News from the All-Party Parliamentary Group

Faith Covenant Forum Meeting, 10 March 2021

On 10th March 2021, the APPG hosted its third Faith Covenant Forum, a virtual roundtable discussion providing an opportunity for Covenant holders to share learning and best practice, and for prospective Covenant areas to hear and ask questions about how and why they should establish one. This Forum meeting was chaired by Rt Hon Stephen Timms MP, and featured updates from Brighton and Hove and Preston, as well as a discussion around the idea of a “new deal with faith communities”, as proposed in Danny

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Recent APPG Report and Faith Covenant Both Endorsed in Parliamentary Debate

On Thursday 11th February, Rt Hon Stephen Timms tabled a debate in Parliament on the response of faith groups during the covid-19 outbreak. Several MPs joined this debate to commend faith communities and faith-based organisations for the excellent and often sacrificial ways in which they have served their communities throughout the past year. Timms drew special attention to the Keeping the Faith report, conducted by the Civil Society Unit at Goldsmiths, University of London, and commissioned by the APPG on Faith and Society with support

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APPG welcomes interest in the Faith Covenant from housing associations and British Army

The Faith Covenant was set up by the APPG on Faith and Society in order to facilitate open, practical working between faith communities and local authorities, removing mistrust and encouraging collaboration according to a mutually agreed set of guiding principles. Since 2015, 13 local authorities have signed up the Covenant, with many others expressing interest in recent months as a result of the crucial role that faith communities have played in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Faith Covenant works not only to establish an

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New report calls for appointment of Faiths Commissioner to strengthen relationships between local authorities and faith groups

A new report has recommended that a Faiths Commissioner be appointed to champion faith groups across Government. Keeping the Faith has been published today by the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Faith and Society and the Faiths & Civil Society Unit at Goldsmiths, University of London, found that collaboration between local authorities and faith groups dramatically increased during the COVID-19 pandemic. A survey was sent to all 408 local authorities in the UK and 55 in-depth interviews were conducted with local authority leaders and co-ordinators of

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Faith Covenant Forum Meeting, 5 October 2020

On Monday 5th October, the APPG on Faith and Society held the second Faith Covenant Forum meeting, a virtual roundtable discussion providing an opportunity for Covenant holders to share learning and best practice, particularly with regard to faith-council joint responses to COVID-19. For a full video recording of the meeting, see below. For minutes of the meeting, see here.

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Inaugural Faith Covenant Forum Meeting, 2 June 2020

In June 2020, the APPG hosted its first Faith Covenant Forum, a virtual roundtable discussion providing an opportunity for Covenant holders to share learning and best practice, particularly with regard to faith-council joint responses to COVID-19. For a full video recording of the meeting, see below. For minutes of the meeting, see here. If you are interested in learning more about the Faith Covenant or how you might set one up in your Local Authority Area, please contact [email protected] Relationships have had to form fast,

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Join us for the launch of a new Demos report, Holy Alliances

The Rt Hon Stephen Timms MP and the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Faith and Society are hosting The launch of a new Demos report, ‘Holy Alliances’ Tuesday 3 September • Westminster Refreshments provided If you are interested in attending, please contact [email protected] for more information. In the decade following the 2008 financial crash, there has been a widely acknowledged growth in church social action, as well as a much less-acknowledged rise in partnership working, as churches increasingly link up with non-Christian organisations to meet social need.

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Invitation to Compliance, Assessment and Enforcement

Fiona Bruce MP, Rt Hon Stephen Timms MP and the officers of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Religious Education and the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Faith and Society invite you to attend Compliance, Assessment and Enforcement: Promoting Positive Outcomes in Religious Education and Relationships and Sex Education followed by Q&A Tuesday, July 16th, 5pm • House of Commons To attend, please RSVP to [email protected] This joint meeting will address issues in enforcing law and regulation with regards to RE provision and will explore the impact

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Right Up Your Street: How Faith-Based Organisations Are Tackling Loneliness

Right Up Your Street: How Faith-Based Organisations Are Tackling Loneliness, the new report from FaithAction for the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Faith and Society, was launched this week at a reception in Parliament. We were delighted that Mims Davies MP, the government minister with responsibility for tackling loneliness, was able to join us. She was very encouraging about the role of faith in tackling loneliness, saying that faith groups are the ones who know what works, and that others should not therefore not be afraid

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Discussion on Leadership in Religion and Politics

The APPG held a lively panel discussion at Parliament focusing on leadership in religion and politics on 25th February this year. The panel consisted of MPs Stephen Timms (Chair of the APPG), Steve Double (Vice chair of APPG) and we were joined by Gareth Wallace (director of Conservative Christian Fellowship and Christians in Politics). The discussion was chaired by Daniel Singleton, National Executive Director of FaithAction, which is the secretariat for the APPG. The event was attended by students from King’s College London and lecturer

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