Cumbria Community Foundation - Furness: Opportunities and Challenges 2021

F U R N E S S – O P P O R T U N I T I E S & C H A L L E N G E S 40 1 Census 2011 2 UK Parliament An impressive 81% 1 agree with the statement: “People from different backgrounds get along well together” (England average: 76%). 68% feel they belong to their neighbourhood (England: 58%), 84% are satisfied with their local area as a place to live (England: 79%) and, for those aged 65 and above, 89% are satisfied with their home and neighbourhood (England: 83%). This sense of community encourages participation in charity and voluntary work. 24% have given unpaid help at least once per month in the previous year (England: 23%) while Furness has 3.0 active charities per 1,000 population (England: 2.6%). Furness scores marginally below the national average, however, when it comes to influencing decision-making, perhaps reflecting its remoteness from the seat of local government for Cumbria in Carlisle, which is 85 miles from Barrow. Only 27% of people feel they can influence local decisions (England: 29%) while 13% have been involved in decisions that affect the local area in the last year (England: 14%). Arguably, this sense of disengagement from the political process is reflected at elections. In the 2019 General Election 2 , the turnout for the Barrow and Furness constituency was 65.6%, below the UK average of 67.3%. Turnout in neighbouring Westmorland and Lonsdale was 77.8%. O P P O R T U N I T I E S n Close-knit communities where people are satisfied with their locality and are well disposed towards volunteering and charitable work. n A dynamic and rich range of community organisations and charities that are increasingly working together. n New ways of working and initiatives such as New Constellations which are providing people with a voice in shaping their communities. n Strong sporting and cultural traditions with higher-than-average participation rates. Challenges: n Limited local sources of funding and low levels of recognition of the value and importance of charities and community organisations in the wider community. n Silo working by public agencies and limited capacity in relation to need. n Overcoming a perception that people have little influence over decisions that affect them. Strong Communities Furness is made up of tightly-knit communities valued by residents who are, on the whole, happy with their local area.