This first of the APPG sessions explored what makes a neighbourhood ‘left behind’. In particular it examined how COVID-19 has exacerbated existing inequalities in such neighbourhoods, drawing on a new ‘deep dive’ into the latest data and expert evidence from both the local authority and community perspective. Members had the opportunity to investigate how ‘left behind’ neighbourhoods have fared and how successful local responses have been in supporting these communities.
Coming soon: watch the recording of the session
Our speakers
(click on speaker’s name to watch their presentation)
- Matt Leach, Chief Executive, Local Trust
- Patrick Melia, Chief Executive, Sunderland City Council
- Shana Roberts, Community Activist, Brookside Big Local, Telford
Briefing pack
Communities at risk – the early impact of COVID-19 on ‘left behind’ neighbourhoods
A ‘data dive’ research report for the All-Party Parliamentary Group for ‘left behind’ neighbourhoods into the early impact of COVID-19 on ‘left behind’ neighbourhoods.
APPG Session 1 briefing
This briefing provides members of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for ‘left behind’ neighbourhoods with an overview of the early impact of COVID-19 on ‘left behind’ neighbourhoods. Drawing on the latest research and recent ‘data dive’ commissioned for the APPG it highlights the issues these communities face in order to help identify the best ways to support them.
Context
These reports and publications provide additional context for the evidence session and the work of the APPG.
Left Behind? Understanding communities on the edge
The original September 2019 Local Trust and Oxford Consultants for Social Inclusion (OCSI) research report that explored the idea of ‘left behind’ communities. The report suggests that places to meet, connectivity – both physical and digital – and an active, engaged community are vital to secure better social and economic outcomes for people living in deprived neighbourhoods.
Left Behind Areas 2020 (Interim Set)
The summary data set produced by OCSI using the updated 2019 Index of Multiple Deprivation. This resulted in a net increase in the number of ‘left behind’ neighbourhoods from 206 to 225.
Rapid research COVID-19 Briefing April 2020
How will communities respond to and recover from this crisis?
A Local Trust/TSRC research briefing that explores community responses to COVID-19 and how other communities have faced major crisis events.
Rapid research COVID-19 Briefing May 2020
Community resilience or resourcefulness?
A Local Trust/TSRC research briefing that focuses on direct community responses to the pandemic, contrasting ideas around ‘resilience’ with ‘resourcefulness’.
We Were Built for This: how community organisations helped us through the coronavirus crisis – and how we can build a better future
Locality, June 2020. This report explores how community organisations have reacted and adapted to the challenges of the coronavirus crisis. Findings include the following: community organisations were often quickest to mobilise from the outset, played vital roles in co-ordinating local responses, and were most effective when they had pre-existing, strong relationships with the local public and private sectors.
Local Heroes: how to sustain community spirit beyond COVID-19
Power to Change, May 2020. In response to the wave of social solidarity that swept through the country in the wake of COVID-19, Power to Change examines how communities, businesses and other locally-rooted organisations can play a key role in harnessing community spirit to improve social and economic outcomes for residents beyond the current moment.
Building a social stimulus to tackle COVID
Onward, May 2020. Published during the peak of lockdown restrictions as part of a research programme entitled Repairing Our Social Fabric, this report warns of thousands of local charities and community organisations struggling to manage soaring demand due to severe funding and operational constraints. It proposes a 15-point plan for a social stimulus to strengthen civic activity in response.
Social Capital and the Response to COVID-19
Bennett Institute for Public Policy, University of Cambridge, May 2020. This initial research examines the spatial distribution of mutual aid groups to increase our understanding of social capital levels across the UK. It concludes that the ‘intensity of these support networks correlates with the socioeconomic profile of the area’, suggesting that there are lower levels of social capital in disadvantaged communities due to a lack of long-term support and investment in social infrastructure.
Back from the Brink: avoiding a lost generation
Centre for Progressive Policy, May 2020. Given the unprecedented economic shock caused by COVID-19, this report aims to understand and address the long-term economic impacts at a place level – exploring potential paths to recovery within the context of the government’s ‘levelling up’ agenda.