Overview
This report showcases the inspiring ways community organisations have helped us through the coronavirus crisis. Through indepth research with community organisations and local authorities we have learnt:
• Existing social infrastructure has been vital to the crisis response
• Well-functioning local systems have emerged in the heat of the crisis
• The role of community organisations as “cogs of connection” has been strengthened
• Community organisations have adapted at pace – but need support to meet the challenges of the future
The committed and agile way communities have responded to the coronavirus crisis points the way to a new future that’s built around community power. But to be truly transformative, policymakers need to catch up with the innovation that’s happening locally - and help embed it as the “new normal” as we emerge from the crisis. So this report sets out three practical ways the government can create the conditions for community power to flourish at a local level and make this the foundation of a fairer society after the crisis.
Related reports
Navigating the storm
A new report released by Locality, Navigating the Storm, shows how community organisations kept going through a global pandemic. Despite being hard hit, community organisations adapted, innovated and thrived, by:
Finding new and more efficient ways to deliver services
Investing in their buildings during lockdown.
Providing completely new types of services in response to community needs.
It explains how the determination and expertise of community leaders helped make these changes. It also recognises the contribution made by funding bodies and policy-makers, not only in the emergency support they provided but also in their increased flexibility.