Dr. Kuldeep Sharma
Professor of Psychology
Scientific Lead, HygieiaMed UK
📧 Email: kuldeepsharma@gmail.com
EAs a psychologist working at the intersection of cultural psychiatry and public health, I often seek to understand how policies—especially those related to community structures—affect the unseen emotional and social scaffolding of daily life. Over the past month, I have spent time speaking with local leaders, elders, young people, and service users in Belgrave and Rushey Mead, Leicester—two neighbourhoods facing the proposed transfer of council-managed centres under Leicester City Council’s new neighbourhood services strategy.
This reflection presents a narrative analysis based on my observational and dialogical encounters during community meetings, drop-in sessions, and informal conversations. It captures not only the substance of what was said, but the unspoken: the hesitations, the grief, the small signals of psychological rupture that standard consultation forms cannot reveal.
Affective Landscapes: The Role of Place in Cultural Belonging
In Belgrave, the Neighbourhood Centre and Library are more than public infrastructure. They function as psychosocial anchors for older South Asian and African-Caribbean residents—especially women—who rely on these spaces not merely for activities, but for a sense of groundedness. In psychological terms, these are containment spaces, where collective memory, intergenerational rituals, and informal caregiving practices unfold.
As one elder shared during a circle session:
“If they change the way we enter, or who we speak to, it won’t feel like ours anymore.”
This reflects a deeper displacement anxiety—not from housing, but from communal life. The centre holds, symbolically and practically, what psychologist D.W. Winnicott called a “transitional space”—where people feel safe to express vulnerability, joy, and uncertainty in a non-medicalised, culturally attuned environment (BMJ Open, 2021).
The Consultation That Feels Conditional
Despite official claims of transparency, many residents felt the process was performative rather than participatory. As one volunteer leader in Rushey Mead noted:
“We’re being asked to fill forms, not asked what we actually need.”
This distinction matters. From a community psychology standpoint, procedural justice—the perception that processes are fair and inclusive—is a stronger predictor of trust than outcome alone (Lowndes & Pratchett, 2012). When consultation occurs in inaccessible language, with minimal outreach to digitally excluded or linguistically minoritised groups, the community perceives institutional abandonment.
This was especially evident in a focus group with three Gujarati-speaking elders. They expressed that although translated forms were later made available, the language was still too complex. One remarked:
“If my son doesn’t fill it for me, how can I even answer the question?”
Their exclusion is not passive—it is built into the design of the process (UK Parliament, 2010).
The Psychological Cost of Asset Transfer
As a psychologist, I must raise a flag on what is being described as a “redefinition” of service delivery. The removal of professional council staff, and replacement with voluntary or minimal oversight structures, signals not just logistical change—but a rupture in care pathways.
Evidence from the Third Sector Research Centre (2021) and Age UK (2023) suggests that volunteer-led community hubs without sustainable finance or trained safeguarding protocols face higher rates of closure, fragmentation, and diminished trust. When asked how they would feel if the library went “self-access,” one participant replied:
“It would feel like we are not welcome anymore.”
This illustrates the erosion of psychological safety—a core need in therapeutic, communal, and service spaces alike (Beetham, 2011).
Implications for Community Mental Health
The closures and reassignments threaten not just cultural continuity, but also protective factors against isolation, depression, and health deterioration. These centres serve as non-stigmatised settings where emotional and social needs are addressed holistically. This is vital for communities where mental health stigma, language barriers, and cultural norms often delay help-seeking through conventional channels (What Works Centre for Wellbeing, 2022).
The council may see “efficiency.” But many residents see exclusion wrapped in bureaucratic neutrality (LGiU, 2019).
Conclusion: Listening as Intervention
If I have learned one thing from my time in Belgrave and Rushey Mead, it is this: the absence of a voice is not the absence of need. People may not protest loudly or respond in academic language, but they grieve in silence, organise in kitchens, and find meaning in rituals no consultation form can measure.
My recommendation is clear: pause this process. Create mechanisms for authentic listening. Translate engagement into co-governance, not just compliance. The mental, cultural, and ethical stakes are too high to ignore.
References
- Age UK. (2023). Digital inclusion and older people: Evidence review. Retrieved from https://www.ageuk.org.uk
- Beetham, D. (2011). Ethical standards in public life: A framework for analysis. York: Joseph Rowntree Foundation. Retrieved from https://www.jrf.org.uk
- BMJ Open. (2021). Cultural engagement and community health: A systematic review. BMJ Open, 11(4), e045613. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2020-045613
- Frontier Economics. (2021). Culture and heritage capital: Valuation framework. Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS). Retrieved from https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/culture-and-heritage-capital-framework
- Locality. (2020). Community asset transfer in practice: A guide for local authorities. Retrieved from https://locality.org.uk
- Lowndes, V., & Pratchett, L. (2012). Local governance under the coalition government: Austerity, localism and the ‘Big Society’. Local Government Studies, 38(1), 21–40. https://doi.org/10.1080/03003930.2011.642949
- LGiU. (2019). Fragile foundations: The future of community services. Local Government Information Unit. Retrieved from https://lgiu.org
- The Guardian. (2023). Volunteer-led libraries failing communities, warns union. The Guardian. Retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com
- Third Sector Research Centre. (2021). Asset transfer and community resilience: Evaluating the long-term sustainability of transferred assets. University of Birmingham. Retrieved from https://www.birmingham.ac.uk/research/tsrc
- UK Parliament. (2010). Equality Act 2010: Statutory code of practice. Equality and Human Rights Commission. Retrieved from https://www.equalityhumanrights.com
- What Works Centre for Wellbeing. (2022). The social value of community culture: Understanding the wellbeing impacts of participation. Retrieved from https://whatworkswellbeing.org
Acknowledgements
This reflection was informed by the lived experiences of residents, volunteers, and elders from Belgrave and Rushey Mead, whose generous conversations and participation made this work possible. The author acknowledges the use of an AI language model (ChatGPT, OpenAI) for editorial refinement and grammar assistance, in accordance with recent scientific communication guidelines. All content, analysis, and authorship decisions remain those of the named author.
This work is original and unpublished elsewhere. For citation purposes, please use the format provided below:
How to Cite This Work
Sharma, K. (2025). Listening to Belgrave & Rushey Mead – A Community at a Crossroads: An Ethnographic Field Reflection. Community Evidence Repository. Retrieved from Listening to Belgrave & Rushey Mead – A Community at a Crossroads – Community Evidence Repository