As Charles Kennedy once said:

Liberal Democrats are the traditional exponents of localism. Localism is inextricably linked to our core values.

The belief in devolved power, strong local government, and a plurality of societal actors working together to enhance democratic accountability and maximising opportunity for innovation and experimentation lie at the heart of liberalism.

The population of not just the United Kingdom, but the whole world seem to be confined to a particular location. We are unable to take flights across the globe, or even visit friends and relatives in nearby towns. Families, businesses, institutions, and society are pulling together like never before. With this in mind, it seems like localism will never get a better workout than during the isolation phase of the covid-19 pandemic.  With this, there will be opportunities to observe how individuals, families, communities, businesses, and arms of government go about their day-to-day lives and jobs to make society function and altruistically help those in need.

We are already seeing networks of volunteers ready to help the vulnerable; MPs and local councillors working tirelessly answering questions from many of their constituents ranging from the Government’s furlough schemes to the importance of self-isolation. But it is noticeable that constituents are adjusting already and making choices that benefit not just themselves as individuals, but their families and society.

The NHS is regularly seen as a monolith – a stone structure in the thralls of central government with a perception of it lacking innovation. Covid-19 has proved this to be a wrongful assumption. The NHS through the pandemic has innovated significantly. Perhaps the best example of this is the creation of the ‘pop-up tent’, otherwise known as the ‘Aerosol Shield’ developed by the University of Birmingham’s medical and dental departments and manufactured by Airquee, a company that makes medical equipment for the health services. The Aerosol Shield provides a protective barrier between healthcare professionals and patients, acting as a last line of defence for the healthcare professionals.  This acceptance of localism, through relying on local contacts, and innovating cross-faculty in a time efficient manner, raised standards and provides national and international solutions.

It is obvious that markets are not operating at full efficiency during the pandemic, and it would be highly unlikely for them to operate at full-efficiency for some time, even after the pandemic has ended. It will therefore put the onus on local councils and local political officers such as Police and Crime Commissioners to help decide key budgets and taxation levels, and construct audits and improvements to deliver quality to individuals as the customer.

Covid-19 has also reduced the amount of unnecessary bureaucracy faced by frontline public sector workers and some private businesses. The scale of the pandemic and the relatively quick time it has taken to disrupt society has forced agents to adapt quickly and circumnavigate usual channels and procedures to help deliver quality service to society. Supermarkets have adapted opening hours, restaurants not offering delivery have made the change seamless to increase such function, and local services such as waste collection have had to streamline procedures and costs to adapt.

Going forward in the years to come, it would be wise to reflect on how we reverted to localism during the pandemic to help enable and support, not only the public and private sector, but also society as a whole.

* Oli Dixon is not a member of a political party, but is economically and socially liberal.