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Respect is now the word of the moment. But what does it mean? Does it merely encompass the range of tools to tackle anti-social behaviour or can it be linked to the wider objective of creating sustainable communities?

A sustainable community is one that is active, inclusive and safe and benefits from mutual respect among its residents, but today many are guilty of adopting a ‘look the other way’ approach to citizenship, driven by fear. The recent tragic death of student Thomas Grant, who intervened to a help a woman involved in an argument with her former boyfriend reinforces this notion.

In sustainable communities, people aren’t afraid to intervene. As in the words of Gordon Brown when “the strong help the weak, we are all stronger.”

The current Government’s third term began with the Prime Minister wanting to create a “culture of respect”, and in January the Home Office unveiled its comprehensive Respect Action Plan. The Action Plan encompasses far more than just dealing with anti-social behaviour, and involves giving people the power over the public services they receive. If the respect agenda proves a success it will have a positive impact on the creation of sustainable communities.

An essential part of the respect debate is the involvement of communities themselves in taking control of the places in which they live. The active involvement of citizens within neighbourhoods and communities is vital to civic renewal, promoting social inclusion. Globalisation maybe today’s buzzword, yet communities and neighbourhoods remain at the heart of the present Government’s agenda.

It’s no surprise to me that in the recent cabinet reshuffle the Government created a Department with communities in its title. The Department for Communities and Local Government, under a new Secretary of State, Ruth Kelly, has been charged by the Prime Minister to create “sustainable communities capable of both fulfilling their own potential and of overcoming their own difficulties”. The new Department links responsibility for community cohesion and civic renewal from the Home Office with the former ODPM’s regeneration agenda. This powerful new combination means that there is now one focal point for communities within Whitehall.

The first fruits of the new Department’s work will be a new Local Government White Paper. This will seek to introduce a new era of devolution. Devolution not just from Whitehall to the Town Hall, but beyond to neighbourhoods and individual citizens. The White Paper will present a real opportunity to re-engage communities and this reflects a vital part of our work at the Academy for Sustainable Communities (ASC). It is an opportunity that we must take to create a culture of respect in all our communities, and we must take it now.