The government published a standardized analytical framework for undertaking community empowerment evaluations.
Source: Scott Dickinson and Meera Prabhakar, An Analytical Framework for Community Empowerment Evaluations, Department for Communities and Local Government
Links: Framework
Date: 2009-Dec
The Welsh Assembly government published a strategy for community cohesion. The strategy focused on those policy and service delivery areas that research had shown could have a significant impact on how well a community got on together: housing; learning; communication; promoting equality and social inclusion; and preventing violent extremism.
Source: Getting On Together: A community cohesion strategy for Wales, Welsh Assembly Government
Links: Strategy | WAG press release
Date: 2009-Dec
The government published its response to a taskforce report (published in July 2009) on joint working between government, businesses, and the third sector aimed at supporting communities under stress as a result of the economic recession.
Source: Building Stronger Communities Taskforce: Government Response, Cabinet Office
Links: Response | Cabinet Office press release | Taskforce report
Date: 2009-Dec
A new book examined the theory and practice of community participation in the making of social policy.
Source: Margaret Ledwith and Jane Springett, Participatory Practice: Community-based action for transformative change, Policy Press, available from Marston Book Services (01235 465500)
Links: Summary
Date: 2009-Nov
A report examined a three-year experimental approach called 'community philosophy', designed to promote conversations and develop positive relationships between different groups of people within a community.
Source: Graeme Tiffany, Community Philosophy: A project report, Joseph Rowntree Foundation (01904 629241)
Date: 2009-Nov
A new textbook provided an introduction to key concepts in community studies, and to the social research methods used by community researchers and practitioners.
Source: Tony Blackshaw, Key Concepts in Community Studies, SAGE Publications Ltd (020 7324 8500)
Links: Summary
Date: 2009-Oct
The government published guidance for frontline workers on techniques that could help build community cohesion. It also announced the first phase of a £12 million programme of additional support for those local communities in England under the greatest 'pressure' as a result of the economic recession.
Source: Building Cohesive Communities: What frontline staff and community activists need to know, Department for Communities and Local Government (0870 1226 236)
Links: Guidance | Hansard | Guardian report | BBC report
Date: 2009-Oct
The government responded to a report by a committee of MPs on the post office network.
Source: Post Offices – Securing Their Future: Government Response to the Committee's Eighth Report, Fifth Special Report (Session 2008-09), HC 1002, House of Commons Business, Innovation and Skills Select Committee, TSO (0870 600 5522)
Links: Response | MPs report
Date: 2009-Oct
A paper examined the determinants of residential mobility and the neighbourhood quality adjustments made by those who moved, drawing on data from the British Household Panel Survey and Indices of Multiple Deprivation. Not all life-course events that triggered moves led to neighbourhood quality adjustments. Single people were negatively affected by leaving the parental home, and couples by a husband's unemployment. Couples having a new baby moved into better neighbourhoods.
Source: Birgitta Rabe and Mark Taylor, Residential mobility, neighbourhood quality and life-course events, Working Paper 2009-28, Institute for Social and Economic Research/University of Essex (01206 873087)
Links: Working paper | Abstract
Date: 2009-Sep
A report examined community empowerment, using 2007-08 Citizenship Survey data. It looked at whether people felt that they could influence local and national decisions; whether they would like to be more involved in decision-making; what would make it easier to influence decision-making; and how people would influence decisions if they wanted to. It also looked at people's trust in institutions and what activities people actually took part in (civic activism, civic consultation, civic participation, and volunteering).
Source: Maya Agur and Natalie Low, 2007-08 Citizenship Survey: Empowered Communities Topic Report, Department for Communities and Local Government (web publication only)
Links: Report
Date: 2009-Sep
A new textbook examined the issues surrounding both the idea of 'community' in relation to social policy and the complex processes of policy formation and implementation with a community dimension.
Source: Gerry Mooney and Sarah Neal, Community: Welfare, Crime and Society, Open University Press (01280 823388)
Links: Summary
Date: 2009-Sep
A study examined the available evidence on the economic benefits of building cohesion. It reviewed evidence for crime, fear of crime, education, employment, health, and economic investment. It suggested that cohesion could have positive effects in a number of different areas.
Source: The Economic Case for Cohesion, Department for Communities and Local Government (web publication only)
Links: Report
Date: 2009-Aug
A report presented the results of a longitudinal investigation of direct and indirect cross-community contact and tolerance in mixed and segregated areas in Northern Ireland. People living in segregated areas were more anxious about meeting members of the other community, and felt that their own community was more threatened. Respondents in the mixed areas were personally more willing to engage in cross-community contact, and viewed members of their own and the other community as more willing to engage in contact.
Source: Miles Hewstone, Joanne Hughes and Ed Cairns, Can Contact Promote Better Relations? Evidence from mixed and segregated areas of Belfast, Northern Ireland Executive (028 9052 0500)
Date: 2009-Aug
A report examined community cohesion, attitudes towards the neighbourhood and the local area, belonging to the neighbourhood, fear of crime, social networks, and people's interactions with others from different backgrounds – based on 2007-08 Citizenship Survey data.
Source: 2007-08 Citizenship Survey: Community Cohesion Topic Report, Department for Communities and Local Government (web publication only)
Links: Report
Date: 2009-Aug
An article examined the democratic effectiveness of area forums – neighbourhood-based participatory forums introduced from the late 1990s onwards. It said that the forums did not meet the criteria for an effective democratic public sphere, and might even present barriers to effective participation.
Source: Michael Farrelly, 'Citizen participation and neighbourhood governance: analysing democratic practice', Local Government Studies, Volume 35 Number 4
Links: Abstract
Date: 2009-Aug
An article examined the relationship between residential segregation and health in Northern Ireland. Levels of segregation did not help to explain variations in the utilization of acute and elderly services: but they did explain variations in the costs of prescribing for anxiety and depression. This indicated that strategies to promote good relations in Northern Ireland had positive implications for mental health.
Source: Declan French, 'Residential segregation and health in Northern Ireland', Health and Place, Volume 15 Issue 3
Links: Abstract
Date: 2009-Jul
A report identified key themes, and good practice, from around 15 reviews of efforts to build community cohesion at a local level.
Source: Building Community Cohesion in Britain: Lessons from iCoCo local reviews, Institute of Community Cohesion/Coventry University (024 7679 5757)
Links: Report | BHA press release | Guardian report
Date: 2009-Jul
Two linked reports examined the merits of different community empowerment mechanisms, including: asset transfer; citizen governance; electronic participation; participatory budgeting; petitions; and redress. Each mechanism was able to empower to some extent. Overall, the mechanisms selected showed the potential to empower those directly participating and to both influence and shape decision-making. However, it was widely found to be more difficult to empower the community as a whole through the use of such mechanisms. Only citizen governance and participatory budgeting showed clear evidence of spill-over from individuals to the wider community.
Source: Lawrence Pratchett et al., Empowering Communities to Influence Local Decision Making: A systematic review of the evidence, Department for Communities and Local Government (web publication only) | Lawrence Pratchett et al., Empowering Communities to Influence Local Decision Making: Evidence-based lessons for policy makers and practitioners, Department for Communities and Local Government (web publication only)
Links: Report (1) | Report (2)
Date: 2009-Jun
The government published a plan for Britain's future, describing it as 'a radical vision for a fairer, stronger and more prosperous society'. Local communities would get more power to keep their neighbourhoods safe, including the right to hold the police to account at monthly 'beat meetings'.
Source: Building Britain's Future, Cm 7654, Prime Minister's Office, TSO (0870 600 5522)
Links: Report | Summary | Cabinet Office press release | TUC press release | Conservative Party press release | Guardian report | Local Government Chronicle report
Date: 2009-Jun
A report examined the roles of local councillors and third sector representatives in community leadership, and made recommendations designed to strengthen relationships between the two groups. Two-way communication between councillors and the community was key, and traditional methods of engaging local citizens (such as ward councillors' surgeries) were insufficient. There was an urgent need for more a more diverse range of councillors to strengthen decision-making and legitimacy.
Source: Leading Lights: Research into the role of councillors and third sector representatives in community leadership, Urban Forum (020 7253 4816)
Links: Report
Date: 2009-May
A report said that trade union representatives were many times more likely than the general population to engage in voluntary work and give their time to community organizations. 8 per cent of representatives were school governors; and 5 per cent were trustees of, or sat on the governing bodies of, local organizations.
Source: Gregor Gall, Unions in the Community: A survey of union reps, Trades Union Congress (020 7467 1294)
Links: Report | TUC press release
Date: 2009-May
A new book examined ways to understand and engage with the concept of 'community', presenting a variety of perspectives to challenge the ways in which areas characterized by poverty and disrepute were represented. The book was based on the author's involvement as a youth worker in a housing estate in a city in the west of England (Bristol).
Source: Jeremy Brent, Searching for Community: Representation, power and action on an urban estate, Policy Press, available from Marston Book Services (01235 465500)
Links: Summary | Bristol University press release
Date: 2009-May
A paper said that a combination of measures derived from local spatial statistics (which identified the geography of clustering) and a typology of residential areas (which described the population composition of each area) provided new insights into the nature and extent of ethnic residential segregation.
Source: Michael Poulsen, Ron Johnston and James Forrest, Using Local Statistics to Portray Ethnic Residential Segregation in London, Working Paper 09/213, Centre for Market and Public Organisation/University of Bristol (0117 954 6943)
Links: Working paper
Date: 2009-Apr
The Northern Ireland Housing Executive published a strategy setting out how residents, along with their local community associations, could get involved in developing their local services to improve their quality of life.
Source: Community Involvement Strategy 2008 to 2011, Northern Ireland Housing Executive (028 9024 0588)
Links: Strategy
Date: 2009-Mar
A report reviewed the evidence for the existing state of cross-community interaction within England, together with theoretical approaches – such as 'contact theory' – that could inform activities that brought individuals and groups together.
Source: Andrew Orton, What Works in Enabling Cross-community Interactions? Perspectives on good policy and practice, Department for Communities and Local Government (web publication only)
Links: Report
Date: 2009-Mar
The Scottish Government published a plan designed to encourage people to participate in the running of their neighbourhoods.
Source: Community: Scottish Community Empowerment Action Plan, Scottish Government (web publication only)
Links: Plan | SG press release | New Start report
Date: 2009-Mar
The government published a progress report on the commitments made in June 2008 to support local areas to manage the impact of migration on their communities. It also outlined new government support on migration issues; and it considered how the impact of migration on local communities, and the government's response to it, had changed in the context of the economic downturn.
Source: Managing the Impacts of Migration: Improvements and innovations, Department for Communities and Local Government (0870 1226 236)
Date: 2009-Mar
A think-tank report called for a grant fund to help community development finance institutions (CDFIs) support third sector organizations that provided public services.
Source: David Boyle, Stephen Spratt and Sargon Nissan, I.O.U.K.: Banking failure and how to build a fit financial sector, New Economics Foundation (020 7820 6300)
Links: Report | CAF report | Guardian report
Date: 2009-Mar
The Postal Services Bill was published, along with a government policy statement on the future of Royal Mail. The Bill was designed to keep the Post Office in public ownership, while allowing for a private-sector 'strategic partner' to take a 30 per cent stake in Royal Mail, with the government taking on its pension deficit.
Source: Postal Services Bill [HL], Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform, TSO (0870 600 5522) | The Future of the Universal Postal Service in the UK, Cm 7560, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform, TSO
Links: Text of Bill | Policy statement | DBERR press release | Consumer Focus press release | Compass press release | UNISON press release | Guardian report | Telegraph report | BBC report
Date: 2009-Feb
A report examined local authority communications, from the perspective of promoting community cohesion. The findings reinforced the need for effective communications to address the perception by some groups that they were losing out to others, and the need for local authorities to take a strategic approach to communications – involving not just the council staff and elected members but also the community itself.
Source: Hilary Kitchin et al., Communicating Cohesion: Evaluating local authority communication strategies, Institute of Local Government Studies/University of Birmingham (0121 414 5008) and Democratic Audit
Links: Report | Summary | LGA press release
Date: 2009-Feb
A report examined how community development teams were structured in local authorities. It looked at different structural models, and at the key factors that helped community development to have an impact.
Source: Structures for Community Development in Local Authorities, Community Development Foundation (020 7226 5375)
Links: Report | CDF press release
Date: 2009-Jan
An article examined the relationship between civic engagement, ethnic heterogeneity, and perceptions of mutual respect and social cohesion among citizens in urban local government areas across England. Statistical results suggested that associational life was positively associated with social capital, and that political participation enhanced perceptions of mutual respect in ethnically diverse areas. The evidence provided support for arguments that civic engagement could moderate negative externalities for social capital associated with ethnic heterogeneity.
Source: Rhys Andrews, 'Civic engagement, ethnic heterogeneity, and social capital in urban areas: evidence from England', Urban Affairs Review, Volume 44 Number 3
Links: Abstract
Date: 2009-Jan
The government published guidance suggesting ways in which local councils, voluntary groups, and other organizations could encourage a sense of belonging within local communities.
Source: Guidance on Building a Local Sense of Belonging, Department for Communities and Local Government (0870 1226 236)
Links: Guidance
Date: 2009-Jan
The Welsh Assembly Government began consultation on its community cohesion strategy. The strategy set out how the issue of community cohesion cut across Welsh Assembly Government policies, and underlined the importance of local analysis of cohesion issues in order to devise a local community cohesion response.
Source: All Wales Community Cohesion Strategy, Welsh Assembly Government (029 2082 5111)
Links: Consultation document
Date: 2009-Jan
The government published guidance setting out what was known about meaningful interaction within communities, based on research findings and the views of expert practitioners.
Source: Guidance on Meaningful Interaction: How encouraging positive relationships between people can help build community cohesion, Department for Communities and Local Government (0870 1226 236)
Links: Guidance
Date: 2009-Jan
An article provided a census-based analysis of population change and residential segregation in Northern Ireland, covering the entire 1971-2001 period using consistent geographical units. Northern Ireland had become more residentially segregated between 1971 and 2001: but residential segregation in 2001 remained approximately at its 1991 level according to most indicators.
Source: Ian Shuttleworth and Christopher Lloyd, 'Are Northern Ireland's communities dividing? Evidence from geographically consistent Census of Population data, 1971-2001', Environment and Planning A, Volume 41 Number 1
Links: Abstract
Date: 2009-Jan