The review also made recommendations for other bodies, including:

• Recommendations for policing. This included that all 39 police forces in England should have a dedicated safety officer “who specialises in harassment and malicious communication legislation, to engage, advise and support those individuals who are experiencing extreme or persistent harassment while also working towards holding perpetrators to account”.^[42]
• Recommendation to the Committee on Standards in Public Life. The review said that the committee should conduct an inquiry and report on recommendations “which support elected representatives to consider how best to protect and promote social cohesion in line with the Nolan principles”.^[43] The inquiry should look at where conflict and potential conflict could exist and “how they should be addressed and how elected officials can be held accountable to ensure the public have confidence and trust in them”.
• Recommendations to local authorities and local partners. These included that local authorities should embed social cohesion and democratic resilience in their long-term strategic plans. Social cohesion should be considered as “foundational to the successful delivery of a local authority’s overall strategic plan and wider policies”.^[44]
• Recommendation to social media companies. The review argued that it was the responsibility of social media platforms to tackle the issue of users engaging in “behaviour that encourages freedom-restricting harassment, pile-ons, doxing and other harmful activity”.^[45] The platforms should create and support tools to restrict this behaviour. Platforms should “deliver online zero tolerance campaigns and other campaigns to discourage freedom-restricting harassment, and where necessary to ban users and to report to the police if users engage in criminality”.

The House of Commons considered the Khan review in a Westminster Hall debate on 30 April 2024.^[46] Then Shadow Minister for Levelling Up, Housing, Communities and Local Government Liz Twist said it had been difficult for communities in recent times both as a result of the conflict in the Middle East and because of domestic concerns around the cost of living:

To say that this has been a challenging period for our communities would be an understatement. We continue to see the impact of the ongoing conflict in Gaza on community relations. Meanwhile people are finding it tough to make ends meet, and our public services have been struggling.^[47]

She said the Khan review had shown that “these difficulties risk undermining our social contract, fuelling disillusionment with our democratic system, and allowing extremism, disinformation, and conspiracy theories to take root”.

The then minister for housing, planning and building safety, Lee Rowley, said the government welcomed the work of Dame Sara.^[48] He summarised the report’s findings as follows:

The report highlighted particular issues around disinformation, harassment and intimidation; the climate of self-censorship that hon. members have outlined, not just among people in this place or associated with politics, but across all walks of life; a wider disillusionment with democracy that is starting to seep into parts of our civic society; and decreasing trust in politics, particularly among the young. All of that aggregates to create a vacuum that extremism and extremist ideology can fill.^[49]

Mr Rowley referenced a statement by the then secretary of state for levelling up, housing and communities, Michael Gove, on the government’s plans “to counter extremism and to build greater national resilience and social cohesion”.^[50] Mr Rowley described that announcement as the “first in a series of steps” to be taken by the then government and said it would publish a full response to the Khan review before the summer recess.^[51] This did not happen before the dissolution of Parliament for the 2024 general election.

In answer to an oral question on 2 September 2024 on the steps the government was taking to promote community cohesion, Angela Rayner, secretary of state for housing, communities and local government, said the “Khan review into social cohesion is one element of what we need to do to get back to addressing the issues of community cohesion”.^[52] She said she was leading cross-government work on community cohesion and would update the House of Commons on the government’s plans “in due course”.^[53]

3.4 Independent review by Lord Walney: Political violence and disruption

The UK government’s independent adviser on political violence and disruption, Lord Walney (Crossbench), was appointed to lead a review on the issue of political violence and disruption in February 2021 and a consultation was run between March and May 2021.^[54] Lord Walney’s report was published in May 2024.^[55]

Amongst its findings, the report set out the results of the consultation. One of the open-ended questions in the consultation was on:

The far right and far left and other extreme single-issue groups in this country, and the points at which the activities of such groups cross into violence, criminality, and disruption (including on people’s lives and social cohesion).^[56]

Specifically on social cohesion, the report said the consultation found that one of the impacts of extreme political activism was damage to social cohesion:

Harm more generally was discussed as encompassing violence, including to the police, damage to social cohesion, disproportionate police responses to protests, and the stoking of division in the media and on social media.^[57]

In his executive summary, Lord Walney argued that the right to express dissent was a fundamental part of the UK’s democracy “yet the UK has a growing problem with extreme protest movements that use political violence, intimidation, incitement, law breaking, and disruption”.^[58] He said:

Extreme political activists are targeting core elements of Britain’s democracy, including elected representatives, the free press, and educational settings. They are using disruption tactics to impact the country’s economy, targeting supply chains, fuel and energy, transport, and business and industry. All of this interferes with the rights of ordinary citizens in going about their daily lives.^[59]

Lord Walney said it was “beyond question that we must uphold the right to protest, but so too must we defend our democracy from the tactics of extremists who seek to impose their beliefs on the rest of society with non-democratic and illegal activism”. The report made 41 recommendations. The previous government responded to Lord Walney’s report in May 2024.^[60] The then secretary of state for the Home Office, James Cleverly, made a written statement on the report^[61] and the then minister for security, Tom Tugendhat, made an oral statement to the House of Commons on the report.^[62]

3.5 After the riots: Report by British Future, the Belong Network, and the Together Coalition

In September 2024, the organisations British Future, the Belong Network, and the Together Coalition published a joint report entitled ‘After the riots: Building the foundations for social cohesion’.^[63] British Future describes itself as “an independent, non-partisan thinktank and registered charity, engaging people’s hopes and fears about integration and immigration, identity and race”.^[64] The Belong Network describes itself as “the UK’s leading membership organisation on social cohesion, offering academic research, consultancy, training, networking, thought leadership and events for members across sectors in the UK”.^[65] The Together Coalition states that “we make change by harnessing the power of our coalition—with hundreds of members and some of the UK’s most important charities, businesses, faith organisations and other partners—to mobilise millions to take part in national campaigns that build bridges and break down barriers between communities.^[66]

The report examines the events surrounding the killing of three girls in an attack in Southport on 29 July 2024 and riots and public disorder that followed.^[67] It also made recommendations for the government’s response “as it seeks to build and strengthen the foundations of social cohesion in the UK”.

The report set out 12 policy recommendations but highlighted three “key priorities”:

• The government must put in place a long-term, cross-departmental national social cohesion strategy.
• Councils and combined authorities should be charged with the responsibility to deliver local cohesion strategies with support and some additional resources to do so.
• Social media companies need to be held to account and required to do more to control the spread of mis/disinformation and hate speech.^[68]

Following the publication of their report, British Future, the Belong Network, and the Together Coalition held a ‘community cohesion summit’ in November 2024.^[69] Attendees included Dame Sara Khan and Lord Khan of Burnley, parliamentary under secretary of state at the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government. British Future reported on comments made by Lord Khan on opening the conference:

Lord Khan opened the summit by underlining the importance and urgency of building social cohesion after this summer’s disorder. He warned that successive governments had “relied on the good will of individuals and hoped we will muddle along”, adding that “we have seen the social fabric start to fray”. The minister stressed the need to work with local government, the voluntary sector and communities themselves to strengthen the bonds between people in our communities and “allow people to reclaim pride in the places they call home”.^[70]

4. Government policy on social cohesion

In response to a written question in October 2024, Alex Norris, parliamentary under secretary at the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, said the government is committed to working with communities across the UK “to build a culture of cohesion, trust and mutual respect”.^[71] The minister said that to foster strong communities it is important to build strong relationships and create opportunities for people to be brought together from different walks of life.

Referencing the unrest in some areas over the summer,^[72] Alex Norris said:

The appalling violence we saw exposed the deep-seated levels of division and decline felt in so many communities. We witnessed rife levels of Islamophobia and other forms of racism, leaving many people fearful, despite the immediate violence having abated.^[73]

Alex Norris said he was leading work across the government to help places to recover and build cohesion:

To support the recovery of those towns and cities affected, I am leading cross-government efforts to help places recover and build cohesion. As a first step in this work, we recently announced up to £15mn of funding for those communities which suffered such appalling violence and hatred on their streets. This includes a comprehensive support offer for Southport. We will rebuild our country by working in partnership with communities, to renew the ties that bind us.^[74]

On 15 October 2024 the Lord Bishop of St Albans asked the government in an oral question in the House of Lords what steps it was taking to tackle religious hate crime and strengthen community cohesion in the UK.^[75] Lord Khan said the government was working on an integrated approach to address these issues, on which the government would say more soon:

My Lords, religious hatred is a stain on our society. Recent events, such as the domestic impact of tensions in the Middle East and the appalling violence we saw on our streets over the summer, have exposed weaknesses and divisions in our society. This government are developing an integrated, cohesive approach to tackling these challenges, which will address racial and religious hatred and strengthen cohesion across all communities. We will say more soon.^[76]

5. Read more

• Diocese of York, ‘Archbishop’s presidential address to York Diocesan Synod’, 16 March 2024
• House of Commons Library, ‘Khan review on threats to social cohesion and democratic resilience’, 29 April 2024
• Local Government Association, ‘Khan review of social cohesion: LGA response’, 25 March 2024
• Association of School and College Leaders, ‘ASCL response to Khan review into social cohesion’, 25 March 2024
• Jo Cox Foundation, ‘Unlocking connection: 7 keys for unlocking social connections within communities’, June 2022

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Cover image by Louis Reed on Unsplash.