A society where all live in harmony and prosper together. Council corporate strategies and community plans flow similarly.

Whether it be integration, wellbeing, Big Society, fighting poverty, or youth unemployment, the intention is broadly the same – to build cohesive societies. The opposite is fragmentation and isolation.

So what is community cohesion, and why was it important in the first decade of this millennium? What is its relevance today in the context of austerity, where both communities and councils are financially challenged in adapting to increasing demands the stretched budgets.