Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking to help improve community cohesion.

On 9^th March, MHCLG published Protecting What Matters. This is a cross-Government action plan that sets out the initial steps government will take to improve social cohesion. The publication aims to create confident, cohesive, and resilient communities. Protecting What Matters contains policy aimed at building bridges, bringing people together and combatting those seeking to radicalise and create division.

This is in addition to the government’s Pride in Place Strategy which aims to build stronger communities across the UK. Neighbourhoods in Derry-Londonderry and Coleraine are part of the transformational £5.8bn Pride in Place programme which will bring people together and restore a of local pride. We will continue to work with the devolved governments to align priorities across governments and support social cohesion in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.