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As well as direct relationships between councils and the community, high levels of trust can also benefit relations between different groups within the community.
When the council doesn’t inspire trust – when decisions aren’t explained, or grievances are ignored – the result is poor cohesion and suspicion of other groups.
Conversely, the idea of ‘collective efficacy’ shows how, if people feel that others in their community are engaged, they’ll be far more willing to engage themselves.
Evidence in the past and during the pandemic has shown that when residents understand the pressures the council is under, they step up. Listening properly and explaining fully and honestly can build resilience and involve people who are harder to hear.
In this section:
A stronger place
‘Place-branding’, ‘place-building’, ‘place-leadership’, ‘place-based approaches’. These are terms you will probably have heard before, and will certainly hear again. The terminology crops up so often because within it lies the potential to achieve the goals that public service drives towards.
Representing the community in the council
Below is a starter kit for front-line councillors for being as engaged as possible with your residents and local businesses.
Working with communities
Partnership working between local authorities and other agencies is an increasingly important aspect of public service delivery. But working with communities is essential in making sure that public services reflect the particular needs of those communities.