Pride in Place? This is the moment 

Image credit: Boarded up shops, Dorrit Way, Rochester by Chris Whippet, CC BY-SA 2.0.

The government has launched its long-awaited Pride in Place strategy announced as the biggest shift of power from Whitehall to local areas in living memory, the initiative will channel £5 billion into 330 communities that have “too often been left behind.” Extending funding that was previously announced to deliver a Plan for Neighbourhoods programme, it’s a significant commitment – and one that could not be more timely. 

Across the country, tensions are running high as the team at Belong knows only too well. Over the summer, national debates around immigration and asylum accommodation spilled into public protest. Signs of division and the country being in dispute with itself were expressed by some of the recent flag-waving and the Unite the Kingdom march in London. And the terror attack on a synagogue in Manchester only last week shows with devastating clarity the urgency and scale of the challenge we face. 

In this context, a government investment to strengthen local pride and connection has been widely – and rightly – welcomed across civil society. This investment is urgent, and it matters.  

Within the strategy, the Building Connections (p.19) strand sets out a dedicated focus on cohesion and resilience. We were pleased that Belong – the Cohesion and Integration Network – was named as leading on key aspects of this work. Government funding will enable us to develop new national guidance and training, to be published in 2026, alongside a full programme of engagement and training for council leaders working at the front line of cohesion. This builds on our longstanding partnership with government and recognises Belong’s role in supporting communities and local authorities to develop the tools and strategies they need to build trust, navigate division and strengthen resilience. 

At the Labour Party Conference, where Belong was represented last week, there was a palpable sense of excitement and expectation from organisations eager to play their part in the renewal of local pride. The sector is rich in expertise, with deep roots in communities and a clear sense of what works. As one panellist put it, “We don’t need more shiny new things – we’re already here.” This sentiment echoes the Secretary of State’s foreword to the strategy: “Wherever you go, communities are brimming with ideas.” The message was clear – we must move further and faster to get resources to the front line and to those places that need them most. 

Lessons from The State of Us 

Belong and British Future’s recent report, The State of Us, highlights why this moment and this work matters. Nearly half of respondents (49%) ranked “divisions between migrants, refugees and UK-born residents” among their top three concerns. Three in ten adults (31%) – equating to around 15 million people – say they rarely or never have opportunities to meet people from different backgrounds, while half of the people surveyed (50%) say they cannot always afford to go to places where they might meet others.  

These figures speak volumes. Loneliness, disconnection and financial strain are eroding our social fabric. As Kirsty McNeill MP said powerfully at Labour conference, “Our phones are making us sick” – but the problem runs deeper than screen time and the echo chambers we already know are driving siloed thinking and division. Many people are simply no longer coming into contact with one another. Speaking to people at this week’s Conservative Party conference, and in our conversations with councillors from other parties, Belong team members find that – notwithstanding policy differences across the spectrum – there is now a shared concern about the quality of the relationships and interactions between people in our country. 

The State of Us underscores the urgency of restoring everyday opportunities to connect – through shared spaces, volunteering, schools and community events – if we are to rebuild belonging. This is where Pride in Place gets it right, by putting communities in the driving sets to help lay the foundations and put the heart and soul back into their places.  

This work is urgent  

Whatever the facts about migration, there are strong public perceptions and views on this issue. 49% people responding to the survey in The State of Us ranked divisions between migrants, refugees, and UK-born residents among their top three concerns. On the ground, recent months have shown just how much racism, prejudice and polarisation are seeping into public life. Local organisations and councils have shared with our teams how they are feeling the strain. One refugee charity described this summer as “exhausting.” A council officer broke down as she spoke to one of our team about racist comments creeping into daily conversation and the climate of fear it creates. These are not isolated incidents but part of a wider pattern. It is difficult to keep count of the number of commentators describing how the Overton window has shifted in recent months, and local partners echo this concern: views once seen as marginal are becoming mainstream and normalised – too often unchallenged and sometimes accepted. 

From the murderous terror attack on people at the Manchester synagogue, to the arson attack at the mosque in Peacehaven, through to spikes of divisive and hurtful posts on social media, there are all too many signs that we have to do more if we are to truly stem what can feel like an unstoppable tide of anger and hate. Those working in this field will recognise that hate crime is the foothills of extremism. This rapidly changing landscape makes the work of building cohesion and resilience all the more vital. Pride in Place is a critical piece of the jigsaw – but government must go further. National leadership and prominence on this issue is key. 

There is a need for coordination 

Momentum is building across multiple initiatives – from the work of the Independent Commission on Neighbourhoods (ICON) to the NHS 10-year plan – all seeking to support better outcomes for communities; it is a busy field, and rightly so. But coordination will be key. Without it, areas risk being overwhelmed by competing programmes or uneven investment. The opportunity – and the challenge – is to enable communities and civil society partners to align efforts, share learning and make the best use of the resources flowing their way. 

This work is happening 

Our place-based cohesion strategies, currently underway in twelve UK cities, begin by listening to local voices – identifying both the strengths which communities already possess and the struggles they face. What we hear is consistent: communities are feeling the weight of division, but they are also rich in energy and determination. Volunteers give their time, residents create spaces for dialogue, and local civil society organisations work tirelessly to bring people together. What is critical is that their roles and their work is given legitimacy and the resources to sustain and go further.   

The Pride in Place strategy marks a vital and long-overdue investment in communities, and its emphasis on local leadership and connection is both timely and welcome. But as The State of Us report and our findings through Belong’s work makes clear, this is only part of the solution. Community strength in the UK is under acute pressure – not only from long-standing neglect but also from rising extremism, social media-fuelled division, and the mismanagement of immigration. To truly counter extremism and rebuild social cohesion, government must go further – embedding connection and cohesion not just in place, but in policy.  

Without this, the risk is that Pride in Place becomes a promising initiative constrained by the very divisions it seeks to heal. And this moment demands more: a whole of government and a whole of society approach  –  not just a security response – that recognises cohesion as core to national resilience, and that empowers communities not just to feel pride – to feel safe, seen, and united.