About

When communities come together, they have the power to do extraordinary things.

Many of us are inspired by local residents, community and voluntary groups rapidly mobilising to ensure that the most vulnerable in their communities had what they need to make it through the crisis. In so doing, communities eased the pressures on frontline services, and gave a glimpse of what a more democratic, more caring and better society could look like. A mobilised community knows what it wants, what resources it has at its disposal, and has a plan for how to use them.

Sevenoaks District Council has worked with its communities through the Care for our Community initiative and the Voluntary Sector Forum, both established during the pandemic, to launch Better Together.

Acting as a facilitator and an enabler, we want to build on the widespread benefits of an empowered community. Better Together will build relations with community groups to equip them to better the areas they live in, thereby improving the lives of residents.

For community power to be fully realised, the focus cannot just be on the role and actions of public services, important though they are. Communities must be considered too. Better Together will ensure communities are better networked, so that all voices can be heard and enable to communities to have sufficient organisation and capacity to allow them to take responsibility for the things that come along with power. It will help communities to deploy their own skills and resources to define and address many of the challenges they face.