Community profile

Southwark is one of the thirty two boroughs of the City of London and is made up of eight very distinctive neighbourhoods that extend along the river Thames down into South East London. Founded in 880 by King Alfred, Southwark is London’s most historic borough, encompassing some of London’s top attractions, creative hotspots, scenic villages and acclaimed green spaces such as Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre, Tate Modern art gallery and the famous Borough Market. It is categorised as both an ‘Inner London’ and ‘Central London’ borough and as such features many of the characteristics of urban, inner city areas including high population density, ethnic diversity, and significant contrasts of wealth and poverty. Although Southwark is the tenth smallest borough in London, it has the tenth largest population with over 300,000 people. In that way, the London borough of Southwark is the ninth most densely populated area in England and Wales and its population is expected to continue to grow further in the next years.

WeGovNow in the region

In Southwark, the WeGovNow platform is used to test more current and efficient methods of engagement with its residents, aiming at reaching a wider audience and becoming more representative of its community. During the piloting phase of the project, the London Borough of Southwark explores the WeGovNow platform for the following core purposes:

• Youth & Emplyoment: The WeGovNow platform is used to bring together young local young people seeking training and employment with businesses and their offers. Businesses across all sectors are able to use the platform to market themselves and their employment opportunities in a way that reaches young people in Southwark. Young people can then utilise the platform to look for practical information as well as access to training and skills development opportunities and support they need to thrive in the workplace.
• Highways: The WeGovNow pilot platform is utilised to obtain detailed feedback from local people and other stakeholders on proposed highways improvements at Harper Road in Southwark.
• Faith Groups: In support of its Fairer Future Promises, Southwark Council is developing a Faith Strategy that will set out a new relationship between the several local faith groups, the Council, and the wider community and voluntary sector. Here the WeGovNow platform is used to support the Council's strategy, in particular as a means to work with faith groups to support cross-faith collaboration in joint activity and promote community cohesion in Southwark.

 Visit the Southwark pilot platform here.