Lessons from the riots must not be ignored

The Government must ensure tackling the causes of August's civil unrest does not drop off of the agenda according to our new report released today (31 October 2011).

Following on from a summit we convened in September, which brought together over 100 people from charities, community groups, young people’s services and government to reflect on the causes of the disturbances and the best ways to respond, the report makes a series of recommendations to government, the sector and the media to lessen the risk of events repeating themselves.

It stresses the importance of community groups and statutory bodies working closely together to ensure that an ‘early warning system’ is in place. Many delegates at the summit described how they sprang into action during the disturbances to dissuade people from taking part, bring together community representatives and co-ordinate clean-up activities.

The report also calls on Government to make a full assessment of the impact of spending cuts on communities, and ensure that any cuts to services are introduced sensitively and strategically with the impact mitigated as far as possible. It voices many attendees’ concerns over the lack of funding for young people’s services beyond 13-19: a ‘cliff edge’ approach to funding which can lead to further social exclusion and the breakdown of useful mentoring relationships built up over time.

Other recommendations, which are also drawn from feedback from NCVO members, include:

• Government should invest in structured job creation programmes, particularly for young people and apprenticeships, working with employers to fund or match fund placements or offer a range of other incentives including tax breaks as appropriate.
• The voluntary and community sector has an important role to play in speaking out and constructively challenging decisions and practices, including those of government and the wider public sector.
• When reporting on the riots, the media must ensure accuracy and proportionality, and balance negative news stories with reports on what community groups are doing to attempt to alleviate these problems.

Sir Stuart Etherington, Chief Executive of NCVO, said:

‘It is essential that the lessons of the riots are not ignored.  While the actions of the rioters were deplorable, we must address the sense of despair and disconnection felt by many who felt they had nothing to lose by taking part.

‘The riots summit threw up shining examples of the pivotal role that charities are continuing to play to help communities get back on their feet and reach out to disaffected groups.  To lessen the risk of last month's shocking events happening again, it is crucial to preserve and value voluntary action.’

Download a copy of the report: After the riots (PDF 896KB)