In London’s poorest boroughs, there is increasingly a sense that public services can no longer be relied on. People look instead to their local community for support. Shani Orgad, Divya Srivastava and Diana Olaleye offer three policy proposals for harnessing the power and value of communities

Olaleye, Diana

Orgad, Shani

Srivastava, Divya

English

LSE Research Online

Community as an antidote to “BrokenBritain”In London’s poorest boroughs, there is increasingly a sense that public services can nolonger be relied on. People look instead to their local community for support. ShaniOrgad, Divya Srivastava and Diana Olaleye offer three policy proposals for harnessingthe power and value of communities.“We’re not in the Dickensian times and yet it feels like we actually are!” Cynthia, aresident in one of London’s most socioeconomically deprived boroughs, is not alone inexpressing despair, disappointment and anger about the current state of affairs. Britainis in the midst of a polycrisis: the convergence of the cost-of-living and NHS and socialcare crises in the aftermath of Covid-19 pandemic. A sense that “nothing works” wasprevalent among the 49 residents we interviewed and aligns with public opinion asmeasured in other recent polls and focus groups. Across the political spectrum, thereseems to be an agreement that Britain is broken.Our study supports mounting evidence that, following years of austerity and state cuts inareas such as childcare, health, and education, rising numbers of people are unable toafford the most basic of material and social needs. But we also found one thing that stillseems to work: community. In face of radically dwindling state support and the absenceof basic care facilities and resources, people hang on to and desperately seek ways tofoster community. In particular, the London residents we spoke to, in boroughs wherepoverty and inequality have proliferated, underscored three aspects of community thatare vital in their lives–though they too are under severe threat. We highlight three pillarsof community that residents rely on and offer three key recommendations for mobilisingexisting models of collective care, reducing overdependence on informal, unpaid carework.The three pillars of communityMutual supportPage 1 of 5Permalink: undefinedDate originally posted: undefinedDate PDF generated: 08/03/2024Many of the people we interviewed rely on the support of others in the community,beyond their immediate kinship networks. Mostly in the form of self-organised volunteergroups, such support structures germinated during the Covid-19 pandemic and somecontinue to operate. However, many of the acts of mutual care our intervieweesdescribed are neither part of these volunteer-led community groups, nor are theyspontaneous, occasional acts of kindness or neighbourliness. Rather, for many of theresidents in London’s deprived areas, mutual care manifests in an informal yet long-term,regular system that helps keep people alive. A typical example mentioned by many is ofWhatsApp groups of residents living in the same block of flats, where daily some text tosay they have no food, and others in the block reply to offer an item they are able todonate. Those who donate may need others’ donations another time, so there is anunwritten code of reciprocity but also of unconditional care. There have been reports onsimilar WhatsApp resident groups, for example in Harrow and Brixton. However, theseinitiatives are aimed at sharing surplus food and reducing food waste. The groups ourresearch participants described aim to help them survive.For some, the community centre is a lifeline, offering a space of connectionand sociality in the wake of severe mental health issues, loneliness, andisolation.Community championsAnother informal yet vital community resource is what interviewees call ‘communitychampions’ or ‘community advocates.’ These are residents who are strugglingthemselves to afford the most basic of material and social needs, yet they are “peoplewho know how things work,” as one participant explained, and voluntarily use theirknowledge for the benefit of people in their community. They know how to navigatebureaucratic systems and how to speak with the authorities. Unlike many who do nothave online access and/or cannot use a smartphone, community champions know howand where to find useful–indeed, sometimes life-saving–information. Communitychampions are also key, and for some people exclusive, sources of information aboutfree activities and sources of leisure and support–things that many residents desperatelyseek for their physical and mental health.Community centresPage 2 of 5Permalink: undefinedDate originally posted: undefinedDate PDF generated: 08/03/2024The third crucial source of support for many residents are local community centres.These independent non-profit hubs use local resources (sometimes funded by thecouncil) to support residents. For many, the price of local transport has becomeunaffordable, forcing them to minimise or avoid commuting, and thus disengage fromactivities that require public transport to get to. They therefore visit the communitycentres more frequently, to get out of the house, meet people and keep active. For some,the community centre is a lifeline, offering a space of connection and sociality in thewake of severe mental health issues, loneliness, and isolation.Interviewees repeatedly mentioned that attending free exercise classes at theircommunity centre gave them a sense of belonging and has been pivotal for theirphysical and mental health. Crucially, the community centres provide warm havenswhere many residents spend many hours of their day, as they are unable to affordheating their homes. The centre is also a place where residents can occasionally eatfood–something many find increasingly difficult to afford. From cooking classesorganised by community centres, some participants secure their only meal for the day.Finally, these community hubs are important sources of information, especially forpeople who do not have digital access. They visit centres to learn about local events,sources of support, and other issues, either through the centre’s organisers and peoplethey meet, or from brochures and posters on display. Policies to support communitiesThe people we spoke to were emphatic that government-wide action to address thepolycrisis is urgently needed. There is a host of evidenced-based policy optionsregarding the cost of living, NHS crisis and social care crisis that the government couldconsult in taking action.Local authorities rely on the informal network of community champions, buttheir availability and reach vary widely.Our research adds to this body of evidence, urging the government to acknowledge that,though vital, the informal support network currently holding local communities together isPage 3 of 5Permalink: undefinedDate originally posted: undefinedDate PDF generated: 08/03/2024not enough. Based on our research, we make three key recommendations for how thegovernment can work with decision-makers in local communities to solve key problems.First, address the information gap. While councils, local organisations and communitycentres provide most of their services and/or information about their services online, thisexcludes residents without digital access or skills from necessary services to which theyare entitled. It is crucial that councils, local organisations and community centres worktogether to offer alternative ways to guide local residents to relevant information and tohelp them use their services–a demand recently echoed by Age UK, but which applies tosome younger residents too.Second, create and institutionalise community champions. Local authorities rely on theinformal network of community champions, but their availability and reach vary widely.Instead, local authorities should formalise these roles as paid positions. A communitychampion placed within a local organisation or community centre could act as a focalnavigator for residents between the local authority and services the residents require.Third, widen the reach and enhance the vital provision of community centres. This iscrucially about government and local authorities investing in the bricks and mortar andproperly funding these centres, as well as working with them. Their expertise and insightinto the needs of local communities mean they are well-placed to articulate gaps in theprovision of local support and find effective ways to address them.“We can only get so far as individuals,” concluded a pensioner in one of our focusgroups. Decision-makers in government, local authorities and community centres mustharness the huge value and power of community. By listening to people’s experiences,needs, aspirations, and proposed solutions, well-informed policies will mitigate theimpact of the polycrisis. Three quarters of our study participants are women and aged over 45. More than halfhave an income of less than £20,000, are unemployed or retired, living with family, andare from Black, Asian, or Mixed backgrounds. All names in the article are pseudonyms. All articles posted on this blog give the views of the author(s), and not the position of LSEPage 4 of 5Permalink: undefinedDate originally posted: undefinedDate PDF generated: 08/03/2024British Politics and Policy, nor of the London School of Economics and Political Science.Image credit: Elena Rostunova on ShutterstockPage 5 of 5Permalink: undefinedDate originally posted: undefinedDate PDF generated: 08/03/2024

Community as an antidote to “Broken Britain”

http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/122316/1/politicsandpolicy_2024_2_19_community_as_an_antidote_to_broken_britain.pdf

Community as an antidote to “Broken Britain”

Abstract

Similar works

Full text

Available Versions

LSE Research Online