What would it mean for South Yorkshire to show the country a new way of making decisions with communities doing democracy?
South Yorkshire stands at a crossroads.
For decades, deindustrialisation led by central government has left deep scars across the region; not just economic ones, but fractures in the relationship between people and the institutions meant to serve them. Now, with new powers devolved to the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority (SYMCA), there's a chance to rebuild that relationship in a different way.
To create something better. To prove that democracy can work for everyone.
Together with SYMCA, we are working to place community voice at the heart of how these new powers are used – developing a practical, region-wide engagement strategy to make this ambition a reality.
Why now?
We are living through a crisis of trust. The summer riots of 2024, the rallies, the protests: these aren't isolated incidents. They're symptoms of a democratic rupture. People feel fundamentally disconnected from a system that isn't meeting their needs.
Combined Authorities like SYMCA are uniquely positioned to respond to the current wave of distrust in democracy. The devolution of powers to mayoral, combined and strategic authorities across England is creating exciting new opportunities for local government to reshape how it engages with communities.
These authorities are taking on crucial roles where they can directly engage with whole regions on key topics like transport, housing, health, skills and more. Crucially, they are positioned to build powerful partnerships across regions, with anchor institutions, VCSE organisations and more, to coordinate and enable diverse engagement across their regions.
Combined authorities can model the new way of working that our democracy desperately needs.
Across South Yorkshire, pockets of excellent community engagement already exist. These are taking place with local authorities, VCSE organisations, health and care bodies, businesses and anchor institutions. Residents are gathering, organising, and making their voices heard in innovative ways. Local authorities and voluntary organisations are finding creative approaches to involve people in decision making.
But these efforts remain fragmented. Learning isn't being shared enough. SYMCA is uniquely positioned to build on and connect the good practice and networks which already exist.
That's why we're developing an engagement strategy for South Yorkshire, not as a top-down mandate, but as a practical framework to capture what's already working and what can be built on. Then we’ll share it widely and coordinate efforts so the whole region benefits.
This strategy will help SYMCA:
- Amplify existing good practice so communities across the region can learn from each other's successes
- Coordinate engagement and partnerships so residents aren't experiencing engagement fatigue from disconnected initiatives
- Position SYMCA as a leading innovator in how devolved authorities across England can genuinely engage communities in decision making
To help ensure this strategy comes to life, we are delivering a package of work with SYMCA, which includes creating an engagement toolkit, delivering training programmes, doing resident engagement and conducting mentoring. These will help build the structures, skills and opportunities for the engagement strategy to put community voice at the heart of decision making.
What’s next?
We believe that involving people from all walks of life doesn't just make decisions more legitimate, it makes them better, more responsive, and more efficient. It rebuilds the social fabric that's been fraying for decades. It offers people a meaningful alternative to disillusionment and disengagement.
The engagement strategy will be published in early 2027 and will provide a practical roadmap for how South Yorkshire can lead the way in community-led decision making.
But the real work begins now, in conversations happening across the region and in partnerships being formed, so that public and community engagement can thrive in South Yorkshire.
Want to learn more or get involved? Contact Dom at [email protected]