Connecting Communities
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CONNECTING COMMUNITIES HOW VOLUNTEERING AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT DEFINED THE FIRST NATIONAL COVID-19 LOCKDOWN A ONE NATION CONSERVATIVES REPORT DECEMBER 2020 TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION KEY SUMMARY OF SURVEY FINDINGS KEY SUMMARY OF RECOMMENDATIONS BACKGROUND COMMON LOCKDOWN CHALLENGES EXPLORING COMMUNITY CONNECTION COMMUNITY SURVEY COMMON THEMES IN SURVEY RESPONSES CONSTITUENCY SNAPSHOTS STOKE-ON-TRENT CENTRAL NORTH DEVON WATFORD KEY RECOMMENDATIONS CONCLUSIONS AUTHORS This report has been written and compiled by the following Members of Parliament including surveys from their own constituencies. Dean Russell MP Watford Dean Russell is a former physicist, author and business strategist. He is a member of the Health & Social Care Select Committee and the Joint Committee for Human Rights. Dean is also the Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Groups for the Film & Production Industry, Digital ID and Digital Health. Jo Gideon MP Stoke-on-Trent Central Jo Gideon is a former entrepreneur and Councillor. Jo is the Chair for the All-Party Parliamentary Group on the National Food Strategy and a member of the All Party Parliamentary Group for Women & Enterprise. Selaine Saxby MP North Devon Selaine studied mathematics at Cambridge University and was formerly an entrepreneur. Selaine is a member of the Work & Pensions Select Committee and a vice Chair of the Dark Skies All-Party Parliamentary Group. VOLUNTEERING AND COMMUNITY LESSONS FROM THE FIRST NATIONAL LOCKDOWN PAGE 3 INTRODUCTION This report explores lessons from the first national authors hosted a short survey asking their constituents COVID-19 lockdown across the United Kingdom for feedback on their experiences during lockdown. with a focus on the surge in community spirit The survey results provided regional snapshots into how different communities supported each other across the country. The report includes evidence during the lockdown. from multiple constituency profiles, ranging from coastal to city, and from shire to suburb. The KEY SUMMARY OF SURVEY FINDINGS report draws upon a range of evidence from local constituency surveys, national trends, and case • Volunteering had a positive impact on respondents studies to provide a set of five recommendations and helped them feel more connected to their that the Government could implement to community. strengthen community ties. • The vast majority of first-time volunteers would The first full national lockdown of the United Kingdom volunteer again. between March and July 2020 was unprecedented in British peacetime in the extent to which the public • Regional differences were minimal overall, but was asked to accept curtailments to their liberties. there were common trends between rural and urban areas. These restrictions were met with the full financial fire-power of the Treasury, which rapidly provided • Positive lockdown experiences often referenced extensive financial packages to protect jobs and a sense of belonging, being proud of the support livelihoods. Since March, the government has neighbourhood, and feeling more connected to protected 9.6 million jobs through the Coronavirus family and the wider community. Jobs Retention Scheme (CJRS), and 2.6 million self- employed people through the Self-Employment • Respondents noted that having more time to Income Support Scheme (SEISS). As of August 30, think and the peace and quiet of less traffic were 897,590 small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) positive benefits of lockdown, often coupled with received grants, and 1.4 million have been issued with not commuting and the improved environment Bounce Bank Loans. were mentioned regularly. The government also played a part in supporting KEY SUMMARY OF RECOMMENDATIONS individuals by injecting £7 billion into the welfare system and providing an additional £500 million for a NHS CADETS financial hardship fund for local authorities, and £750 million for charities to continue to carry out their work Unlike the Armed Forces, which have reserve and during Covid-19. cadet forces, the NHS has no official volunteering arm beyond third party organisations such as HelpForce As part of this, the Department for the Environment, and St John’s Ambulance. We therefore recommend Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) also opened up the that an NHS Cadets service is created by NHS £3.5 million Food Charities Grant Fund for front-line England. food aid charities, offering grants up to £100,000 to support charities to continue to provide food to MINISTER FOR VOLUNTEERING vulnerable people. Our recommendation is to upgrade the Minister for The government coordinated approximately 3.5 Civil Society to a Minister for Volunteering, whose million free food parcels in total, around 250,000 work would include capturing and enhancing the each week, to people in England who were shielding mutual aid phenomenon. This position would sit with and needed support getting essential food supplies. joint responsibility across the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) and the Department of Health However, a vast amount of relational welfare and and Social Care (DHSC) to best enable the breaking support provided was carried out by a network of down of barriers within public services that prevent community volunteers across the country. As part of community and individual initiatives. the research for this report, each of the contributing PAGE 4 CONNECTING COMMUNITIES - ONE NATION CONSERVATIVES REPORT | NOVEMBER 2020 NATURE RESERVISTS NETWORK The number of stories of good deeds from individuals to businesses alike indicated that two particularly A Nature Reservists Network would be focused remarkable things were happening: on the young and unemployed in rural and coastal settings which may have less access to job support Mutual aid phenomenon. Neighbours spontaneously than urban settings. Building upon environmentalist self-organised, with a large volume of Facebook Ben Goldsmith’s push for a National Nature Service, Covid-19 groups appearing. By March, Facebook volunteers could be marshalled to establish new stated that it had facilitated the formation of an woodland, restore coastal salt-marshes, peat bogs estimated 300 local Covid-19 support groups, whose and wetlands, creating corridors of nature through the combined membership totalled more than a million landscape, building local green spaces, supporting people. local farming and improving our national parks. This, in turn, could act as a pathway to traineeships in the These groups ensured that people who were shielding Green Economy from green construction to flood and self-isolating were looked protection. after. The community activity 24% of adults said happened without the state they felt lonely at VOLUNTEERING PATHWAYS directing individuals how to some point during help, with local authorities falling in behind initiatives to the last two weeks. The survey and wider research indicates that when an Before lockdown, it individual volunteers once, they are overwhelmingly provide pockets of funding likely to volunteer again. We therefore recommend and infrastructure. Often they was 10% of adults. that the Minister for Volunteering encourage first time were self-funded through volunteering through schools, workplaces and job local fundraising. Source: Mental Health centres. Foundation Public services cut through COMMUNITY CALLERS red tape. The pandemic required public services, including the NHS, to react The findings indicate a role for street level volunteer to rapid change. And while safeguarding continued support to check-in on vulnerable and isolated to be paramount, there was a shift to speed up neighbours wellbeing and mental health. Community traditionally slow processes, for example rapid DBS callers would provide tools and an online calling checks for volunteers via the GoodSam App and platform to encourage outreach in person and via increased adoption of collaborative processes such phone whilst maintaining safeguarding. as St John Ambulance personnel who were allowed to work on hospital wards for the first time. BACKGROUND Lockdown led to an overall community response The threat of the pandemic led to a national campaign unseen in recent generations. This report will explore to ‘Stay Home, Protect the NHS, Save Lives’. At the how communities, public bodies and government height of lockdown, streets fell silent as individuals responded with practical recommendations for were limited to just one hour exercise a day and consideration. offices remained empty as workers were furloughed or adjusted to working from home. The Office for COMMON LOCKDOWN CHALLENGES National Statistics recorded that nearly half of people in employment performed at least some of their work Beyond the widely acknowledged impact of from home in April 2020. lockdown upon the economy, the following challenges were identified at a community level. Covid-19 community groups appeared, street champions were offered to organise food and These are outlined below: prescription deliveries, charities were bombarded with offers of help, and hospitals received food MENTAL HEALTH deliveries from local businesses. The first lockdown had a notable impact on mental A shining example of this community spirit was the health. £32 million raised for the NHS by Sir Colonel Tom Moore walking around his garden. According to a coalition of 51 charities in July, ‘almost VOLUNTEERING AND COMMUNITY LESSONS FROM THE FIRST NATIONAL LOCKDOWN PAGE 5 80% of people living with mental illness had reported ANXIETY their mental health has got worse as a result of