Strengthening community cohesion
A Westminster Hall debate on strengthening community cohesion is scheduled to take place on 3 March 2026. The debate will be opened by John Slinger MP.
Social cohesion has been described (PDF) as broadly encompassing “the things that make communities, groups and societies a coherent entity”. The United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) describes it as “broadly speaking […] the ‘glue’ that binds society together”.
The British Academy’s 2017 Cohesive Societies programme identified the following five general themes of social cohesion.
- identity and belonging
- the social economy
- meaning and mechanisms of social responsibility
- cultural memory and tradition
- care for the future.
In 2025, the Together Coalition launched an Independent Commission on Community and Cohesion to address issues of social disconnection and division in the UK. The Commission is led by former Conservative Home Secretary, Sir Sajid Javid, and former Labour MP, Jon Cruddas. In July 2025, the commission published its foundational report, The State of Us: Community Strength and Cohesion in the UK, developed by the think tank British Future and the Belong Network. Research for the report incorporated the views of 177 UK organisations working on social cohesion and community development, through regional roundtables, as well as 113 written submissions of evidence.
The report, which claims to present “an authoritative picture of the state of cohesion and community strength in the UK” identifies a number of “social tensions and grievances”. It made the following findings on “cohesion challenges”:
- Deprivation, worries about the cost of living and failing public services are leading to grievances against out-groups such as asylum-seekers.
- Immigration, specifically boat arrivals and the housing of asylum-seekers in hotels, is a salient issue of public concern, but public opinion is more nuanced than the media portrays, and social contact can change attitudes.
- Councils and local civil society organisations are ill-equipped to address misinformation, disinformation and divisions and hatred amplified by social media.
- Trust in politicians and democratic institutions is low, leading some people to disengage from civic life and others to turn to populist or extremist actors to find meaning and validation. There is a wide perception that racism, anti-Muslim prejudice and antisemitism has worsened over the last two years, with national political discourse and social media creating a permissive environment for prejudice.
The Khan Review: Threats to Social Cohesion and Democratic Resilience was published in March 2024. Led by Dame Sara Khan, it investigated how extremism and divisive activities undermine local communities and democratic norms. The review presented the following findings:
- What this review has termed “freedom-restricting harassment” has become widespread and is corroding both social cohesion and our democratic rights and freedoms.
- Victims of freedom-restricting harassment suffer devastating impacts yet are often not treated as victims or offered the support they need. The impact on the religious studies teacher at Batley Grammar School provides a harrowing example.
- Local authorities and responders are struggling to manage evolving social cohesion threats. Whitehall lacks a national strategic approach to help improve local authorities’ capability in identifying, preventing and responding to cohesion threats.
- There is an incomplete, inconclusive and at times contradictory picture of social cohesion and democratic resilience in our country. An examination of some cohesion indicators suggests a declining trust, confidence and participation in democracy and its institutions, declining civic engagement, and a complex picture of how tolerant we are to difference despite progress made in recent decades.
- In the absence of a comprehensive cohesion assessment framework, we lack the analytical capability in assessing the state of social cohesion at a national and a local level. This severely restricts the ability of local and national government to assess progress towards a more cohesive society, or to identify and respond to early warning signs of a break down in cohesion across the country.
- There have been twenty years of reports, recommendations and strategies on social cohesion, yet government focus has been intermittent, and the outcomes have been mixed. Today, there remains a continuing failure to institutionalise social cohesion. This is due to ongoing structural obstacles—identified as the 3Ps—where policy, practice and the politics of social cohesion have hampered progress.
- This review calls for a new approach to social cohesion and democratic resilience, to ensure we harness the many benefits while also ensuring we have the capability to identify and respond to new trends and threats
In December 2024, during a debate in the House of Lords on “social Cohesion and community during periods of change”, the then Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government stated that the government “will develop ambitious, long-term local growth plans and capitalise on existing strengths to deliver new opportunities and maximise potential”.
In December 2025, in response to a question tabled in the House of Commons on what steps the government is taking to implement policies to help build community cohesion in areas with segregated communities, the government stated:
The Ministry for Communities, Housing and Local Government is leading cross-Government efforts to consider a longer-term, more strategic approach to social cohesion - working in partnership with communities and local stakeholders to rebuild, renew and address the deep-seated issues.
This Government wants to ensure that all places are further supported to build cohesion and resilience, and that support is in place rapidly, as and when tensions occur. The Common Ground Resilience Fund will provide £2.87m funding to local communities to insulate them against threats to social cohesion.
We also recently announced the expansion of the Pride in Place Programme – this will provide up to £20 million of funding and support over the next decade to 244 places across the UK. It focuses on three overarching objectives: building stronger communities; creating thriving places; and helping communities to take back control of their own lives and areas. As part of this, funding will be made available to improve community cohesion.
In February 2026, in response to a question tabled in the House of Commons on the impact of housing, refugees and asylum seekers on social cohesion, the government stated:
We have a set of Asylum Accommodation Plans which take an evidence-based approach to the procurement and occupancy of Dispersal Accommodation; ensuring we are finding suitable accommodation to fulfil our statutory duty, while considering the impacts on local areas.
The Home Office continues to work with local government to allocate asylum seekers based on a range of evidence, including the availability of housing, pressure on services and community cohesion.
Whatever decisions are made regarding specific locations, we are clear that the impact on communities must be minimised.
On the role of social media in improving and undermining community cohesion, the government stated:
While social media can play an important role in society, it is unacceptable that people use it to spread hate and threaten our communities. Ofcom and DSIT use data and evidence to understand how potentially harmful content is encountered on social media, and the impacts this has on users. This includes users' experience of hate speech, disinformation, and content promoting terrorism, extremism, and radicalization, which can all undermine social cohesion.
The government engages with social media companies to make clear their responsibility to keep users safe, and with local authorities and communities to monitor the issues affecting cohesion, and work closely with them to bridge division and challenge hatred.
In March 2025, the government announced a £1.5 billion funding “to restore pride in Britain’s neighbourhoods”. Under the scheme, new neighbourhood boards across 75 selected communities are expected to “bring together residents and businesses to decide how to spend the money in their area”.
In January 2026, the Local Government Association, the national membership body for local authorities, announced that it was endorsing a guidance on building cohesive communities authored by Belong.
Further resources Parliamentary questions
- Religion: Education, 18 December 2025 | UIN 101645
- National Identity, 12 December 2025 | UIN 99500
- Community Relations: Hexham, 5 November 2025 | UIN 88445
- Social Media: Community Relations, 13 October 2025 | UIN 81509
- Women and Equalities Committee, Community cohesion. Evidence submitted to the inquiry is available from the committee’s webpage