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To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what steps local authorities are taking to ensure elderly and vulnerable people who are without a support network of friends or family during the winter do not suffer from loneliness.
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what steps local authorities are taking to ensure elderly and vulnerable people who are without a support network of friends or family during the winter do not suffer from loneliness.
My department is working with local authorities and with colleagues across Government to support people suffering from loneliness and to develop policies to reduce social isolation.
Through my department, the Communities Fund is providing resources for 54 partnerships between Local Authorities and communities, some of which are developing projects to help social isolation and loneliness through social prescribing interventions, volunteering and employment. For example, in South Norfolk, a social prescription intervention project will tackle social isolation, reduce use of primary care resources, and help increase access to services in a rural area, and, in Stoke-on-Trent, funding is being used to help communities support older residents, particularly those who are experiencing social isolation and loneliness.
The planning system also encourages local authorities to consider loneliness and social isolation when making decisions. Paragraph 1.16 of the Housing White Paper confirmed the strengthening of the National Planning Policy Framework so that planning authorities are expected to have clear policies for addressing the housing requirements of groups with particular needs, such as elderly and disabled people and the Neighbourhood Planning Bill introduced a new statutory duty on the Secretary of State to produce guidance for local planning authorities on how their local development documents should meet the housing needs of older and disabled people. Guidance produced will place clearer expectations about planning to meet the needs of older people, including supporting the development of such homes near local services.
Additionally, our Supported Housing and Disabled Facilities Grant programmes are helping the target populations live as independently as possible within the community, which helps to prevent loneliness.
All community spaces have an important role to play in preventing loneliness and the Department works closely with local authorities, community groups, and the voluntary and charity sectors to ensure communities know and use the rights they have over their community assets. That can be the local pub, park, community café or local employment services, youth clubs, or social prescribing initiatives. The Pocket Parks Programme, for example, transformed 87 small patches of waste land across England (2015/2016) into community green spaces. Communities not only got a pocket park, but also came together in the planning, execution, and enjoyment of their new community hub, which helped to increase community cohesion and decrease social isolation.
In 2013-14, the Department of Health also added a loneliness measure to the Adult Social Care Outcomes Framework and Public Health Outcomes Framework and supported the development of a loneliness toolkit for Health and Wellbeing Boards by the Campaign to End Loneliness, which can be found at http://campaigntoendloneliness.org/guidance/. Local authorities can use these measures as guidance to develop interventions to tackle loneliness and social isolation.
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what estimate his Department has made of the number of people affected by loneliness in 2016/17; and if his Department will publish such statistics for each local authority in 2016/17.
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what estimate his Department has made of the number of people affected by loneliness in 2016/17; and if his Department will publish such statistics for each local authority in 2016/17.
The Office for National Statistics monitors and reports on loneliness and social isolation. Most recently it has published estimates of loneliness nationally in 'Life in the UK' and regionally in 'Social Capital in the UK'. Small sample sizes make it difficult to publish estimates for local authorities. I refer my Hon Friend to the response published by the UK Statistics Authority in response to a question earlier this year. The response can be found at: http http://qna.files.parliament.uk/qna-attachments/794094/original/PQ115182.pdf
Last Friday, Jo Cox’s sister Kim, the hon. Member for South Ribble (Seema Kennedy) and I published the Jo Cox loneliness commission manifesto. Will the Prime Minister join us in urging everybody to look out over Christmas for neighbours, family and friends who are struggling with the pain of loneliness? Will the Government also play their part by publishing a strategy on loneliness and by responding fully to our recommendations in the new year?
Last Friday, Jo Cox’s sister Kim, the hon. Member for South Ribble (Seema Kennedy) and I published the Jo Cox loneliness commission manifesto. Will the Prime Minister join us in urging everybody to look out over Christmas for neighbours, family and friends who are struggling with the pain of loneliness? Will the Government also play their part by publishing a strategy on loneliness and by responding fully to our recommendations in the new year?
I know that the hon. Lady has worked extremely hard on this important issue together with my hon. Friend the Member for South Ribble (Seema Kennedy). We are getting more and more awareness of the impact of loneliness on people, and we all recognise that social isolation is an issue. The matter is of importance to the Government, and we are looking at a number of things that we can do to help reduce loneliness. However, this is not just about what the Government can do; as the hon. Lady says, it is about what communities and neighbours can do. In my constituency of Maidenhead, I am pleased to say that the churches work together on Christmas day to bring elderly people who would otherwise be on their own together for a community lunch. That is just one small example of what we can all do in our communities to help to overcome the problem of loneliness.
I know that the hon. Lady has worked extremely hard on this important issue together with my hon. Friend the Member for South Ribble (Seema Kennedy). We are getting more and more awareness of the impact of loneliness on people, and we all recognise that social isolation is an issue. The matter is of importance to the Government, and we are looking at a number of things that we can do to help reduce loneliness. However, this is not just about what the Government can do; as the hon. Lady says, it is about what communities and neighbours can do. In my constituency of Maidenhead, I am pleased to say that the churches work together on Christmas day to bring elderly people who would otherwise be on their own together for a community lunch. That is just one small example of what we can all do in our communities to help to overcome the problem of loneliness.
I know that the hon. Lady has worked extremely hard on this important issue together with my hon. Friend the Member for South Ribble (Seema Kennedy). We are getting more and more awareness of the impact of loneliness on people, and we all recognise that social isolation is an issue. The matter is of importance to the Government, and we are looking at a number of things that we can do to help reduce loneliness. However, this is not just about what the Government can do; as the hon. Lady says, it is about what communities and neighbours can do. In my constituency of Maidenhead, I am pleased to say that the churches work together on Christmas day to bring elderly people who would otherwise be on their own together for a community lunch. That is just one small example of what we can all do in our communities to help to overcome the problem of loneliness.
Last Friday, Jo Cox’s sister Kim, the hon. Member for South Ribble (Seema Kennedy) and I published the Jo Cox loneliness commission manifesto. Will the Prime Minister join us in urging everybody to look out over Christmas for neighbours, family and friends who are struggling with the pain of loneliness? Will the Government also play their part by publishing a strategy on loneliness and by responding fully to our recommendations in the new year?
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to reduce levels of chronic loneliness in England.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to reduce levels of chronic loneliness in England.
Loneliness is complex and its causes are multi-layered. It may have a number of contributory factors that are both physical and emotional.
A number of the Department’s programmes either directly or indirectly address loneliness in helping people to feel part of the community as well as providing one-to-one support.
For example, social prescribing can tackle loneliness and social isolation through providing a way of linking patients with non-medical sources of support within the community. NHS England is encouraging general practitioners to develop social prescribing as one of the 10 high impact actions in the General Practice Forward View, published in April 2016. In August 2017 the Department launched the Health and Wellbeing Fund 2017-18, a grant fund for voluntary and community sector organisations for social prescribing projects. The application window closed on 21 November and successful schemes will be announced in due course.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Cabinet Office, what assessment his Department has made of the number of people suffering chronic loneliness (a) nationally and (b) in Sheffield.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Cabinet Office, what assessment his Department has made of the number of people suffering chronic loneliness (a) nationally and (b) in Sheffield.
The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mr Paisley. I congratulate my hon. Friend the Member for Leeds West (Rachel Reeves) on securing this important debate.
While none of us is immune to being lonely or socially isolated, we know that older people are especially vulnerable, primarily because they...
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mr Paisley. I congratulate my hon. Friend the Member for Leeds West (Rachel Reeves) on securing this important debate.
While none of us is immune to being lonely or socially isolated, we know that older people are especially vulnerable, primarily because they...
I beg to move,
That this House has considered the effect of loneliness on local communities.
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mr Paisley, and to see so many colleagues from across the House here to support a debate on the incredibly important issue of loneliness. More than 9...
I beg to move,
That this House has considered the effect of loneliness on local communities.
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mr Paisley, and to see so many colleagues from across the House here to support a debate on the incredibly important issue of loneliness. More than 9...
I congratulate my hon. Friend on securing such an important debate. I see so much work in my constituency by local groups that bring people out of their houses and give them company to deal with loneliness. Will she join me in congratulating all those groups that do so much...
I congratulate my hon. Friend on securing such an important debate. I see so much work in my constituency by local groups that bring people out of their houses and give them company to deal with loneliness. Will she join me in congratulating all those groups that do so much...
I will indeed join my hon. Friend in congratulating all the groups across our constituencies, including Bramley Elderly Action in my constituency, which has turned a struggling day centre into a thriving community centre, bringing old and young together.
As well as celebrating what is happening in our own communities, we...
I will indeed join my hon. Friend in congratulating all the groups across our constituencies, including Bramley Elderly Action in my constituency, which has turned a struggling day centre into a thriving community centre, bringing old and young together.
As well as celebrating what is happening in our own communities, we...
The hon. Lady is making a powerful speech. I am very concerned about loneliness in younger people. I wonder whether she will come on in a moment to the effect of social media, which can increase the feelings of worthlessness and loneliness, which are fundamental and long term?
The hon. Lady is making a powerful speech. I am very concerned about loneliness in younger people. I wonder whether she will come on in a moment to the effect of social media, which can increase the feelings of worthlessness and loneliness, which are fundamental and long term?
Indeed; I think something like one in six calls to ChildLine are from young people who feel lonely or isolated. Loneliness is something we should worry about not only among older people, although that is a significant issue, but among younger people. The connection searched for on social media is...
Indeed; I think something like one in six calls to ChildLine are from young people who feel lonely or isolated. Loneliness is something we should worry about not only among older people, although that is a significant issue, but among younger people. The connection searched for on social media is...
Last week, I visited the Newcastle office of Independent Age and I heard how its friendship service actually has more volunteers than people registered to receive its support. People of any age can volunteer. Does she agree that volunteering benefits not only those who use the befriending service but those...
Last week, I visited the Newcastle office of Independent Age and I heard how its friendship service actually has more volunteers than people registered to receive its support. People of any age can volunteer. Does she agree that volunteering benefits not only those who use the befriending service but those...
Absolutely. I met a group of befrienders in Bramley in my constituency. They talked about the impact that their befriending has on those people whom they support but also the real impact that building those connections has had on their lives.
As we all know, loneliness is bad for our mental...
Absolutely. I met a group of befrienders in Bramley in my constituency. They talked about the impact that their befriending has on those people whom they support but also the real impact that building those connections has had on their lives.
As we all know, loneliness is bad for our mental...
Will my hon. Friend give way?
Will my hon. Friend give way?
I will give way to my hon. Friend, who no longer smokes.
I will give way to my hon. Friend, who no longer smokes.
It is close to Christmas, which can be a particularly difficult time for those who are lonely and alone. I celebrate the Kirkby Christmas lunch, which is the brainchild of somebody called Pip Forbes in Kirkby. It brings people together, spreads festive cheer and gives them a Christmas to remember....
It is close to Christmas, which can be a particularly difficult time for those who are lonely and alone. I celebrate the Kirkby Christmas lunch, which is the brainchild of somebody called Pip Forbes in Kirkby. It brings people together, spreads festive cheer and gives them a Christmas to remember....
I know my hon. Friend is a proud champion of the people of Ashfield and the people there who do so much work in our communities. The reality is that, without work like that by her constituent and others, more people would feel lonely at Christmas and throughout the year.
The...
I know my hon. Friend is a proud champion of the people of Ashfield and the people there who do so much work in our communities. The reality is that, without work like that by her constituent and others, more people would feel lonely at Christmas and throughout the year.
The...
I thank the hon. Lady, who is my friend, for giving way. I pay tribute to the partner organisations that have worked with the hon. Lady and me on making the Jo Cox Commission on Loneliness such a success. I thank Ruth Price, Julianne Marriott and Danielle Grufferty for all...
I thank the hon. Lady, who is my friend, for giving way. I pay tribute to the partner organisations that have worked with the hon. Lady and me on making the Jo Cox Commission on Loneliness such a success. I thank Ruth Price, Julianne Marriott and Danielle Grufferty for all...
I thank my friend for that intervention. I also thank her because, in Parliament after Jo died, I said that it now falls on all our shoulders—Jo’s friends and family; all of us—to take forward Jo’s work. The hon. Lady heard that speech and approached me in the Members’ cloakroom...
I thank my friend for that intervention. I also thank her because, in Parliament after Jo died, I said that it now falls on all our shoulders—Jo’s friends and family; all of us—to take forward Jo’s work. The hon. Lady heard that speech and approached me in the Members’ cloakroom...