Latest news with #socialcohesion
The Independent
19 hours ago
- Business
- The Independent
How ‘Amazon tax' could save your local pub and community
A new report by the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) proposes a tax on wealthy firms, such as Amazon, to fund community regeneration and foster social cohesion. The suggestion follows summer riots, including those in Southport, which the IPPR links to community disrepair and the loss of shared physical spaces. The report highlights a significant decline in community venues across the UK, citing the closure of hundreds of pubs, youth clubs, and local authority spaces. It recommends establishing a '21st-century welfare fund' through higher levies on online retailers' warehouses or an online sales tax, targeting companies with revenues over £1 million. The IPPR argues that rebuilding local infrastructure is vital to combat division and counter the influence of the far-right, which exploits the void left by lost community solidarity.
The Guardian
5 days ago
- General
- The Guardian
Cohesive communities built on work and charity
Your editorial rightly argues that collective belonging is rooted not only in place but also in shared purpose, and the dignified structures of mutual support that have too often been dismantled (The Guardian view on strengthening social cohesion: we can learn from the working-class past, 17 July). Our work at the University of the West of England engages directly with these concerns through research into how light industry – historically a binding force in working-class towns – might be reintegrated into the heart of our communities in a sustainable manner. The disappearance of production from everyday urban life has not simply meant the loss of jobs; it has also eroded identity, civic pride and interdependence. Industrial activity, once visible and valued, has been pushed out of sight, out of mind, and often out of reach. The result is a built environment that is increasingly monotone, functionally segregated and lacking the social and cultural layering that once reflected the richness of everyday life. Our New Industrial Urbanism project, which we are developing with colleagues in the university's college of arts, technology and environment, explores how new forms of small-scale, clean and socially embedded production can return to the high street, the town edge or the repurposed civic building. We are working with communities to understand how productive infrastructure – combined with walkability, sustainability and shared space – can reknit the social and economic fabric of places hollowed out by the relocation of industry to faceless business parks on the urban fringe. What is needed is not nostalgia for the past, but a reimagining of how making, crafting and producing can be civic acts. Social cohesion is not built through consumption but through participation – through people shaping their environments and economies together. I applaud your focus on the importance of belonging. We must ensure that future towns do not just house people; they must empower them to make, contribute and Piers TaylorProfessor of knowledge exchange in architecture, University of the West of England As one of the recently appointed commissioners to the Independent Commission on Community and Cohesion, I read your editorial with interest. In my personal opinion, many of the answers to issues that are challenging for all communities – urban and rural, communities of interest and of place – are likely to be found in building trusted relationships, encouraging regular, honest communication and collaborative working. Effective partnerships between charities, community groups, voluntary associations and decision makers and funders are invaluable in supporting civic engagement. I would draw particular attention to the unique way in which the voluntary sector is regarded as a trusted partner in Wales. The existence of the Third Sector Scheme, setting out key roles and responsibilities between the sector and Welsh government, is envied across the UK and farther afield. Both the organised and informal networks of charities and voluntary organisations have the opportunity to work alongside the public sector, influencing policy and practice. Sustainable engagement with the third sector is likely to support the development of better connected and more cohesive communities. Formal structures such as those in Wales can help achieve a renewed sense of common MarksFormer CEO, Wales Council for Voluntary Action Thank you for your editorial. You hail the reopening, post-refurbishment, of the Durham Miners' Hall as a community hub and note that 'cultivation of communal memory in post-industrial regions can play an important role in evoking a sense of solidarity and belonging'. Deep is my respect for these cultural memories of the industrial north-east. I am filled with similar pride reading about the role of cotton workers in the north-west during the cotton famine (1861-65). Some 70 years before the American civil war, the first ever petition advocating an end to slavery was delivered to parliament in 1788. A second in 1792 came with 20,000 signatures from the people of Manchester. Lancashire imported its raw cotton from the US southern states. Its mills employed 440,000 workers. From 1861, Abraham Lincoln's north blockaded the cotton-exporting ports of the south. The cotton workers went, suddenly, from being the most prosperous workers in Britain to being unemployed. Despite hardships, their support for the north, and its struggle to end US slavery in the south, remained undimmed. These hopes were expressed in a letter to Lincoln, drafted after a meeting at the Free Trade Hall in Manchester in December 1862. Within three weeks, Lincoln replied expressing gratitude for the workers' 'Christian heroism' in accepting their suffering in solidarity with the southern slaves. Lincoln's words are displayed on his statue in Lincoln Square, Manchester. Several of my ancestors worked in the mills. I swell with pride. If only these stories were better John HullSheffield Have an opinion on anything you've read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication in our letters section.
Telegraph
22-07-2025
- Politics
- Telegraph
Epping is a warning to complacent Britain
While Britain's ship of state drifts serenely towards the rocks, the captain and crew are arguing about the precise order of the deckchairs. Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner and Sir Keir Starmer's spokesman have both said that the Government must address 'concerns' over migration, without specifying how. Away from Downing Street, the mood is febrile. Protests outside asylum hotels by locals furious at the sudden imposition of large numbers of young men in their towns have been exploited by far-Right agitators, leading to clashes with the police. The observation from one MP that the country is a 'tinderbox' seems close to the mark. Yet beyond a vague sense that something isn't quite right, the Government carries on as normal. Ms Rayner is continuing her project on social cohesion; the people smugglers continue their trade across the Channel; borrowing continues to rise as the population shoulders the burden of the new arrivals. There is no sense of urgency, and no sense of a plan ready to be put into action. Nor is there any real willingness to discuss the precise issues in question. Ms Rayner's comments still appeared to focus on economic insecurity as a primary factor in explaining dissatisfaction, instead of finding solutions to the primary issue of uncontrolled immigration. There is an echo of the political correctness that silenced conversation in the towns where grooming gangs operated. Nor does there seem to be much prospect of imminent change. The potential fiasco of a Tommy Robinson-led demonstration in Epping may well grab headlines should it come to pass, and indeed may be welcomed by those desperate to pretend that the only issues are those created by troublemakers; it will do nothing to address local unease at the changes imposed on the area. Nor will it do so in places experiencing similar shifts. The decision to disperse asylum seekers into hotels around the country remains a baffling one, and it is almost certain that a detention estate separate from the general population would see far fewer potential flashpoints for unrest. So, too, is the unwillingness to slap down judges undermining our borders, or to speak frankly about the long-term costs of our asylum policy. Instead, the ship drifts. There is no indication that anyone in Government has any plan for regaining control over our borders or addressing the concerns of the population. And there is no indication, either, that one is on the way.
BBC News
22-07-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
Deprivation and immigration straining cohesion, says Rayner
Angela Rayner has identified deprivation, time spent online and immigration as factors weaking social cohesion in the the findings of her year-long study, commissioned in the wake of a wave of riots across the UK sparked by the murder of three girls in Southport, the deputy prime minister told ministers they must confront people's "real concerns" to rebuild Street said the unreleased study will form the backbone of the Plan for Neighbourhoods, which promises to invest £1.5 billion in 75 of the "most deprived" areas across the UK over the next comments come ahead of the first anniversary the Southport attack on 29 July. Axel Rudakubana is serving a life sentence for murdering Bebe King, Elsie Dot Stancombe and Alice Da Silva Aguiar when he attacked a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in other girls were seriously injured, along with two adults who tried to stop the about the killing developed into a riot on 30 July, fuelled by misinformation alleging Rudakubana, who was born in Cardiff, was a riot was quickly followed by violent disorder across the country - leading to more than 600 arrests by Minister Sir Keir Starmer described the riots as "far-right thuggery," with crowds targeting mosques and accommodation housing asylum seekers. On Tuesday, Rayner said 17 of the 18 worst-hit areas were among the most deprived in the UK."While Britain was a successful multi-ethnic, multi-faith country, the government had to show it had a plan to address people's concerns and provide opportunities for everyone to flourish," she warned.A read out of the Cabinet meeting said Rayner told colleagues: "Economic insecurity, the rapid pace of de-industrialisation, immigration and the impacts on local communities and public services, technological change and the amount of time people were spending alone online, and declining trust in institutions was having a profound impact on society."Rayner said it was "incumbent on the government to acknowledge the real concerns people have and to deliver improvements to people's lives and their communities," the readout Keir said the country will never forget the "unimaginable tragedy" of the "horrific" Southport attacks. This week the government unveiled details of plans to impose life sentences on suspects found to be preparing mass killings in an effort to prevent Southport style attacks from happening Secretary Yvette Cooper said the criminal justice system had to be given new tools to respond to violence-fixated individuals who are not motivated by a particular told the BBC that the government will "close the gap" between such offenders and lone, violence-obsessed individuals by giving police the power to apprehend them long before they can act. On Sunday, police arrested six people in connection with a protest outside a hotel used to house asylum seekers in Essex that has been running since and smoke flares were thrown towards police vehicles during the demonstration which saw more than 1,000 people gathered outside the Bell Hotel in protests followed the arrest and charge of an asylum seeker over an alleged sexual assault on a disorder followed the arrest and charge of an asylum seeker last week on suspicion of alleged sexual assaults in the Street previously said the scenes at Epping were "unacceptable". Sign up for our Politics Essential newsletter to keep up with the inner workings of Westminster and beyond.
Daily Mail
22-07-2025
- Politics
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE Migrant hotel fury spreads: Labour accused of 'taking advantage' of communities by moving in scores of asylum seekers - as protesters descend on hotels in London and Norfolk amid fears of a 'summer of riots'
Labour has been accused of 'taking advantage' of small tight-knit communities by bussing dozens of single male migrants into their hotels amid fears Britain could face a second summer of riots. Sir Keir Starmer has been warned that the UK is a 'powder keg' that could explode into a repeat of the street violence that followed the Southport murders 12 months ago - unless Labour urgently gets a grip on migrant hotels. It came as his deputy, Angela Rayner, warned that anger at high levels of illegal immigration is risking social cohesion in Britain's poorest communities and must be addressed. The Park Hotel, in Diss, Norfolk, last night became the centre of another anti-migrant protest following a string of violent demonstrations in Epping, Essex, with more action planned across the country over the weekend. Around 150 people gathered outside the 19-room hotel for a 'peaceful' protest after the Home Office announced plans to change it from housing asylum-seeker families to single men. Footage posted on social media, including by supporters of far right activist Tommy Robinson, showed clashes between pro and anti-migrant groups and there are fears the change could bring tension to the sleepy market town. It follows several nights of clashes outside the Bell Hotel, in Epping, after an asylum seeker was arrested and charged with sexually assaulting a teenage girl eight days after arriving in the UK. And there are reports further protest could descend on London's financial district, Canary Wharf, this evening. Yesterday, Reform UK leader Nigel Farage claimed Britain was getting close to 'civil disobedience on a vast scale' - and protesters are already plotting to take action outside more migrant hotels in the coming days. Speaking exclusively to MailOnline, the leader of South Norfolk Council warned the 'anger' in Diss and around the country is 'real' as he echoed fears there could be a second summer of riots. Conservative Councillor Daniel Elmer said: 'The risk of public discontent is real. I think that is unarguable. The fact that we already have protests proves that there is a risk of the public getting very, very upset with this to the point they're prepared to go out on the streets to stop it.' Speaking about the protests at the hotel, he added: 'I think the anger here is completely understandable. I think they probably feel a bit taken advantage of because this was meant to be a family hotel. 'It was largely accepted two years ago on that basis. And now it feels like the Home Office is changing the goalposts again.' Since 2023, the 19-room hotel - in the centre of Diss - has been used to house asylum seeker families, including several women and children, but there are fears the change to single adult men could bring tension to the market town. Migrant hotels usually house two asylum seekers per room, meaning there could be at least 38 men bussed into Diss. But the council say the Home Office has not confirmed the numbers yet and they are 'incredibly disappointed' at the short notice. Mr Elmer said that it is crucial how 'safe people feel' in the 'very small tight-knit community' of Diss, adding: 'It is indisputably true that lots of young adult men make people feel less safe than women and children. 'I understand why people are angry, and I would never want belittle that anger. I think it is obviously concerning if there is a risk of anything becoming violent.' As well as the protests in Diss and Epping, demonstrations have already been planned in other parts of Norfolk and Worcestershire on Saturday, stoking fears more riots are on the way. Mr Elmer said it was 'absolutely true' that there is a risk of more violence on the streets this summer. Amid growing fears of further violence, Angela Rayner today told the Cabinet this morning they had to 'acknowledge the real concerns people have' about immigration and economic insecurity, hours after the anti-migrant clashes in Norfolk. The Prime Minister's official spokesman said today that Ms Rayner warned the Cabinet '17 of the 18 places that saw the worst of the disorder last summer ranked at the top of the most deprived, and while Britain was a successful multi-ethnic, multi-faith country, the Government had to show it had a plan to address people's concerns (and) provide opportunities for everyone to flourish'. 'I think she sees a link between concerns that people have about where the Government is acting on their behalf and acting in their interests, and a range of factors,' he said. 'High levels of immigration over the last 10 years, including illegal immigration, but also, importantly, the cost of living, economic security, the rapid pace of technological change and deindustrialisation and changes in the economy, these are all factors that have had an impact on our social fabric and social cohesion.' The demonstration in Norfolk started with around 60 people shouting 'we want our country back'. They were met by about 30 counter-protesters from Stand Up To Racism holding signs that read 'refugees welcome'. Footage posted on social media shows protesters - some wearing Union Jack bucket hats and holding St George's flags - and counter-protesters standing on both sides of the road outside the hotel. But as tension mounted, they clashed with one another, with protesters crossing the road to confront the counter-protesters. Loud chants of 'stop the boats' and 'send them home' could be heard, while protesters - including children - unfurled a banner which said 'enough is enough'. A counter-protester holding a 'Stop the far right' placard attempted to shout over them. A protester using a megaphone could be heard confronting those opposing the demonstration with questions about why migrants should be housed in the UK. As the group grew to about 150, the refugee supporters then left the hotel and carried on elsewhere. Julian Bareham, 71, who has lived opposite the Park Hotel for 22 years, complained: 'We don't know what these people are capable of.' He said they are 'not going to socially integrate', adding: 'If there were too many of them wandering around Diss then I would feel alien within my own town. 'The hotel used to be a nice friendly community hub, an amenity that was well-respected and useful for those needing an overnight stay who were coming here for business. It is a huge loss.' 'After lockdown, the hotel never really recovered and the owners sold it to new owners who did a deal with the government and this deal, I believe has been a disaster for the town.' A pensioner who lives opposite the hotel said she no longer feels safe in the area. Sheila, 78, who didn't want to give her surname, explained: 'I think it's dreadful that all men will be staying here. 'We are lucky that the protests yesterday were peaceful and didn't develop into riots that they have done previously elsewhere - but perhaps it could.' Maureen Scott, 68, who has lived in the town all her life and had her wedding reception at the hotel 46 years ago, said she had been content with families living there and hoped the single men moving in would 'keep themselves to themselves'. She added: 'I think it could have an effect on jobs here but I have no idea how long these people will be here. It is the great unknown.' A 55-year-old man who lives near the hotel was supportive of the asylum seekers, however, and expressed concern about the tone of the protests. 'Yesterday was absolute chaos, people were shouting far right and ill-informed things about how these people will be molesting and raping the women and children of Diss,' he said. 'I felt absolutely threatened in my own home, they were saying that they are going to be coming every Sunday at 2pm. This is going to disrupt our peaceful family life and I am worried. 'We have had asylum seekers residing next door for the last three years or so, roughly, and there has never been any issues. It is far better and quieter than when the hotel was in operation. 'I hear families laughing and playing in the garden compared to late night music and revelry from weddings and other functions which sees bottles thrown into my property and smashed glass in the road which was always happening, fights with drunk people. It has been pleasant since the asylum seekers have been residing there. 'I am open-minded to men living there but I think I would prefer it to be families as it has been lovely so far.' A police officer was seen with blood running down his cheek outside The Bell Hotel in Epping on July 20 South Norfolk Council has opposed plans to change the use of the hotel to single adult male migrants, saying it only learned about it in a brief email from Whitehall last week. The Home Office is in contact with Adrian Ramsay MP and the council. The local authority argued families at the hotel had become part of the local community and replacing them with single men could see tension boil over as it has in other parts of the country. The council's deputy leader, Councillor Graham Minshull, said the Home Office plans to change the hotel to house single adult men was 'deeply disappointing'. A spokesman for Norfolk Police said: 'Officers maintained a presence in Denmark Street, Diss, on Monday evening to ensure the safety of all involved at a planned protest outside a commercial premises. No arrests were made.' The Diss protest comes after hundreds of furious locals gathered outside the Bell Hotel in Epping on Thursday after Ethiopian resident Hadush Gerberslasie Kebatu, 38, was charged with sex attacks on schoolgirls. The protest started peacefully, but descended into frenzied violence when anti-migrant demonstrators clashed with counter protesters and police. Eight police officers were injured on Thursday, while protests have continued to take place in the days since. Sunday was the fourth in just nine days - with around 500 people gathering outside the hotel. Although it was calmer on Sunday, troublemakers hid their faces in the crowd and there were a few flashpoints when bottles and firecrackers were thrown at police. The Prime Minister is facing pressure to act to prevent a repeat of 2024, when towns and cities were hit by violent, often racist protests triggered by the Southport child murders. At the same time, the leader of Epping Forest District Council warned that far right groups could feed off discontent if migrant hotels are not closed. Chris Whitbread told BBC Newsnight that the council had warned the Home Office the hotel was the wrong site, adding: 'It's a powder keg now and we need to get something done and we need the Home Office to listen.' He went on: 'My concerns are for next week, or this week, if Tommy Robinson turns up, if we see another example of what happened on Thursday evening, we really have got to get this back under control. He told Mr Robinson - whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon he was 'not welcome' and should stay away, but added: 'What we want is the Home Office to act sensibly, recognise that this hotel is in the wrong location for this type of use and close it as quickly as possible.' Mr Farage has also weighed in on the Epping protests, saying: 'I don't think anybody in London can understand just how close we are to civil disobedience on a vast scale in this country.' He accepted there were some 'bad eggs that turned up', including 'the usual far-Right thugs', but added: 'Do I understand how people in Epping feel? You bet your life I do. 'Don't underestimate the simmering anger and disgust there is in this country that we are letting in every week, in fact some days, many hundreds of undocumented young males, many of whom come from cultures in which women and young girls are not even treated as second-class citizens. 'I do understand the genuine upset and anger, and I'll bet you that most of the people outside that hotel in Epping weren't far-Right or far-Left or anything like that, they were genuinely concerned families.' The Reform UK leader warned Britain is on the brink of 'societal collapse' as he vowed to halve crime in five years if her becomes prime minister. Launching a six-week policy blitz on tackling 'lawless Britain', Mr Farage said yesterday: 'We're actually facing, in many parts of our country, nothing short of societal collapse. 'People are scared to go out to the shops, scared to let their kids out. That is a society that is degraded, and it's happening very, very rapidly. Respect for those in uniform has declined massively.' The PM's official spokesperson has said there are now just over 200 migrant hotels, down from 400 under the Conservatives. But they failed to address whether the Epping protests will accelerate the Government's efforts to close these hotels. The cost of policing protests outside the Epping hotel has reached £100,000, police said. On Sunday, more than 100 demonstrators assemble outside the hotel with some chanting 'save our kids'. Thursday's demonstration was one of a series of protests outside the hotel since asylum seeker Kebatu was charged with sexual assault following an incident where he is alleged to have attempted to kiss a 14-year-old girl. Kebatu denied the charge when he appeared at Chelmsford Magistrates' Court on Thursday. Essex Police said six people were arrested on Sunday evening and remain in custody, including a 17-year-old male on suspicion of causing criminal damage to a police car. Four were arrested on Sunday for alleged offences during Thursday's protest, police said.
