Less than a quarter of Brits think that there is a strong national community in the UK
LESS than a quarter of Brits believe that the nation’s sense of community is alive and well - and Brexit is to blame.
Lack of government funding into local initiatives and the political climate have been blamed for eroding a feeling of togetherness across the UK, a report has revealed.
Since 2016, local councils have seen a 77 per cent cut in funding from central government - which is causing many Brits to question their sense of community.
The austerity-induced policies have notably dampened Britain’s community spirit, with 76 per cent of Brits saying it has suffered as a result.
But there is some optimism at a local level - as 41 per cent of the 2,000 adults polled by giffgaff want to get more hands-on with local volunteering.
And almost half are keen to drive more positive change in their area.
National Council for Volunteers figures show in response to government cutbacks some £17.1 billion was added to the economy by the voluntary sector in 2017.
There is a further 5 million extra days of volunteering untapped in the UK - which means that £328,400,000 could go into the voluntary sector in the long-term.
SENSE OF COMMUNITY
One in five Brits already volunteer within their local community - but many believe that more needs to be done to restore a sense of community.
To help these individuals make a positive and lasting change in their community, giffgaff has launched "The Community Projects," an initiative that will shine some much-needed light on the nation’s grass-roots communities.
The project will search for local heroes in need of celebrating.
Members of the mobile network will be able to nominate the projects and people who are the beating heart of their local communities and, after review from an expert panel of independent community leaders, winners will receive funding, advice and support from giffgaff.
Ash Schofield, giffgaff CEO, said: “It just goes to show that community really is at the heart of Britain.
“Here at giffgaff, our members are at the core of everything we do, so we want to give back to the people and groups really making a difference.
“The Community Projects campaign will recognise and celebrate the local heroes out there, and we want to help them make a lasting difference in their local community”.
MOST READ IN NEWS
The study also found that 74 per cent of people believe that it has never been more important for people to pull together and help those in need.
One in four of those polled think the sense of community has already shown improvement in the past few years - with 35 per cent highlighting the positive effect of social media in bringing groups in the UK together.
We pay for your stories! Do you have a story for The Sun Online news team? Email us at [email protected] or call 0207 782 4368. You can WhatsApp us on 07810 791 502. We pay for videos too. Click here to upload yours.