Tenant voice has been in the spotlight recently with the new report from the public enquiry being published. Whilst the bar has been raised on standards since then, top-down consultation is still lacking when it comes to pooling tacit knowledge and conversing with our neighbours.
The Grenfell impacts were, of course, not just limited to that day and live on in the stores provided by those who were impacted all over the media and during Grenfell Testimony Week.
Stories have again proved to be a powerful medium. Allowing them to be told in a (digital) public forum can work alongside regional visits by any inquiry and help amplify otherwise silent voices. Other great examples of this in action include Care Opinion and the Covid Enquiry (Every Story Matters) . We think that there is an opportunity for more public hearings (online and offline) before, during and after a consultation process.
So what can be done to build community networks?
Firstly, it’s worth saying that online communities are not new. Open up Facebook and you’ll find plenty of groups around a place or common interest in your feed. Most place-based communities are best described as ‘talk of the town’. However, among the distractions there are some genuinely helpful conversations on safety, public amenities and politics. These spaces are undoubtedly the perfect place for exchanging help, such as finding a new job or borrowing something. WhatsApp is another example of technology being used along a similar theme- networking groups of people, such as school parents or extended families.
The problem is that only around a fifth of people join or subscribe to these communities. The ownership structures (often controlled by the people who founded them) are typically undemocratic and can also put people off. Moreover, they aren’t really managed – the rules are inconsistent and they are certainly not well regulated.
Community Apps might be the solution. Their aim is roughly the same – to bring people together and create new relationships, to connect neighbours who live nearby and get them to strengthen social cohesion, maybe even meet offline. However, they are more structured and to join a network it must first be “pre-activated”. In essence they add a new layer of utility into neighbourhood conversations, improving tone of voice and actively involving local leaders (such as pointing out local consultations).
While it’s yet to make a big impact on these shores, a particular success story in Hoplr. More than 1m households (mainly around cities in Belgium, Luxembourg and The Netherlands) are using the App. There are other more UK centric examples too, such as Nextdoor.
It remains to be seen if Parish Councils, Neighborhood Watch or other hyperlocal communities will bite. However, it’s our opinion that these tools can really shine if they are also coupled to existing, more formal governance structures.
Next time you are asked to consult, it is worth finding out if these communities exist so you can tap into them. If they don’t, perhaps now is time to start thinking about a stimulus.