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Blears - Cohesion and Integration

COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT News Release (024) issued by The Government News Network on 4 February 2008

Communities Secretary Hazel Blears today called for fresh efforts to promote cohesion and tackle community tensions and set out a range of new policies and actions to be driven forward by national and central government to create strong, united communities.

This is in response to the 10-month review by the Commission on Integration and Cohesion which looked at the major challenges Britain faces in responding to increasing change in local communities.

The actions she set out include greater support from central government to help local authorities responding to changes in their area including the creation of specialist cohesion teams who will be on hand to advise local authorities in need of help in managing migration. New guidance calls for a fundamental rebalancing in the way that funding is allocated to different community groups in order to get a much greater focus on integration and the publication of introduction packs that will be used to support people coming from abroad to integrate into British life, contribute to the economy and help avoid community tensions.

Hazel Blears said:

"As a government we have a role in ensuring that the diversity which is a real strength of this country is successfully managed and doesn't lead to problems in the way that people live and get along together.

"The overwhelming majority of people in this country live successfully side by side but we cannot take this for granted. We have to keep our eye on the ball and continue taking the steps to address issues head on in order that we will be well placed to respond to the issues associated with population change and globalisation.

"That means ensuring that the people who are coming to the UK to work or study are the people that the country needs, that is why we have introduced the new points based system; being clear about what we expect from those people in return -including an emphasis on shared values like respect for the law and new measures on earned citizenship; injecting greater transparency and fairness into our system so that no one feels cheated or disadvantaged; and, ensuring that those people who are best placed to deal with change at the local level have the support and resources they need."

The government has made £50 million investment available over the next three years to promote community cohesion and support local authorities in preventing and managing community tensions. Local councils will be able to use the money to respond to their own particular cohesion challenges - some focusing on managing new migration, others looking more at how they promote interaction between people from different backgrounds.

The response to the Commission's report set outs actions that the government will take over the coming months and years to support strong cohesive communities. These include:

* Specialist cohesion teams will be established by central government to provide advice and support to local authorities facing cohesion challenges - particularly those areas facing rapid change or experiencing migration for the first time. The teams will provide advice on conflict resolution, mediation, leadership and on the steps that local leaders might take when new people arrival in their area. Over the coming months we will work with local government to determine how these teams can best provide that support.

* Local authority twinning - different areas experience different cohesion challenges. It is therefore practical actions and solutions taken by local areas themselves that will have the biggest impact. The Commission talked about the importance of local authorities mapping their areas in order to understand their communities and who makes them up as part of ensuring they are well placed to anticipate possible tensions. Extensive research by the commission identified five family groups or areas experiencing comparable cohesion challenges. In the future we want to work in partnership to use this data to facilitate "twinning" between areas of the country experiencing similar issues in order to share ideas and solutions to inspire innovation to respond to these challenges. Burnley and Leicester are already working together on common issues that they have identified.

* New guidance for local authorities on developing Information Packs for migrants. Misunderstandings and conflict can arise when people coming from abroad behave in a way that is out of step with the normal way of doing things or in extreme cases, against the law. Information packs can be an effective way of providing new arrivals with information that will help them to integrate successfully and understand what is expected of them. The guidance is intended to illustrate the information local authorities could include such as details on how to access local provision like English language classes, waste and recycling services and employment services; practical information on rights and responsibilities including national laws and rules around paying taxes alongside background on social norms such not littering, not spitting and queuing in shops.

* Consultation on cohesion guidance for funders - analysis of data from the Citizenship Survey shows that cohesion is strongest when people from different backgrounds interact with each other. The Commission highlighted that that where funding is used to support a single group only it can create barriers to cohesion e.g. instead of having a youth club, areas might set up several different youth clubs catering for different ethnic groups. The new guidance published today encourages local authorities to consider how funding can better be used to support greater interaction and suggests that single groups should only be funded where there is a demonstrable case for doing so.

* All local authorities will have access to cohesion impact tests - a tool to assess whether the activities they are planning will have a positive impact on Cohesion in their neighbourhoods. This tool will enable local authorities to input information around the activities and events they are planning in order to test whether they are going to have a positive impact on cohesion.

The actions being set out today are in response to the report from the Commission on Integration and Cohesion which looked at the local and practical steps that are needed to overcome the barriers to integration and cohesion. The Commission put forward wide-ranging recommendations on how individuals, organisations, local and national government can all contribute to addressing the challenges related to cohesion and integration.

Hazel Blears said:

"The time is right to look again at what we need to do to freshen our approach to integration and cohesion. That means being honest about the challenges we face and being prepared to meet those challenges head on with a renewed energy and impetus.

"Our response to the work of the Commission emphasises the importance of local actions - it is at the local level that changes are felt most keenly. But we are also clear that strong direction from Government is needed if we are going to make managing those changes easier.

"We are providing the resources and support that will help local authorities promote integration between new and settled communities and manage the impact of population change. We have made £50m available over the next three years to support local authorities in responding to local need.

"I look forward to seeing the findings of Lord Goldsmith's citizenship review which is looking at the practical ways we can build a shared sense of belonging in Britain. It is this sense of shared belonging that must be at the centre of all our work on this key issue."

Earlier this year Hazel Blears published guidance on how we can better balance translation of public materials and support more people in gaining the language skills they need to live and work. New guidance on 'Citizen Days' is encouraging local authorities to think about the opportunities available in their community for people from different backgrounds come together and to share experiences.

Later in the year we will publish a Cohesion Delivery Framework to provide further advice for local authorities in delivering cohesion - local authorities will be able to use this document to analyse the issues of cohesion in their areas and draw up cohesion action plans

Cohesion is a priority issue for this Government. Of the 198 new National Indicator Sets (NIS) which underpin the new Local Authority Agreements (LAAs) two are cohesion measures: the percentage of people who think their local areas is one in which people from different backgrounds get on well with one another, and the percentage of people who feel that they belong to their local area. LAAs are about setting the direction and focus on the priorities that will make your town, city or community a better place to be. Cohesion is fundamental to achieving this.

Notes to editors

This Press Notice applies to England

1. The Government's Response to the Commission on Integration and Cohesion http://www.communities.gov.uk/publications/communities/governmentresponsecoic

2. Other links

Cohesion Guidance for Funders: Consultation http://www.communities.gov.uk/publications/communities/cohesionfundersconsultation

Community cohesion impact assessment and community conflict prevention tool http://www.communities.gov.uk/publications/communities/communitycohesiontool

Communicating important information to new local residents http://www.communities.gov.uk/publications/communities/newmigrantsinformation

Predictors of community cohesion: multi-level modelling of the 2005 Citizenship Survey http://www.communities.gov.uk/publications/communities/predictorscohesion

Predictors of community cohesion: multi-level modelling of the 2005 Citizenship Survey - Summary http://www.communities.gov.uk/publications/communities/predictorscohesionsummary

3. The Commission on Integration and Cohesion was an independent body chaired by Darra Singh, Chief Executive of Ealing Council.

4. The Commission was established by Ruth Kelly the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government in August 2006. The final report from the commission was published in June 2007 and can be found at http://www.integrationandcohesion.org.uk

News Releases: http://www.communities.gov.uk/newsroom