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25 Apr Health

Let me confess something straight up: I am not cool (or young) enough to be a Swiftie, but when I heard a song on the radio with the lyric: “We’re happy, free, confused and lonely at the same time”, I had to Google who was smart enough to write those 10 words that effectively summarise years of government work on the issue of loneliness.

24 Apr Communities

It’s time to revive David Cameron’s Big Society

The best idea of the Coalition government was the Big Society.

18 Apr Communities

Scrolls of Doom: Why Gen Z is shunning the church

Young adults – Britain’s loneliest generation – are shunning an institution that offers connection and meaning. The church’s failure to attract Generation Z is bad for both, finds Harriet Symonds. Illustration by Tracy Worrall

London Luton Airport’s plans to ramp up community investment

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04 Dec 2023 Communities

London Luton Airport’s plans to ramp up community investment

London Luton Airport holds a position to be proud of – the most socially impactful airport in the UK. No other UK airport comes close in scale to our community investment.

27 Nov 2023 Communities

Beauty in the spaces in between

Our wellbeing is enhanced by places we like and diminished by those we do not. What we like isn’t merely taste. In our collective desire to build better homes, the focus on binary or overly simplistic words such as “beautiful” or “ugly” are not helpful.

11 Aug 2023 Communities

A new approach to funding social enterprises could level up every part of the UK

Now is the time to rip up the old defunct system of funding social enterprise to create a model that drives green growth and rewards local entrepreneurship.

10 Jul 2023 Communities

Community foundations can have a key role in the government’s aim to level up the UK

Earlier this year, the government announced how £2.1bn of the Levelling Up Fund has been allocated. The aims of the funding are to “create new jobs, drive economic growth, help restore people’s pride in the places where they live, and spread opportunity more equally”.

12 Jun 2023 Communities

We must wake up to the cost of loneliness and re-connect our communities

When the shocking story of Sheila Seleoane – whose body lay undiscovered in her flat for more than two years – hit the headlines last year, the country sat up and took notice.

08 Jun 2023 Communities

The King’s coronation showed the world Britain treats the Jewish community with dignity and respect

History was made on 6 May 2023 when for the first time, representatives of non-Christian faiths were directly involved in the crowning of our Monarch. And I was one of them.

06 Apr 2023 Communities

Former Prisons Chief Says MPs Are Politicising "Tough On Crime" Rhetoric In Local Elections

The “tough on crime” rhetoric being pursued by the Conservatives and Labour in their local election campaigns is “political on both sides”, according to the former director of women at HM Prison and Probation Service.

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09 Feb 2023 Environment

A nuclear society: rebuilding perceptions of nuclear energy

The nuclear industry has historically had a fairly tumultuous relationship with wider society. Early perceptions of nuclear energy were generally positive, with it viewed as a beacon of how technology went hand in hand with increasing prosperity. However, a history of highly-publicised leaks, discharges and assorted incidents have created a legacy of societal mistrust of nuclear energy. In this article, Professor Adrian Bull from The University of Manchester examines what measures can be taken by industry and government to re-invigorate the UK’s nuclear sector and its relationship with the public.

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06 Feb 2023 Communities

Communities, traffic and positive action to address air pollution

Air pollution levels in Greater Manchester are some of the highest in the UK. As air pollution can potentially worsen pre-existing health conditions, Greater Manchester residents are increasingly concerned about the high rates of air pollution and are seeking to find practical, place-based solutions to tackle the issue. In this article, Professor Sheena Cruickshank from The University of Manchester addresses the Ardwick Climate Action Community A6 closure event to show how road closures can help decrease air pollution levels and suggests the need to foster more place-based, community-centred solutions to tackle air pollution across Greater Manchester.

31 Jan 2023 Education

Broken Britain: Bethnal Green and Bow – the constituency where child poverty is becoming the norm

There are now four million children living in poverty in the United Kingdom. This level of child poverty has not appeared like a sudden freak disaster. Poverty has crept into households across the UK with each policy of the last 12 years.

31 Jan 2023 Communities

Giving rural communities more control over local funding and decision making is key to levelling up

The British countryside has always proved a great lure to families seeking a home surrounded by green space, fresh air and a tight-knit community. Whilst all of these are key benefits of rural life, the reality is that there are far too many left behind rural and coastal communities, often overlooked by government policies.

23 Jan 2023 Health

Loneliness is a drain on our communities and the NHS – but we have the means to confront it

Five years ago, the United Kingdom became the first country in the world to appoint a minister for loneliness – a key recommendation of the loneliness commission set up by Kim’s sister, the late Jo Cox.

28 Dec 2022 Communities

My New Year's Wish....Universal Basic Income

A universal basic income would bring security and comfort for all

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16 Dec 2022 Communities

Power, poverty and place: why the local matters

Challenging norms on poverty.

15 Dec 2022 Communities

Government must do more to help businesses deliver for left behind communities

Businesses in the United Kingdom are keen to play their part to deliver for communities across the country, especially as the cost of living crisis continues to impact people from all walks of life.

06 Dec 2022 Communities

Dormant assets should be redistributed to support community regeneration

On delivering my maiden speech to the House of Lords two years ago I spoke, as is traditional, about the community I represent.

28 Nov 2022 Communities

Levelling up remains at the heart of the government’s plans despite the change of personnel

It has been a time of change. I was appointed levelling up minister eight weeks ago and have already seen a couple of faces come and go. But there is one thing that hasn’t changed – this government’s mission to level up the country.

24 Nov 2022 Home affairs

We must accept migration is going to be part of modern Britain

Census data this month revealed that 10 million of us in the United Kingdom were born overseas, an increase of 2.5 million since 2011. India topped the list as the most common overseas birthplace followed by Poland, Pakistan, Romania and Ireland.

22 Nov 2022 Communities

The Problem With Prevent

As human rights groups call for an overhaul of the government’s flagship Prevent counter-radicalisation strategy, what might we see in the Home Office’s long-awaited publication of the independent review into the scheme’s effectiveness?

18 Oct 2022 Communities

Levelling up in Walsall will continue to fail if we do not ditch one-size-fits-all approach

In Walsall, there’s a feeling of deja vu about levelling up. In the early 2000s, this Black Country borough was a key focus for regeneration by the Blair-era Labour government.

14 Oct 2022 Culture

The lady's not for u-turning, but the Telecoms Bill is another disaster waiting to happen

Grassroots sports clubs on the verge of shutting down, hospitals facing a financial black hole, churches at risk of going under. To most governments, policy that threatened to devastate community groups in this way would be seen as an abject failure.