Gary Buckley is the CEO of Acton-based Action West London and writes about why the Government’s new localism and devolution agenda matters.
“Across Britain today there is a quiet but growing sense of disconnection. Too many people feel politics happens somewhere far away from their daily lives. Too many communities feel economically insecure, socially fragmented and increasingly unheard. When people lose faith that society has a place for them, the vacuum rarely stays empty for long. It becomes filled with anger, cynicism, conspiracy and, increasingly, political extremism.
“That is why the Government’s new localism and devolution agenda matters so profoundly.
“Done properly, localism is not simply an administrative reform or another Whitehall restructuring exercise. At its best, it is a democratic and moral argument: that people should have greater control over the places where they live, work and raise their families. That local communities should not merely receive policy but help shape it. That economic growth should be felt not only in spreadsheets and investment announcements, but in household stability, aspiration and dignity.
“Working at Action West London, I see every day how fragile the social contract has become for many people — particularly young people.
“Many of the unemployed residents we support are not lacking talent or ambition. What they often lack is trust: trust that institutions work for them, trust that hard work will genuinely improve their lives, trust that society sees them at all. For some young people categorised as NEET — not in employment, education or training — that mistrust began early. They passed through education systems that did not recognise their SEND needs, their poverty, their instability at home or the complexity of the challenges they were carrying.
“By adulthood, many have internalised a dangerous message: that opportunity belongs to other people.
“This is not simply an economic failure. It is a civic one.
“Stable societies are not built only through policing or legislation. They are built when people feel they have a meaningful stake in the future. Good employment remains one of the strongest anti-poverty and anti-extremism tools any society possesses. Work at its best provides more than income. It creates routine, confidence, belonging, identity and hope.
“That is why I believe employability work is fundamentally social justice work.
“It is also why I strongly welcome initiatives such as the Greater London Authority Mayor’s Inclusive Talent Brokerage programme. In a labour market increasingly shaped by networks, confidence and hidden barriers, programmes which actively connect underrepresented communities to good-quality opportunities matter enormously. They recognise that talent is spread widely across society even when opportunity is not.
“The challenge facing Britain now is not a shortage of potential. It is the unequal distribution of access.
“Across West London there are major opportunities emerging in green industries, logistics, retrofit, construction, health care, digital services and the circular economy. Yet unless local residents are intentionally connected to those opportunities, many will continue to feel excluded from the prosperity being created around them.
“That exclusion has consequences.
“When communities experience long-term economic insecurity, rising housing costs, declining social mobility and insecure work, resentment inevitably grows. People begin looking for someone to blame. The politics of grievance thrives where hope recedes.
“I sometimes worry that policymakers underestimate the connection between economic dignity and democratic stability.
“A young person with no realistic pathway into work is not merely economically vulnerable. They become socially vulnerable too — vulnerable to isolation, alienation and narratives that tell them society is fundamentally rigged against them. We cannot lecture communities out of despair while simultaneously allowing opportunity to remain inaccessible.
“This is why localism matters so deeply.
“Community organisations rooted in local places understand these realities in ways large national systems often cannot. We know the families. We know the estates. We know the schools where young people have disengaged. We know the employers willing to offer chances when others will not. Most importantly, we know that rebuilding confidence takes time and human relationships, not simply targets and compliance frameworks.
“At AWL we have always believed that economic development must have a moral purpose. We are not interested in growth that bypasses local people. We are interested in growth that raises living standards, reduces poverty and allows residents to participate fully in the life of their communities.
“That means championing the London Living Wage. It means supporting occupationally relevant training that leads to real jobs. It means helping local businesses recruit inclusively. It means creating pathways into green employment and the circular economy. It means recognising that some residents need trust rebuilt before careers can even begin.
“And it means understanding that social cohesion is built locally.
“One of the greatest strengths Britain still possesses is its civic infrastructure — its charities, faith groups, youth organisations, community centres and local partnerships. These institutions quietly hold communities together every day. They are often the only spaces where people from different backgrounds, faiths and generations still encounter one another meaningfully.
“If the Government is serious about localism, then investing in this civic infrastructure must become central to the agenda, not peripheral to it.
Because ultimately this debate is about more than governance structures. It is about what kind of country we want to become.
“Do we continue drifting towards a society where wealth, security and opportunity become increasingly concentrated while resentment grows in the margins? Or do we build local economies where people genuinely feel seen, valued and connected to the future?
“For all the frustrations of modern politics, I remain optimistic.
“I see optimism in the young person who secures their first meaningful job after years of rejection. I see it in employers willing to invest in local talent. I see it in communities building partnerships across sectors and backgrounds. I see it in the growing recognition that economic justice and social cohesion are inseparable.
“Real localism is not about bureaucracy. It is about belonging.
“And in an age of growing division, belonging may be one of the most important things we can rebuild.”
