At the heart of British liberalism lies a steadfast commitment to the individual their dignity, their rights, and their potential. We believe that by empowering individuals, we can enable people to lead richer lives while building a stronger, more cohesive society.

But liberalism is not simply about individual freedom. It is also about community – the relationships, institutions, and shared responsibilities that bind us together. Indeed, it is the politics of community that has underpinned Liberal Democrat success in places like Sutton, Three Rivers, and Watford, where local leadership has demonstrated the power of collective action electorally.

Yet when we look across our country today, it is clear there is much more to be done. Nearly one million young people are currently not in education, employment, or training (NEET), while many more face long-term unemployment or economic insecurity. These are not just statistics they are individuals and families in need of opportunity, support, and hope.

Despite this, there is a striking lack of urgency at the national level to embrace community-driven solutions. Too often, policy is designed centrally and delivered at scale, rather than rooted in the lived realities of local communities. One only needs to look at the gross incompetency of the DWP in administering welfare to know that centralised government lets down the individual and leaves them feeling lost in a system that is not built for the individual.

And yet, there are promising signs of what can be achieved when communities take the lead.

In Watford, for example, Liberal Democrat councillors in Meriden and Tudor wards are working with Bridge the Gap to deliver a targeted jobs programme, helping unemployed residents get back into work. Already, more than 30 people have signed up to receive support such as CV writing, mock interviews and more. While modest in scale, the impact is tangible. For those individuals, access to secure employment can be life changing.

The benefits extend far beyond the individual. Employment is strongly linked to improved mental health, reduced poverty, and greater housing stability. But the wider community also gains with antisocial behaviour expected to fall, civic participation rises, and local economies strengthen. As more people enter work, tax revenues increase while demand on welfare decreases freeing up vital resources to support those still in need. Even school attendance improves when parents and carers are in stable employment.

This is the type of change that the Big Society Initiative was trying to achieve and what community politics looks like in practice, local.

However, isolated initiatives at a local level, even successful ones are not enough to address the scale of the challenges we face. What is needed is a broader, more ambitious vision: one that reconnects individuals, institutions, and communities. In short, a renewed approach to the “Big Society” that the coalition championed in its early years.

Take education as an example. Our schools are currently grappling with crises in attendance, SEND provision, and behaviour. In many areas, trust between families and schools has eroded, making the task of school improvement even more difficult. The Department for Education talks about “stuck schools” that consistently underperform. Part of this is down to lack of parental engagement.

Rebuilding this trust demands a renewed social contract between schools and the communities they serve and that starts with the school being the focal point of the community.

We should be reimagining schools as genuine community hubs, serving young people during the day and then outside of their core operational hours school buildings can become spaces for wider community engagement: offering careers support, adult education, and essential life skills. This isn’t asking more of teachers and school leaders, rather for the community to embrace an asset that is underused.

This is already being trialled in some areas. In one school I am working with, parents and carers are invited in to participate in careers programmes delivered in partnership with Bridge the Gap. This not only supports adults into work but also re-engages families with the school community rebuilding that gap in trust while addressing wider social challenges.

These spaces could host a wide range of services from jobs programmes, English as an Additional Language (EAL) classes, digital skills training, and literacy and numeracy support. Helping families around our young people build the skills needed to get back into the working world. With the right partnerships and investment, schools can act as anchors of community renewal.

Whilst some will think about the Big Society initiative and roll their eyes or believe what I am suggesting is actually the role of the state. However, realistically the state won’t step up because our government is broke, but citizens across the UK can. It is about recognising that the principles of empowerment, localism, and community mixed with a renewed volunteering spirit – the very principles the Big Society was founded on.

If we are serious about tackling the challenges facing our communities and by extension our country, we must move beyond purely centralised solutions and rediscover the power of communities to drive change. That means backing local initiatives, investing in community infrastructure, and trusting people to shape their own futures.

The blueprint for this already exists in some communities, they are also (not by coincidence) the ones bucking the national trends in unemployment and economic inactivity. However, this is also a scalable model that develops genuine community thinking.

As liberals, we know that when individuals are empowered and communities are mobilised, the results can be transformative for people, for places, and for the country as a whole. It is time for us to be brave and set out a vision for how we begin our economic renewal from the ground up.

* Callum Robertson is a teacher and member of the Federal Board. He is a Watford Borough Councillor.