Social Capital in Our Society: Why does it matter?

The Connecting Communities conference will explore how we might use the power of connection to strengthen our communities and build a stronger North East.

About the panel
Between 11.50am and 12.50pm, we will start the first plenary panel of the day. The opening plenary will adopt a broadly national perspective, bringing together experts from across different sectors and organisations. The aim of the session is to kick start the day’s conversations about social capital, exploring what social capital is and how it can help shifting dynamics and building resilience within communities. Following an introduction by the chair, panel members will have 5 minutes each for opening remarks, followed by a discussion, with an opportunity for questions from the audience.

The panel consists of:
• Dr Henry Kippen, CEO, North East Combined Authority (chair)
• Rachel Rowney, CEO of Local Trust
• Alison McKenzie–Folan OBE, Chief Executive at Wigan Council
• Anna Francis, Founder and Co-Director of the Portland Inn Project, and Professor of Art and Society at Staffordshire University
• John Tomaney, Pro-Provost (Regional Communities) and Professor of Urban and Regional Planning at University College London

For this panel discussion Anna Francis prepared a short presentation to share the Portland Inn Project as a case study of how to build social capital at a neighbourhood level.