Dear partners,
In recent years, communities across London have been repeatedly affected by hate crime, and Londoners and visitors continue to experience these incidents daily. Targeted partners tell us that it can feel as though every day is an emergency. When asked about the most significant risks facing their communities, LCEP, London Boroughs Faith Network (LBFN) and Equalities Partnership partners have consistently identified hate crime, community safety concerns, and/or social division as top priorities over the past year. Less cohesive communities are less resilient, and less prepared to deal with emergencies.
Cohesion is a fundamental component for resilience as the Belong Network’s “Building Cohesive Communities” report and Protection Approaches’ “Building resilient communities: The case for social cohesion” reports make clear. Since warmer months raise concern about a repeat of the riots and disturbances of 2024, especially after the recent Berlin hate attack, and since the government recently raised UK’s Threat Level to Severe, we want our communities to be as strong and prepared as they can.
Whilst there are no easy solutions or quick fixes, there are numerous positive initiatives amongst London’s communities that can motivate us to participate and guide us on what we can do.
“Social cohesion isn’t just a social policy concern – but a critical preparedness issue.”
National Preparedness Commission, 2026 report
LCEP and LBFN’s role in London is to foster collaboration and learning across communities to strengthen our collective resilience, which we have done through efforts like the LBFN-led and LCEP-co-hosted community dialogue in May after the Golders Green attack. We used this session, and meetings with practitioners in our network, to give guidance to partners on messaging during events that weaken cohesion.
The cohesion work some of you are already doing reminds us that there’s hope, that change is possible, and that we can all integrate cohesion into our programming to be better prepared, whether we are cohesion experts or not.
We encourage you to use the Community Cohesion Toolkit for Preparedness below, and use it by finding ways to update your community resilience efforts to include cohesion elements. Share your experiences with us so we can include them in the Toolbox to allow other partners learn from you.
We see cohesion as the foundation for community resilience; more connected communities are more prepared communities. We will always champion and highlight the beneficial cohesion work happening across the city wherever it enables richer social fabric and greater resilience to the threats we face in London.
Best Regards,
The LCEP and LBFN Teams
The Community Cohesion Toolbox for Preparedness
LBFN Voices for Change campaign
Since late 2025 when numerous hate attacks took place, LBFN has been working with London Resilience Partnership colleagues, primarily MPS, to advocate for the protection needs and concerns of marginalised, targeted communities, and to discuss What We Do Well to build momentum for What Needs to Change. They spread awareness about the reality that every attack, to any community, causes fear among all of those communities feeling regularly targeted, and that reaction wears away London’s social cohesion.
The Voices for Change advocacy messages include:
- Expressions of solidarity and mutual support
- Protective security and reassurance
- Focus on language and symbols in public view – words have an immediate effect on communities.
- Care and wellbeing frameworks for young people, who cannot be shielded from these events.
- Building capabilities within our communities which may include amplifying knowledge of existing training and resources.
Activities have included an MPS-led discussion with faith leaders, advocacy that led to increased protection after hate attacks, solidarity and advocacy blogs, and an LBFN-led and LCEP-co-hosted community discussion after the Golders Green attack.
Ongoing cohesion initiatives
- London the Mayor’s Loved and Wanted campaign, to strengthen connections between London’s communities and celebrate diversity
- Million Acts of Hope
- National Conversation offers guidance on leading community conversations on difficult topics
- BRC Bridging Divides campaign, podcast, guidance
Response to antisemitic arson attacks
The London Assembly Fire Committee met to discuss the London Fire Brigade response to the antisemtic arson attacks that occured between March and May 2026, including the burning of Hatzolah ambulances.
Together in Tower Hamlets Programme
The Together in Tower Hamlets programme aims to empower those who speak little or no English by boosting language skills, with projects delivered at a local level. It aims to:
- build confidence to unleash their potential
- reduce isolation
- ensure everyone can participate in their local community.
Belong Network
“Building Cohesive Communities” report
- Highlighted findings:
- Social cohesion is fundamental to resilience – it must be actively nurtured .
- Councils are vital to building belonging, trust and safety – especially amid economic pressure and social division
- Five drivers of cohesion: participation, belonging, trust, democracy and safety.
- Data and evidence :
- Trust decreased: 45% (a record low) say they almost never trust governments to put the country before party politics.
- Loneliness increased: Around 3.1 million people in England (7%) feel lonely often or always
- Resilience is preventative: Communities with strong social connections recover faster from shocks
A core challenge : The UK still has no consistent way to measure social cohesion, leaving councils to lead locally on evidence and action
Protection Approaches
“Building resilient communities: The case for social cohesion” report
Protection Approaches
Building cohesion locally: lessons from Stoke on Trent report
Highlighted tips from the report:
- Listen to people: Understand cohesion from the ground-up, linked to risk factors
- Build upon the community’s existing assets, such as sense of community spirit, young people, anchor institutions
- Give people a say in decisions
- Take services where people are
VCS Emergencies Partnership
Riots to Resilience report– Lists five pillars:
- Know your communities: maintain strong local relationships.
- Know your leaders: connect community and resilience leads.
- Know your places: identify safe, welcoming spaces.
- Know your sources: share trusted information quickly.
- Know your history: use lived experience to prepare better.
National Preparedness Commission (NPC)
“The Fraying Social Contract and its Implications for National Preparedness” report, released 20th July. It highlights:
- Social cohesion, trusted community relationships and countering misinformation are now core resilience functions (not just community engagement activities)
- See recommendation 8: major role for civil society in preparing for emergencies
- Resilience Forums (BRFs) need stronger relationships with the VCFS organisations and wider civil society. This is about involvement, representation and funding.
- Social cohesion isn’t just a social policy concern, but also a critical preparedness issue. It can’t be seen as ancillary community work.
British Red Cross- Bridging Divides Toolkit
The Bridging Divides toolkit is helping people better understand the causes of division and explore what each of us can do to build stronger connections in our everyday lives.
From building understanding to having more constructive conversations, the resources provide simple, practical ways to strengthen relationships and find common ground.
Explore the toolkit here.
LCEP- Guidance around hate crimes
Ahead of the far-right rally in May, the London Community Emergencies Partnership (LCEP) brought together insights from practitioners, researchers and experts to develop guidance on communicating with communities during challenging times.
These recommendations provide practical ways to strengthen community cohesion, counter harmful narratives and support communities when they need it most.
Read the full guidance here.
Explore partners’ Cohesion events by clicking here.
Note the upcoming cohesion engagements:
- LBFN Community Dialogue, 17th Aug, although primarily for faith & belief groups it’s open to anyone. Register here.
