How neighbourhood governance can help us beat the far right

This blog is part of a series written by organisations championing community power. As new neighbourhood governance arrangements are introduced across England through the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill, each blog explores how neighbourhood governance can enable local people to have real influence over their places. The series accompanies A Blueprint for Community-Powered Neighbourhood Governance, written by We’re Right Here, with input from Local Trust, Hope Not Hate, Locality, and Power to Change.

The racist riots of 2024 highlighted the importance of strong communities in the fight against the far right. It was at the local level that we saw tensions spill over into violence across the country, but it was also at the local level that we saw radical displays of hope and solidarity, with neighbours helping mend the same mosque windows that had been shattered with bricks the night before. 

We need communities that are resilient – proactively and sustainably resistant to hateful narratives and messages that get sewn by divisive actors during times of high tension. We want them to be able to reject calls for violence and hate that encourage people to turn against each other, and instead choose to turn towards their neighbours in support and solidarity when things get tough. 

HOPE not hate defines community resilience as having three fundamental pillars: social connection, economic security and agency. Resilient communities are much less likely to fall victim to the hateful messaging that spurred the violence that we saw in August 2024, and continues to perpetuate tensions and unrest since.

The English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill can play a crucial role in building the third pillar – agency. In particular, plans for neighbourhood governance arrangements present an opportunity to embed the infrastructure needed to foster genuine grassroots power. Not only is this the right thing to do out of principle – people should have a say in the decisions that affect their lives – but community power is also important in the broader fight against the far right.

Reform UK’s promise to ‘take back control’ plays a significant role in their popularity. They’re speaking directly to the widespread frustration with institutions’ inability to deliver and a general sense of powerlessness, transforming it into a wider anti-politics agenda that allows them to position themselves as the alternative to the current system and the ‘Westminster elite’.

If we can combat thcis disillusionment by rebuilding trust in mainstream political systems and processes, we can curb appeal for these more extreme forms of representation. But this goes beyond deliverism and is not simply about creating more efficient systems to get things done. The entire relationship between people and power needs to be rebuilt into one where the public feel listened to and serviced, and where politics works for and with them, not just to them.

As well as fostering community agency, neighbourhood governance can also indirectly strengthen the other two pillars of community resilience and defend against divisive ideologies. Creating a sense of collective responsibility and ownership can boost social connection, acting as a deterrent against hateful narratives that demonises vulnerable groups. Plus, at a more basic level, new neighbourhood governance arrangements should provide opportunities for neighbours to meet, mix, and connect. Similarly, the opportunity to prioritise community wealth initiatives can aid with economic security, reducing the appeal of scarcity narratives and scapegoating.

Our polling of 45,335 adults from August 2024 shows there is huge demand for devolved power, and greater involvement of local people in decision making. It shows considerable distrust and disenfranchisement towards current mainstream political processes – 69% think that politicians don’t listen to them. 70% think local communities know better than Westminster about what their community needs, but only 24% of people think they actually have a say in the decisions being made in their local area. Encouragingly, 69% want to see the government trial new ways of involving the public in decision making. 

Starmer has rightly said that the fight for trust is what defines this political era. Neighbourhood governance provides an unmissable opportunity to do this, and sets the bar high for community power ambitions. But there is still work to be done, and this ambition must be accompanied by resources and a genuine commitment to power-sharing, cooperation and respect. 

Read A Blueprint for Community-Powered Neighbourhood Governance.