The publication of The State of Us report by British Future and the Belong Network marks a significant and welcome milestone in the national conversation about social cohesion in the UK. It is a comprehensive and wide-ranging document that brings together an impressive body of evidence from community groups, institutions, public authorities, and civil society organisations. The report offers a tangible and timely framework for addressing the social fragmentation and mistrust that have deepened in the wake of the 2024 riots, and it calls for a long-term, joined-up approach rooted in lived experience and practical insight.
Visit the commission’s website to download the report: The Independent Commission on Community Cohesion
At Decentered Media, we are proud to have contributed to this process, both through the submission of a written evidence paper and by participating in one of the stakeholder roundtables. Our engagement was grounded in a conviction that social cohesion is not only a political or institutional goal, but something that must be fostered, day by day, in the everyday spaces and interactions where people form relationships, negotiate identities, and share in the life of their communities.
The report rightly highlights many of the positive and forward-thinking practices that support social cohesion—from initiatives in schools and workplaces to civic engagement and local leadership. It gives a voice to organisations working to rebuild trust and create a shared sense of belonging in the places they serve. The emphasis on long-term commitment, inclusive dialogue, and strategic alignment is vital, and we hope this report can serve as a springboard for concerted and sustained action.
However, one area that remains notably underexplored in The State of Us is the role of media—particularly media as a community-focussed, place-based and participatory form of social exchange. The report is largely silent on the contribution of community media to cohesion, preferring instead to focus on large-scale broadcast institutions and global social media platforms. This leaves a gap in understanding how local, trusted, and independently produced media can act as vital connective tissue within communities.
Media has, over recent decades, been hollowed out from the middle. The infrastructure that once enabled pluralistic, localised and socially grounded communication has been steadily eroded, replaced either by centralised content delivery mechanisms or algorithmic social platforms that prioritise engagement over trust. Yet across the UK, community radio stations, neighbourhood news providers, volunteer-led podcasts, independent video makers and bloggers continue to serve as anchors of local identity and as vehicles for civic participation. These actors are rarely acknowledged in national policy discussions, let alone positioned as potential peers to mainstream media institutions.
Community media must be recognised not as a peripheral add-on, but as a foundational service within a regenerative civic model and open economy. Its practices of participation, inclusion, storytelling and deliberation directly address many of the concerns raised in The State of Us. Community media is a proving ground for belonging. It gives people the opportunity to contribute, to be seen and heard, to negotiate difference, and to build solidarity.
While the report does not explicitly make space for this layer of media infrastructure, it nevertheless offers valuable insights for the community media sector. Its framing of social cohesion as a process grounded in trust, participation, mutuality and place is deeply congruent with the values and goals of community media practitioners. The challenge now is to ensure that these practitioners are recognised, supported and included in future strategies and frameworks that emerge from this report.
If we are to build a society that truly lives well together, then we must expand our understanding of the communication systems that sustain it. The State of Us provides a strong platform from which to do this—but it must be extended to include the vital work of community media in fostering belonging, empowerment and collective agency.
For community media providers, this report is not only a diagnosis of the present moment but an invitation to engage, align and advocate. Let us take up that invitation with clarity, purpose and resolve.