A new strategy has launched looking at how to build stronger communities across Manchester.
In recent years it has become clear how important the relationships between public institutions and communities are, as well as within and between communities themselves.
These relationships are important as is the work that takes place every day to create opportunities for people to come together, strike up conversations, build meaningful relationships and feel a part of Manchester no matter what their individual identities are.
Recognising the importance of this work, the Council has formally launched the Building Stronger Communities Together Strategy 2023-26, an approach focussed on the people in our neighbourhoods and how we can better increase social cohesion.
Following a consultation run during the summer of 2022, three priorities were identified on how to build stronger and more cohesive communities throughout the city.
They were:
- Relationships... Bonding between ‘people like us’ and who typically have strong close relationships and bridging and creating new relationships beyond our own current social circles and building connections that link people across
- Participation... Helping all communities to feel empowered to act to improve their neighbourhood and address shared challenges together building on the strengths and advantages of Manchester’s rich diversity, cultures and histories
- Belonging... To make ourselves and the people around us a part of our local neighbourhood and the city; valuing diversity and difference, celebrating what we have in common. Being proud of the places we live. Knowing that all together we belong to Manchester.
This boils down to the impact that we all can have and the actions we can make when living alongside our friends, families, neighbours and colleagues.
We want everyone to think about how do we build relationships with people from different backgrounds? What can I do to improve my community? And how can I invest myself in building a place I’m proud to live in?
A delivery programme is being developed alongside this strategy to see what the Council can do to build on the three priorities set out above, running over the course of the next 12 months.
Activities will be built on structures, which are already in place in our communities – people, assets and opportunities – and will work to identify what works best in the locations they take place.
Everywhere in Manchester is different, and the Council wants this programme to reflect this, taking into account the unique and special character of all 32 of our wards.
Councillor Joanna Midgley, Deputy Leader of Manchester City Council said: “There have been a series of momentous upheavals over the past five years which have presented a real challenge to communities across Manchester.
“From the Covid pandemic and its lasting impact to the current economic turmoil and the cost-of-living crisis, people are facing pressures not seen in generations. These have all take a toll in their own way. This is why we have launched this strategy with the aim of forging even stronger bonds across our communities, and creating a stable foundation for future prosperity.
“In a time when life can feel increasingly fractured we want to see the good in our society and use that as a basis for improving the lives of everyone that lives in the city which is why I am so proud to be launching this strategy today.”