FaithAction Focus Group: Government’s new deal for faith

Come along and share your opinions on the government’s new deal for faith –  join us at this multifaith focus groups to share your experience of local collaboration, the key successes to replicate and major pitfalls to avoid as the government seeks to strengthen collaboration between each level of government and faith communities.

In September 2021, the Government announced the Faith New Deal pilot fund. This new fund came about based on the findings of the Keeping the Faith report (APPG on Faith and Society) and the recommendations from the Levelling up our Communities report (Danny Kruger MP), and will seek to draw in learning from the forthcoming independent Faith engagement review led by Colin Bloom.

The pilot fund intends to invest in a handful of collaborative projects to serve local needs during the COVID-recovery, with the goal of ‘strengthening engagement between national government, local government and faith groups’.

In addition to providing a new channel of funding, the Government will take learning from this pilot to inform the development of a Faith Compact – ‘a set of principles for local and national government to work in partnership with faith groups and communities’.

As an organisation representing grassroots faith-based and community organisations and as secretariat to the APPG on Faith and Society, FaithAction sees a need to use our own learning as well as the experience of our members and broader network to speak into the development of the New Deal and subsequent Faith Compact, ensuring they build upon and enhance local collaboration. We need to hear your opinions in order to do that effectively.

Chaired by Daniel Singleton, National Executive Director and member of the government’s Places of Worship Taskforce.

• This focus group will also be held earlier on 7th December and on 10th December.