To provide fresh insights into the gendered nature of austerity via a focus on activist responses from a range of UK communities, drawing on new and timely research, and connecting with wider international questions of citizenship and activism.Academics and researchers concerned with austerity and welfare cuts, feminist politics and social movements.What kinds of care are being offered or withdrawn by the welfare state? What does this mean for the caring practices and interventions of local activists? Shedding new light on austerity and neoliberal welfare reform in the UK, this vital book considers local action and activism within contexts of crisis, including the COVID-19 pandemic. Presenting compelling case studies of local action, from protesting cuts to children’s services to local food provisioning and support for migrant women, this book makes visible often unseen practices of activism. It shows how the creativity and persistence of such local practices can be seen as enacting wider visions of how care should be provided by society.Shedding new light on austerity and neoliberal welfare reform in the UK, this vital book considers local action and activism within contexts of crisis, including the COVID-19 pandemic. Presenting case studies of local action, it makes visible often unseen practices of activism, and shows how the creativity and persistence of local practices can be seen as enacting wider visions of how care should be provided by society.