see tension building, before it breaks.
A monthly, evidenced reading of cohesion and local tension from your own residents. Designed to support the duties in MHCLG's Protecting What Matters.
councils are now expected to see tension coming.
In March 2026 MHCLG published Protecting What Matters, the national social cohesion action plan. It sets clear expectations for councils, and they all depend on evidence about how residents feel, gathered often enough to show change. Most councils do not have that evidence yet.
Spot tension earlier
Councils are asked to identify emerging tensions before they escalate, using a local cohesion risk assessment.
Share the picture
That picture is shared with central government and local partners, so it needs to be evidenced and consistent.
Measure it comparably
The Social Cohesion Measurement Framework sets out how local areas should measure cohesion in a robust, comparable way.
◆ Crowd Survey is an independent service designed to support these duties. It is not endorsed by MHCLG.
most council data shows where tension broke, not where it is building.
what councils hold now
Lagging signals. Useful after the event.
what crowd survey adds
A leading signal, in a consistent form you can compare over time.
a local panel
Around 520 verified, anonymous residents, balanced by area, age and background, recruited partly through trusted community networks.
short, regular surveys
A five-minute pulse every fortnight and a deeper monthly survey on safety, trust, belonging and local grievances. Any phone, any time.
a monthly reading
City-wide and for up to four priority areas you choose, with an alert to your cohesion lead when a measure moves sharply.
one clear reading, every month.
Short enough to read before a partnership meeting. Consistent enough to compare month to month and area to area.
every reading is checked against what happened.
A new kind of evidence has to earn trust. So the pilot tests itself, and tells you plainly how it did.
checked against your logs
Each monthly reading is compared with your own tension and incident logs.
and police.uk
Street-level crime data and reported local events give an independent record.
including the misses
The final report says where the panel saw change early, where it lagged and where it missed.
six months, one city, a reading you can act on.
baseline reading
six-month pilot
Joining with a neighbouring council? Each saves 15%, and you both get readings you can compare directly. We can also help you set out the case for funding from your cohesion budget.
anonymous by design.
Residents trust the panel because it protects them. Councils trust the readings because they are about places, not people.
what councils ask us.
Through targeted local outreach and referrals from trusted community contacts, then verified to confirm they live in the area. We balance the panel by area, age and background so it reflects the city rather than the most vocal voices.
a 30-minute call with your cohesion lead.
We will walk through the pilot, agree whether it fits your plans and share a sample report.
michael.mccabe@crowdthreat.com · Newcastle upon Tyne
The Spire
Pilgrim Street
Newcastle upon Tyne
NE1 2DS
United Kingdom