Community Cohesion Strategy Consultation

What is Community Cohesion?

Community cohesion is about building strong social bonds, trust, and a shared sense of belonging among people from all backgrounds. It means breaking down barriers, promoting equal opportunities, and creating an environment where relationships can flourish across communities.

Our journey so far...

The Community Cohesion Strategy 2020–2025 focused on:

• Creating safe spaces for conversation and connection
• Strengthening neighbourhood relationships
• Improving community safety
• Fostering a shared sense of belonging

This strategy led to impactful work including:

• Educational programmes with young people
• Hate crime awareness campaigns
• Projects tackling intolerant rhetoric
• Strengthening the Faith Leaders Forum

In 2024, a review of the strategy began. However, due to rising tensions locally and nationally, a deeper review was agreed. This led to the formation of the One Stoke Partnership Board, bringing together the city council, statutory agencies, and voluntary organisations.

One Stoke: A New Approach

The One Stoke Partnership has focused on:

• Understanding our communities
• Rebuilding trust between residents and services
• Supporting those affected by disorder
• Tackling misinformation
• Creating strong foundations for thriving communities

To support this, a major engagement project was commissioned through Protection Approaches, reaching over 1,000 people across the city.

What we heard from you…

The engagement revealed key challenges:

• Lack of trust in statutory agencies
• Feeling excluded from decision-making
• Perceptions of unfair resource allocation
• Impact of deprivation and hardship
• Gaps in community infrastructure
• Concerns around personal safety

But it also highlighted strengths:

• Trust in community-based organisations
• Vibrant community events and activities
• Strong community spirit
• Pride in arts and heritage
• Willingness to engage
• Access to green spaces
• Youth energy and enthusiasm

Our objectives for the community cohesion consultation

Through this consultation, we aim to:

• Share our vision for community cohesion over the next 5 years
• Show how cohesion aligns with other council strategies
• Set out key priorities and how we’ll measure success
• Inform future initiatives based on community intelligence
• Raise awareness of cohesion issues
• Highlight available support from the council and partners

Key Messages

1. We’ve listened to over 1,000 residents to understand what matters most.
2. Our goal is a Stoke-on-Trent where everyone feels safe, valued, and included.
3. We’ll tackle misinformation, bring communities together, and celebrate what makes our city great.
4. Community cohesion is everyone’s responsibility — and together, we can make a difference.

Have Your Say

This is the second and final phase of consultation. We’re sharing the draft Community Cohesion Strategy (2026–2030), shaped by your feedback during the One Stoke Listening Exercise.

We want to ensure we’ve heard you correctly and that our priorities reflect your concerns and aspirations.

The consultation will close on Friday 5 December. 

Click here to read our Draft Community Cohesion Strategy

Click here to take part in our online survey

A final report will be published after this phase, summarising the consultation process and all feedback received.