Citizens Agenda
Citizens Agenda
As we head into the General Election 2024 we are launching our Citizens Agenda, an overview of the issues our membership has agreed are the most important to organise around.
Our community organising method provides a way for people to focus on what unites us, rather than what divides us. We do this by listening deeply to the people in our communities, identifying what change we need to make things better and engaging decision-makers to make those changes happen.
Now, our eighteen Citizens UK chapters have set out seven key issues we are asking the next UK Government to address. This Citizens Agenda focuses on the challenges our communities are facing and amplifies the voices of people who are experiencing the issues first-hand. We share our vision for change and solutions that could make a difference and hope this Citizens Agenda will contribute to shaping the political debate ahead of the next election.
After further listening and engagement we will publish a Citizens Manifesto with clearer and more detailed policy proposals.
Citizens Agenda Campaign Prioirities
Living Wage & Living Hours
A wage that meets everyday needs is the minimum people need to live with dignity. Yet one in eight UK workers earn below the real Living Wage. Polling by our Living Wage Foundation found that 56 per cent of those people had turned to a food bank in the past 12 months, with soaring inflation forcing choices between ‘heating and eating’.
Mental Health
When we listen in communities across the country, we hear time and again how worried people are about their mental health and how hard it is to access support. This is especially true when it comes to young people who are
struggling with unprecedented levels of mental health need. We call on the next Government to adopt a preventative approach to meet the needs of children and young people at risk of ending up on mental health waiting lists and to invest in school and college-based counselling alongside community-led support networks, thus saving millions of pounds for the NHS.
Refugees and a fair pathway to Citizenship
As a Recognised Provider of the Homes for Ukraine scheme and a Principal Sponsor for the government’s Community Sponsorship Scheme, we’ve seen the massive difference that communities and hosts can make in stepping up to welcome refugees from Syria, Afghanistan, Hong Kong and Ukraine into their homes and their neighbourhoods. We want to give every community in the UK the opportunity to become a place of welcome to those seeking sanctuary, and we want every resettled refugee and person seeking asylum to experience the best of British hospitality. Moreover, hundreds of thousands of people in our communities are on long, expensive, and painful pathways to citizenship. For most people, it will be more than a decade and tens of thousands of pounds before they can finally have the security that comes with British citizenship. They will face uncertainty and be at risk of poverty and destitution due to their immigration status. We believe that the pathway to citizenship should be affordable, timely and fair. This would improve lives and strengthen our communities,
Housing and Homelessness
Housing that is affordable, secure and habitable is a basic human right and need - it is crucial to security, wellbeing and health. But too many in the UK are living in housing that is insecure, unaffordable and of sub-standard quality. Lack of social housing has pushed more people into homelessness or unaffordable private renting. And for those in private accommodation, over half experience issues with damp and mould. From recent listening, we know it is currently a top issue for many Citizens UK chapters and projects. We have had many successes in tackling housing and homelessness locally, but we know there is much more that needs to change to secure better housing for our future.
Racial Justice in Education
Citizens UK Chapters across the country are organising for racial justice in education and winning change. Young people have won change to enjoy more diverse literature and greater religious freedoms, racist incidents are being taken more seriously, curricula are being improved and staff are having their voices heard by school leadership teams, who are listening and acting for racial justice. We want to work with the next Government to create an ambitious, inclusive, anti-racist education system that centres curricula, safeguarding, and workforce development, so that everyone can thrive.
Climate Justice
The climate crisis is impacting our communities right now, with those already disadvantaged being the most affected. We know that delaying making progress will ultimately make things worse, and cost us more. We want to put the economic security and wellbeing of our communities at the heart of action on the climate, and are seeking green solutions to issues putting pressure on people’s everyday lives.
Democracy and Devolution
The core of Citizens UK’s vision is of a vibrant and inclusive democracy with civil society at its heart. At a time when increasing numbers of citizens are sceptical about what democracy can deliver, we want to see power and decisions about resources brought closer to local people, and to extend the reach of our democracy to more young people. We want the UK Government to push powers closer to citizens in more areas, in a way that also increases funding and support to areas that need it most. We also want to make this election about enfranchisement rather than disenfranchisement, with a call for ‘votes at 16’.