The 2nd Annual Community Cohesion conference offers a timely opportunity for local stakeholders to consider the new challenges that local authorities and their partners face in reconnecting the ties that bind local communities together.

Whilst efforts to strengthen communities’ resilience against extremism continue, Prevent has highlighted the need for local authorities to foster better relations with Muslim communities and work in partnership to promote shared values, dispel tensions and address outstanding grievances.

The changing migration landscape has also presented complex challenges to community cohesion and local leadership with recent research indicating that whilst many migrants identify with Britain, they fail to feel a sense of belonging to their local neighbourhood due to difficulty in accessing public services and resources, language barriers and limited social interaction with neighbours. In some areas, the introduction of new communities has sparked an increase in hate crime, racial tension and prejudice.

The increase in migrant workers, alongside the recession and greater competition for resources has also contributed to a rise in disengagement and resentment amongst some white working class sections of local communities, emphasising the need for local authorities to extend efforts to empower and inform disaffected groups and comprehensively address the phenomenon of “parallel lives” in their community.

Delegates will:

• Assess the new challenges to overcome in reconnecting the ties that bind local communities together
• Discuss how to encourage active participation across all generations, develop trust in local institutions and transform local leadership
• Consider how to support the integration of newcomers in your community, tackling racial tension, distrust and prejudice
• Examine how to engage and empower white working class sections of every community and prevent the exploitation of local grievances
• Discuss how to improve relations with Muslim communities, working in partnership to address grievances, promote shared values and challenge extremism
• Debate, share best practice and network with colleagues from across the community cohesion, local authority and government landscape

Location Tags: National

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