(Photo: Justin’s 'Great Get Together' event for local residents last year, organised in memory of Jo Cox MP)
North Swindon MP Justin Tomlinson has welcomed the Government’s plans to tackle loneliness and isolation.
A number of measures will be implemented to tackle social isolation, following recommendations from the Jo Cox Commission on Loneliness.
Research conducted by the Jo Cox Commission on Loneliness shows that: more than 9 million people always or often feel lonely, around 200,000 older people have not had a conversation with a friend or relative in more than a month, and up to 85% of young disabled adults – 18-34 year olds – feel lonely
Earlier this week the Prime Minister announce the first of the recommendations, and has appointed Minister responsible for loneliness who will lead a cross-government group which will take responsibility for driving action on loneliness across all parts of government and keeping it firmly on the agenda.
In addition, work has also begun on:
- Developing a cross-government strategy on loneliness in England to be published later this year. This will bring together government, local government, public services, the voluntary and community sector and businesses to identify opportunities to tackle loneliness, and build more integrated and resilient communities
- Developing the evidence-base around the impact of different initiatives in tackling loneliness, across all ages and within all communities, led by the Government’s "What Works" centres
- Establishing appropriate indicators of loneliness across all ages with the Office for National Statistics so these figures can be included in major research studies
- A dedicated fund which will see Government working with charitable trusts, foundations, and others to:
- Stimulate innovative solutions to loneliness across all ages, backgrounds and communities
- Provide seed funding for communities to come together to develop activities which enable people to connect
- Scale-up and spread existing work offering practical and emotional support to help lonely individuals reconnect with their communities
A number of Government initiatives are already in place to help reduce loneliness, including improved mental health support, and the pocket parks programme which has transformed unused spaces into new green areas, giving lonely people the chance to join volunteering groups and interact with neighbours.
Justin Tomlinson MP said: “Far too many people experience social isolation, and the fantastic work by the Jo Cox Commission has given us an action plan to begin to tackle the issue. This Christmas I held a gift appeal, and asked people to donate gifts to elderly people who may be experiencing loneliness. The response was amazing, showing that people care about people who may be isolated, and want to help. Hopefully we can push forward with these recommendations and tackle social isolation.”
