Grass roots initiatives and 'Prevent'

Wednesday, 12 August 2009 18:58

As the parliamentary select committee for Communities and Local Government launches an inquiry into Prevent, there’s news that Sheffield City Council has allocated a small fraction of the half a million pounds designated for preventing violent extremism on grass roots initiatives.

A local newspaper reports that ‘Just £200,000 of the £505,000 budget - to be spent over the next two years - has been allocated to community work, only £50,000 of which will go to voluntary organisations at grass roots.’

Among criticisms contained in a recent report by the New Local Government Network, at the manner in which the Prevent programme is being delivered, is this critique of the lack of grass roots connections:

‘There is no doubt that many individuals and communities feel excluded from political debate and action in this country, and further research into the impact that political exclusion has on vulnerability to radicalisation (whether it’s right-wing extremism, anti-capitalism, anarchism, or religious extremism) would be welcome.

‘National issues such as foreign policy, immigration policy, housing and employment continue to be of great significance to many parts of our communities (the white working class as much as Muslim communities), and can provoke feelings of grievance and resentment, and provide a challenge to individual and community identities.

‘There are currently no very clear mechanisms for open debate at local level on national issues. While some local authorities reported that providing forums for debates on issues such as Gaza in the summer of 2008 have been very successful at engaging difficult-to-reach communities, local councillors and officers find it difficult to represent national policy-making or access to central government decision-making in a way which provides a sufficient sense of direct contact for local people.’

Grass roots organisations are an important part of local civil society and serve a vital purpose in facilitating debates within communities on local and national issues. Where money has been allocated to local councils as part of the Prevent funding stream, how judiciously it is being apportioned and spent is something local communities should be actively involved in scrutinising.

We take this opportunity to remind readers that the closing date for submissions to the select committee Inquiry is 17th September 2009. This is your opportunity to contribute to the assessment of the way in which Prevent has been carried out to date. Don’t miss it. Guidelines for submissions can be read here.

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