Manchester City Council has announced that it has launched a new strategy aiming to make communities stronger across the city.
This comes with a recognition of the importance of relationships between communities and public institutions, as well as those between communities themselves. With the formal launch of the Building Stronger Communities Together Strategy 2023-26 people are being encouraged to come together, talk, and build meaningful relationships as part of a drive to ensure that people feel ‘a part of Manchester no matter what their individual identities are.’
Councillor Joanna Midgley, Manchester City Council’s Deputy Leader, commented:
“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 taken 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.”
As part of the development of the strategy, a consultation was run in the summer of 2022, in order to establish three main priorities on how stronger and more cohesive communities can be built around Manchester. These priorities were:
- Relationships – Building connections and creating new relationships
- Participation – Helping communities to feel empowered to improve neighbourhoods
- Belonging – Valuing diversity and difference, whilst celebrating what people have in common
As part of the delivery of the new strategy, a programme is being developed around the three priorities, with this running over the course of the next 12 months.
Image credit: iStock
