Stephen Frost

@sfrost.bsky.social

11223 Followers 1080 Following

Managing Director, Bridges for Communities, supporting people to live well together šŸ“Bristol šŸ‡¬šŸ‡§ Posts on: Bristol, community cohesion & social inclusion, climate & nature, deliberative democracy, public engagement and positive news. Views my own.

There is a positive reason to do this: the problems facing us are too big and too complex; politicians cannot solve them on their own and the idea that the state can and should provide is broken; we need all shoulders to the wheel. There is also a defensive reason to do this: our society is fracturing and community cohesion breaking down. Too many people say politics isnā€™t working and democracy is not worth saving. This is not a sideshow. Bringing all of us into decision-making is absolutely central to how we tackle our biggest problems and seize the opportunities before us. Our new PM has form in this agenda. This is a golden moment for him to grasp and lead from the get go.
Hot air balloons in Bristol
Photo from Clifton Suspension Bridge looking over south Bristol & the river
Two yellow Camerados mugs with the words ā€œlook out for each otherā€ in black text
A slightly haphazard multi-layer Lego bridge, with a Lego horse on top.
Bright bold, orange text repeats Courage! Also includes the logo for Refugee Week and the dates 15-21 June 2026
Screenshot showing the three podcast titles: Episode one: How divided are we? Episode two: Can we really change people's minds? Episode three: How to listen without trying to win
Highlighted text: A group of literally hundreds of people has sprung into action, coordinating, donating, providing lifts for families to get somewhere safe for the night, bringing food to those who donā€™t want to leave the house, offering shelter, car seats, toys and arts supplies for children. Ordinary people from every background, community and colour are carrying out thousands of acts of care and repair, looking after people they do not know, and showing clearly that none of this is in their name.
Shady spot in Victoria Park, fun place to play thatā€™s a few degrees cooler than the main play area
For many years, part of the economic justice work I've done has focused on shifting the public narrative around poverty and people who are poor. By using a combination of data and storytelling, I shine a light on the resilience, cre-ativity, knowledge, and capability that exists in low-income communities. In doing this, I counter a narrative that blames people for being poor instead of recognizing both the assets of poor communities and the systemic barriers people are up against. One of the things I focus on is how people who are poor often leverage social capital to mitigate their experience of poverty. Or, to put it more plainly, how connected people help one another out.
A 2 year old plays with toy blocks in a barn full of toys
Picture of a flip chart paper covered in voting dots against different questions.
We identify the following five key findings. Perceived unfairness in housing and cost-of-living pressures is shaping attitudes to asylum accommodation. Weak communication and low trust create space for misinformation. Safety concerns reflect wider crime and disorder, with hotels sometimes becoming focal points. National border anxieties coexist with local pragmatism. Decline and community strength coexist. Our research indicates that asylum accommodation must be embedded within wider housing and regeneration strategy, accompanied by proactive and transparent local engagement.
Photo of the book ā€˜How to fall in love with the futureā€™ by Rob Hopkins
Toddler climbing on a bench in a lush city farm garden
Photo of a top trumps case. The set is focused on British Wildlife and made in partnership with the National Trust
4 yr old looking out at the coast
Photo of a beach at Tenby with a rainbow above the coloured houses on the cliff
Photo of Severn Beach, looking out at rocks & the bridge to Wales. A 4yr old boy is clambering on the rocks
List of options for a day trip given to my 4yr old. Severn Beach is ticked.
Photo of the front cover of the Bristol Urban Nature Map
What does it actually mean to be a villager rather than simply wanting a village? The distinction matters. Being a villager means accepting friction as part of connection. It means your neighbor might knock on your door when you are exhausted. It means the community potluck happens on the one evening you hoped to be alone. It means your carefully optimized routine is interrupted by other peopleā€™s needs. Annoyance, inconvenience, and unpredictability are not flaws in community. They are the cost of entry.
But tvƤttstugor are also social spaces. Where I live the laundry room doubles as a small community centre. Thereā€™s a childrenā€™s book swap, a noticeboard with local events, and a steady trickle of neighbourly encounters. My husband has his gang of dads that he sees there every Sunday. They chat while folding, sharing tips about laundry liquid and life. Negotiations over booking times, cleaning lint filters and wiping benches are not always idyllic ā€“ there are passive-aggressive notes and the odd conflict ā€“ but they are also a form of everyday democracy. We learn, in a very concrete way, how to share resources, negotiate conflict, respect common rules and live together.
Poster advertising the role with photos of befriend partnerships and the words: Befriend Project Manager. Connect volunteers and people seeking sanctuary to foster friendships, wellbeing and stronger communities.
Me on Bristolā€™s banana bridge wearing a t-shirt that reads ā€˜Build Bridges Not Wallsā€™
Playing Outā€¦ and Beyond! Photo of the stage at Bristol City Hall
It is even more vital that the governmentā€™s new plan recognises that social cohesion is made or lost in millions of everyday acts, and not just in moments of national celebration. It is by bringing communities together through shared spaces and places accessible by people leading their ordinary lives that hope for the future lies. It is a recognition of the fundamental importance of everyday acts in fostering long-term cohesion and building the ties across difference that can be called on in times of crisis.
Rainbow drawn in chalk at the entrance to Bristolā€™s city hall
4yr old running into the distance along a path in an old woodland
Photo of a black coffee.
Red headed toddler walking down steps in a park under blue skies
Start of the Bristol to Bath path, marked by a sculpture of a tree
Handlebars of this e-bike are too wide to fit through the entrance meant for bikes
E-bike leaning against a front porch with steps up to a front door
E-bike parked at the top of Park Street, Bristol
E-bike parked at the start of the chocolate path (Bristol)
A toddler running into a skate park
Policy framework from report ā€˜Fairer is fasterā€™ by IPPR. Priorities includes: reduce need for travel, widening access to public transport & active travel, supporting efficient use of more affordable & cleaner vehicles and better accounting for environmental & social cost of transport
Blue skies above the community/centre cafe. Set in gardens with plenty of benches, flowers and shade.
Photo of trees & water play area
The key issues identified for young people's journeys There are limited public transport options Rural areas face limited bus and rail services, leading to longer journey times than those in urban settings and greater reliance on cars. There is a strong reliance on private vehicles Many young people depend on private vehicles for daily travel - either driving themselves or relying on others. This is partly due to the poor frequency and long journey times on public transport. There's a high cost to travel Transport costs are a significant challenge, especially for apprentices who often do not receive financial support for travel. The type of transport available influences the choice of education and work Young peopleā€™s choices of where to study or work are heavily shaped by available transport options. Many choose places that are easier to get to, even if they are not the most suitable academically or professionally.
Run buggy on the pill path with Clifton Suspension Bridge in the distance
The car is a symptom, not a solution Our research shows that most people still rely on their cars when travelling for work, which is no surprise. But itā€™s not necessarily because they prefer travelling by car, but because thereā€™s no realistic alternative. Public transport if often too patchy, expensive or simply doesnā€™t run at the right times or to the right places.
FIGURE 20: Reducing NHS waiting lists is considered a more important test of whether Labour have improved peopleā€™s lives than any transport outcome Question: Which of the following do you think will be most important for judging whether the Labour government has improved your everyday life in five yearsā€™ time? People could select up to three
FIGURE 49: Schools streets (net +39 per cent), pedestrianised zones in town/city centres (37 per cent, ā€˜pay per mileā€™ road pricing also receiving (+18 per cent) and clean air zones (+15 per cent) receive the most support with or without increased Questions: The government has an ambition to support more people to cycle, walk/wheel or use public transport instead of driv ing . 1) To what extent would you support or oppose the following policy measures? 2) Assuming they were accompanied by increased investment t o b oost the availability and affordability of public transport, to what extent would you support or oppose the following policy measures? Ne t calculated as support minus opposition investment in public transport
FIGURE 45: Many more Londoners find multimodal journeys ā€˜easyā€™ compared to those living in other regions (48 per cent compared to 25 per cent in the Midlands) Question: Thinking about journeys that require the use of different transport modes, for example journeys where you use both the train and a bus, how complicated or easy do you find it to make these types of journeys?
FIGURE 41: Over half (56 per cent) support targeting zero road deaths and progressive voters highly supportive (69 per cent) Question: To what extent would you support or oppose the UK government establishing a target to have zero fatalities or serio us injuries on Britainā€™s roads by 2040?
FIGURE 37: Less than one in 10 (9 per cent) would not be willing to delay their journeys to make roads safer whereas four in 10 (39 per cent) say they would accept a delay of over 10 minutes on a half hour journey Question: Lowering speed limits can help make roads safer and help save lives but it can also make some journeys take longer for some people. Thinking about a standard journey you might make by car, of around half an hour, if the speed limit was lowered on th is route, for example from 30 MPH to 20 MPH, how large a delay, if at all, would you be willing to incur if you knew it made roads safer?
FIGURE 24: Cost (53 per cent), safety (40 per cent) and reliability (39 per cent) are the most important factors in peopleā€™s regular journeys Question: Thinking about the everyday journeys you make, what are the factors that are most important for you for a typical j our ney? Select up to three
FIGURE 27: Lower earners favour investment in local transport (38 per cent in contrast to 20 per cent of the highest earners) with a significant proportion of higher earners naming investment in international transport as making the most difference in their lives (18 per cent versus less than 2 per cent of those lowest earners) Question: Which type of transport investment would make the most positive difference to your life?
FIGURE 18: All income groups rank public transport affordability and provision of public transport as important to them but new roads are seen as having low importance for those on low incomes (net score of -1 per cent compared to +34 per cent for those on the highest incomes) Question: How important would it be for you and your family for the government to achieve the following? Split sample. Showin g n et score for positive sentiment minus negative
FIGURE 14: One in seven (14 per cent) strongly feel transport is limiting their everyday life and many experience a high or medium risk of social exclusion due to transport difficulties Question: Respondents were asked to indicate their level of agreement with the listed statements on an 11 - point scale, with 0 me aning ā€˜agree completelyā€™ and 10 meaning ā€˜disagree completelyā€™. Responses have been grouped into high agreement (0 ā€“3), medium agreement (4 ā€“6) and low agreement (7 ā€“10). These correspond with having a low, medium or high risk of experiencing transport related social exclusion
FIGURE 13: Net scores for transport improving are highest for people in urban areas and those on the highest incomes Questions: 1) In recent years, do you think that Britainā€™s transport system has got better or worse? 2) In recent years, do you think that transport has gotten better or worse in your local area. Net calculated as all those saying better minus all those saying wor se.
FIGURE 7: Less than one-third of people (28 per cent) are satisfied with national transport compared to half (50 per cent) being satisfied with transport in their local area Questions: 1) How satisfied or dissatisfied are you with transport in your local area? 2) How satisfied or dissatisfied are y ou with transport in Britain?
FIGURE 3: Four in 10 (39 per cent) of those on the lowest income drive each week compared to over eight in 10 (84 per cent) of those on the highest income Question: Please indicate how often, if at all, you use the following methods of transport. Combining ā€˜Dailyā€™, ā€˜Several days a w eekā€™ and ā€˜Once a weekā€™
Every day, I meet people who tell me they want to make even more progress to clean up our air and cut speeds on the capitalā€™s streets. Some of them are campaigners who have dedicated their lives to making the way we travel safer and more sustainable. But the vast majority are ordinary citizens: children walking home from school; parents cycling to work; carers driving to see their relatives. What they want is simple: the freedom to go about their lives in the knowledge that they are safe from harm. For their sake, the fight for safer roads must continue.
Fig. 3. Modal share in Lisbon in 2021. Left āˆ’ Modal share (vertical axis) depending on the distance to the city centre (horizontal axis). Right āˆ’ Modal share according to the distance to the city centre.
Photo of a hornet mimic hover fly on a plum tree leaf
Wotton-under-Edge residents campaigning after the bus route was axed
Millieā€™s anger was driven by the loss of sports facilities, the disappearance of the Sure Start centres, and the loss of the shared spaces she held dear. Everything had been ā€œtaken awayā€. Even simple activities such as a family cinema trip or roller-skating at one of the few remaining leisure centres set her back more than she could afford. She would love to be able to drop her kids off to play with the pit band, as her father, a miner, had done with her. But the facilities had shut. ā€œWhen the pits started closing, they lost funding and stuff. I mean, itā€™s still about, donā€™t get me wrong. But itā€™s not as rife as it used to beā€¦ My kids donā€™t understand it because they never had it. But it hurts me, because what am I to do?ā€