Early in June Authority staff had the opportunity to attend New Local’s Stronger Things 2024, which took place in the Guildhall on Tuesday 4 June.

This event gave us an opportunity to share learning from our Community Confidence Action Research (see Related Content below) and hear more about local participative action underway across the UK and beyond.

Stronger Things brings communities, third and voluntary sector and statutory services together in a ‘festival of community power’ focused on sharing big ideas, participating in big conversations, contributing to roundtables, and taking part in workshops.

On the big conversations stage we heard about developing community capacity and resilience in priority neighbourhoods – which links directly to the Community Confidence Action Research work of the authority and allowed us to share our own insights and learn from others.

Overcoming disadvantage and inequity was a theme throughout the programme, with a big ideas session on overcoming the powerlessness of poverty and inequality. Again this provided an opportunity to make connections and share insights and learning from our own work. Linked to this we had a discussion about radical leadership – how do we in the Authority, and with the wider policing system, work differently with our communities and those we come in contact with.

Linked to our work on public polling was a session on who gets heard – focused on seldom heard communities and voices. This is a topic which the Authority has focused on, with funding provided to support research on seldom heard communities in 2022-23.

Finally, a session on exploring systems leadership was helpful in setting a context for the work we’re currently progressing with a range of partners on mental health distress. As HMICS reported, responding to this crisis across our communities requires a whole system leadership approach.

Stronger Things is a great opportunity to make connections with wider civil society and learn more about building trust and confidence by working with and alongside communities. We’re already looking forward to attending in 2025!