COMMUNITY RESILIENCE WORKSHOP:
Making Neighbourhoods Stronger
On Wednesday 31st October the Barrow Cadbury Trust
hosted a major Community Resilience Workshop in
Birmingham, drawing together a number of research
projects investigating issues of community resilience in the
face of economic recession and cuts in public expenditure,
with Birmingham and the Black Country as the focus area.
The keynote speaker was John Cotton, Councillor for Shard
End Ward and Cabinet Member for Social Cohesion and
Equalities at Birmingham City Council, who argued that
while there are challenging times ahead, the voluntary and community sector has a role to play in
supporting the development of innovative solutions, such as wider use of co-production.
The workshop was rooted in reality, the daunting challenges of welfare reform and cuts to public
services were looked at square on. Entrenched problems, such as the fact that the map of
inequality in Birmingham has virtually remained the same for the last 30 years, were not shied away
from. However the overriding message of the workshop was about what Birmingham does have
going for it, the assets Birmingham communities possess and the constructive ways in which
communities can become stronger and problems can be faced together.
This high-level consultative event was a mix of
presentations and participatory workshops, at
which four research projects were presented:
Centre for Local Economic Strategies –
‘Understanding Community Resilience in North
Walsall’. This report argues that the ability to be
resilient is predicated by the relationships (and
quality of those relationships) in a particular
place, between the public, commercial and social
spheres of the economy. CLES have adapted their research approach, which they have developed
and applied to places around the world, to North Walsall.
The new economics foundation – ‘The New Austerity and the Big Society’ which asks, “Can the Big
Society really cut it in an age of austerity?” The report offers alternative strategies to the Big Society
concept taking Tottenham (London), Aston and Ladywood as focus areas.
Urban Forum – ‘Community Rights Made Real’ was a one-year project to identify how the proposed
new community rights set out in the Localism and Decentralisation Bill can be used to benefit local
communities. The project took place in Dudley and was carried out in partnership with local
organisations: Dudley CVS and community groups.
The Chamberlain Forum – ‘Looking Sideways: A Community Asset Approach to Co-production of
Neighbourhoods and Neighbourhood Services in Birmingham’ which puts forward a
‘Neighbourhood Equity Model’ involving community asset transfer and co-productive activity.
The Workshop represented an important opportunity to discuss the findings of the research projects
and identify ways in which the learning from the four research projects can be used to strengthen
communities, particularly those that are most isolated or vulnerable in Birmingham and the Black
Country. In these discussions the points were concerned with:Localism
 We must ensure that the localism agenda is inclusive and not used by the “usual suspects” /
loudest voices.
 Different communities need to be engaged with the localism debate in different ways and
consideration should be given to this. “Localism is what we make it.”
The commissioning process
 The commissioning processes should allow for the inclusion of small groups close to
communities
 There should be exploration around collaborative commissioning and how that impacts on
local communities
Co-production
 We need more coproduction, and communities self-determining their needs
Community assets
 Service providers need to rethink how they deliver services, and consider the existing
resources in neighbourhoods
 Often, the only assets that are talked about are tangible assets like buildings - but time,
talents, and trust are non- tangible assets and equally valuable
 We need to acknowledge that things that have been done in the past haven't had the
systemic impact they should have done. We need to use community assets, interest and
enthusiasm.
Using what we have already got
 Importance of connecting with the local networks, both real and ‘virtual’ which already exist
 We need to think about power differently - not a zero sum game (someone does not have to
lose power in order for someone else to gain power). Together we can have a potency that
is greater than separately.
‘We shouldn't be surprised by community
resilience, as people have an instinct to
survive and protect, so communities, as they
are made up of individuals, do too’.
Next steps:
1. Points raised by participants, both in the small group discussions and plenary session, will
inform the Barrow Cadbury Trust’s strategic plan for the next three years
2. The Barrow Cadbury Trust will hold a similar event in London to bring these issues to the
attention of a wider audience
3. We want to encourage people in Birmingham to use the ideas and proposals coming out of
the workshop, ensuring that the workshop will form part of the evidence base used by
councillors in Birmingham.
You can read Tweets from participants from throughout the event by clicking on the hashtag
#BrumCommunities or read a Storify version here.