Cumberland Community Safety Partnership (CSP)

Community Cohesion

Community Cohesion Priority

What is the issue

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It is important to recognise not everyone identifies with a geographical community. Some communities are drawn together based on shared characteristics, interests, and affiliation. We must accept that what constitutes cohesion can differ from neighbourhood to neighbourhood, street to street or even person to person. 

It is our duty to understand the needs of all our community members without prejudice. We must also ensure everyone’s rights and dignity are upheld, and our communities can live without fear or exclusion. Positive integration is of paramount importance to developing cohesive communities, and this is a responsibility for all community members. This is outlined in the recommendations of the most recent review on social cohesion, The Khan Review: Threats to Social Cohesion and Democratic Resilience 2024. 

To facilitate the positive integration of our community members, everyone must have trust and confidence in the public services there to ensure their safety and wellbeing. Our communities need to know how and where to seek support, and that we are actively working to help them with this. We also need to create an environment that promotes a safe space for enquiry, to deter and diminish conspiracy theories and misinformation, and develop a greater awareness of expectations regarding standards of conduct. 

What are we doing in Cumberland

We will increase our knowledge and understanding of the barriers to positive community cohesion. 

  • We have a ‘Policy Challenge’ workshop taking place in the spring, focusing on Political Peripherality/Exclusion – we are currently developing the material for what is hopefully going to be a challenging and insightful day.
  • We have committed to undertake research in the field of community cohesion and community development. The CSP are involved in the initial stages of a northwest wide bid to look at racial disparities and our cohesion lead is undertaking a master’s in research focusing on community cohesion in our locality. This will help us to ensure that we are adopting an approach based on critical thinking and evidence to support our communities.
  • The Women’s Equality Committee has requested a call for evidence on matters relating to community cohesion. In partnership with colleagues at UCLAN we are submitting a response to parliament on this matter.
  • We are actively involved in the development of several different workstreams within the council where we need to ensure that there is a robust community cohesion approach built into the design and delivery and our cohesion lead sits on the working group for MEAM (Make Every Adult Matter) and the program board for Community Power. 

Develop and promote a robust hate crime reporting system that increases our community’s trust and confidence in reporting. 

  • We have developed a hate crime consultation plan to enable us to build meaningful and progressive relationships with those community groups affected by hate crime ensuring that their voice is front and centre of all the work within the wider hate crime plan.
  • The consultation plan has been developed in partnership with the police. The first stage of consultation is focused on the provision and suitability of third-party reporting sites and barriers to reporting. 

Work together to improve our response to incidents of high tension and communication, including our ability to respond to conspiracy theories and disinformation. 

  • We now receive share regular data with the police relating to community tensions. This allows Local Focus Hub managers to link in with partners if further support is required for the police, particularly around early intervention, and identify those occasions where a response is required to counter and dispel potential mis/disinformation.

Develop a range of systems to support the mapping, monitoring, and evaluation of our work.

  • Cumberland Council is developing a Community Cohesion Statement. This statement will implement a system wide, joined up approach to tackling the issues that affect positive cohesion.

Ensure that education is factored into our collective approach as a key driver in changing attitudes and behaviours. 

  • We have developed an Inclusive Language Guide for use across the whole partnership to ensure that wherever possible language is used that creates a welcoming environment and fosters a sense of belonging, pursuant to our vision and values.
  • We have developed a hate crime plan with 3 main priorities; one of which is ‘Preventing hate crime by tackling the beliefs and attitudes that can lead to hate crime.’ This is primarily focused on education.