Communities vs Coronavirus – The Rise of Mutual Aid (UK 2020)

08/10/2020

Date of Publication: July 2020

Authors: Luca Tiratelli and Simon Kaye

Published by: New Local Government Network

The COVID-19 pandemic has led to tens of thousands of people losing their lives in the UK, stretched the capacity of public services, altered everyday life for millions, and ground our economy down to a standstill. Yet the public response to the crisis also inspires hope.

Thousands of spontaneous Mutual Aid groups have emerged to support the most vulnerable people in our society. These groups have been supplying food and medicine, connecting with people who feel isolated, and organising community resources for the benefit of all. In many cases they have been able to reach people more quickly than traditional public services and help them with a wider variety of needs.

Yet for community collaboration to outlast this crisis and make our places more resilient in future, lessons must be learnt:

  1. Mutual Aid groups have been an indispensable part of our COVID response,
  2. They demonstrate the wider potential of community power,
  3. Councils have significant influence over their viability and success,
  4. Mutual Aid groups function better in areas where social capital is more developed, and
  5. Their small scale is key to their success.

The authors recommended that:

  1. Councils should play a facilitative role in their interactions with Mutual Aid Groups,
  2. They should be supported in doing this with a community support financial package from central government, and
  3. Employment policies and practices that support flexible working should be championed by government at all levels.

Mutual Aid groups have already created and cemented social bonds in communities nationwide, and they will not simply be unmade as the pandemic eases. The future role they play in communities has potential to strengthen our social fabric for the benefit of everyone.

The full report is available here.