Press Story

The far-right capitalised on Southport’s disrepair to sow disorder, says new paper published by IPPR
Closure of pubs, piers and parks are pushing people into isolation, more time spent online, and towards the far right
Discussion paper calls for an ‘Amazon tax’ to create a 21st-century community ‘Welfare Fund’, aimed at rebuilding shared spaces and resisting the far right

The loss of shared community spaces – from youth clubs and leisure centres to high street pubs and piers – is weakening the social fabric of local areas and leaving communities more vulnerable to far-right influence, a new discussion paper for IPPR warns today.

Every month, 50 pubs in the UK close for good; an estimated 600 youth clubs shut between 2012 and 2016; and London lost nearly 10 local authority-run community spaces each year between 2018 and 2023.

New analysis by IPPR finds that only one in 40 Britons are now part of a social club, compared to one in 10 when Labour was last in power.

As youth clubs close, community halls shut, and public spaces become privatised, people are spending more time alone and online – conditions which, the report argues, create fertile ground for misinformation, division, and far-right extremism to flourish.

The paper is published one year on from the riots that began in Southport and spread across the UK last July, demonstrating the sharp end of what can happen when communities fracture and social cohesion breaks down.

The slow decline of community spaces in Southport, including the closure of the local pier in 2022, has removed places where residents could meet and find common ground. Research shows that the loss of public amenities—such as pubs—is linked to elevated support for the far right.

The IPPR discussion paper is one of a series exploring fresh progressive ideas for national renewal. It calls for urgent investment in new, community-owned spaces, and points to the 1920 Mining Industry Act as inspiration. That Act introduced a levy of one penny per ton of coal to create a ‘Welfare Fund’ used to build libraries, playing fields, and other vital community infrastructure.

The paper proposes a modern equivalent: a 21st-century Welfare Fund, financed by a 2 per cent levy on online sales, or a warehouse tax on companies such as Amazon. The fund could be used to revive high streets, restore closed piers, build new pubs, sports facilities and childcare centres – all under common ownership.

Dr Sacha Hilhorst, author of the discussion paper, said:

“The Southport riots were a wake-up call – a stark reminder of what can happen when communities lose the places that once brought people together. In the absence of shared spaces, misinformation and hate can fill the void, creating tinderbox conditions for violence. Rebuilding local infrastructure isn’t just about nostalgia – it’s a vital bulwark against division and the dangerous pull of the far right. But communities are not apathetic. They are crying out for places to gather, to organise, and to belong. We need a new generation of institutions to help them do just that.”

Dr Parth Patel, associate director at IPPR who leads IPPR’s Decade of National Renewal project, said:

“Where shared spaces are lost, a sense of decline and disconnection takes root – and with it, dangerous alternatives thrive. The far right is exploiting the void where solidarity used to live – they capitalised on Southport’s disrepair to sow disorder. If we’re serious about social renewal, we must rebuild the civic infrastructure that once helped people support each other and shape their communities. That means going beyond short-term funds or token participation – and investing in shared spaces people can call their own.”

This publication is part of IPPR’s Decade of National Renewal project – a major initiative to develop bold, practical ideas for rebuilding Britain.

ENDS

Dr Parth Patel is available for interview

CONTACT

David Wastell, director of news and communications: 07921 403651 d.wastell@ippr.org

Rosie Okumbe, digital and media officer: 07825 185421 r.okumbe@ippr.org

NOTES TO EDITORS

The IPPR paper, Places to come together: Rebuilding local solidarities against the far right by Dr Sacha Hilhorst is published at 0001 on Tuesday July 29. It will be available for download at: http://www.ippr.org/articles/places-to-come-together
Dr Sacha Hilhorst is a senior research fellow at Common Wealth and a postdoctoral fellow at the London School of Economics and Political Science.
The IPPR Decade of National Renewal Programme is a major initiative to rethink progressive politics in a time of great change and challenge. We are interpreting the moment we are living through and developing new ideas for progressives to ‘own the future’. The programme is bringing together new thinking, and new thinkers, to develop practical but bold and distinctive answers to the big questions of our time. We will offer a sense of what progressive parties could stand for in the future, not just the recent past. The collapse of conventional ideas makes this a time of great political openness: the future is there for the making. Read more about the programme here: https://www.ippr.org/research-and-ideas/our-major-programmes/decade-of-national-renewal
The programme’s foundational report, Facing the future: Progressives in a changing world can be read here: https://www.ippr.org/articles/facing-the-future-progressives-changing-world