An independent review by Dame Sara Khan into social cohesion and resilience has warned of “significant challenges” that impact the wellbeing of our democracy, threatening to undermine the social fabric of the country.
It says without a strategic approach to social cohesion, we face “a slow erosion” of the country’s democratic rights and freedoms.
Dame Sara warned that local authorities are on the frontline, struggling to prevent, manage and contain the impact of conspiracy theories, disinformation and extremist activity.
She said the scale and challenge of cohesion threats requires a “radically new approach”, and set out 15 recommendations, largely for government.
Ahead of a general election, Dame Sara is calling on all political parties to establish how they will address the issues raised in her review.
Cllr Heather Kidd, Chair of the LGA’s Safer and Stronger Communities Board, said: “This important report reflects our concerns around the growing threat to democracy and social cohesion posed by conspiracy theories, disinformation and extremist activity, in particular the appalling abuse of councillors.
“Councils have an essential role to play in building and maintaining cohesive communities, but as this report suggests, have been limited by a lack of funding for counter-extremism work while facing significant budgetary pressures.
“In spite of this, the LGA has continued to support the sector through its Special Interest Group on Countering Extremism (SIGCE) and its Debate not Hate campaign.
“We want to work with government to tackle these long-term challenges and implement the recommendations of this review. However, councils need urgent funding to counter extremism and misinformation, with the restoration of SIGCE funding and effective regional support.”
