In June the Prime Minister asked Danny Kruger MP for proposals to sustain the community
spirit we saw during the lockdown.
Levelling up our communities: proposals for a new social covenant sets out a vision for a
more local, more human, less bureaucratic, less centralised society in which people are
supported and empowered to play an active role in their neighbourhoods.
The Prime Minister has responded to the report:
“We have seen tremendous levels of voluntary action by private citizens, and of
innovation and partnership between the public, private and social sectors. These are
critical elements of the social model we want to see for the recovery, and into the
future.”
Kruger’s proposals include:
• A ‘Community Power Act’ to give local people power over the design and delivery of
public services
• ‘Pop-up parishes’ with time-limited powers and freedoms to innovate
• A Volunteer Passport system to match the supply and demand for voluntary help
• A new National Volunteer Reserve to help with future emergencies and ongoing
environmental challenges
• Paid ‘service opportunities’ for unemployed young people to work on social and
environmental projects, funded through the Kickstart programme
• An annual Neighbour Day bank holiday to celebrate communities and volunteering
• A deal with faith communities to work with the public sector on big social challenges
• A deal with Big Tech to design new ‘digital infrastructure’ for communities
• A new £500 million Community Recovery Fund to help civil society during the current
crisis, financed through the defunct National Fund
• A new £2 billion endowment, the Levelling Up Communities Fund, for investment in
long-term, community-led transformation in left-behind areas, financed through
dormant insurance accounts.
