Government to target areas of tension
Communities experiencing pressures caused by unemployment, recent migration and a rise in antisocial behaviour are being targeted in a £12m plan unveiled by the government.
Communities secretary John Denham has outlined measures to reinvigorate and connect with areas hit by the recession most acutely to ensure they are well placed to emerge stronger and more cohesive.
The plan will focus on developing an insight into what is happening in the targeted communities and to introduce changes that will address local people’s concerns.
It also seeks to reconnect local residents with jobs and tackle the real and perceived sense of unfairness that some people are feeling.
Some 100 areas of the country have been identified as the focus of a targeted programme, with 27 neighbourhoods across 21 local authorities to be involved in the initial phase. They include parts of Stoke-on-Trent, Nottingham, Leicester, Birmingham, Lincoln and Swindon.
The challenges facing each area vary, but they include:
• a decline in traditional jobs in predominantly white areas and worries about young people’s future
• communities where recent migration is being blamed for added competition for jobs and resources like social housing
• tensions between the majority of hard working families and a minority who commit antisocial behaviour
Each area will draw up a plan, which is likely to focus on themes including leadership, debate and giving people a choice.
Mr Denham said: ‘For some, the pace of change has led to a sense of resentment and a rise in insecurity and threatens to corrode the cohesion of these communities and create tensions. In some places support for the far right has risen.
‘There could be a rise in migration and resentment at the perception that others are getting a better deal. Some people are left feeling that “no one is speaking up for us”.’
John Denham added that national policy initiatives will not have their full impact unless local communities believe that their views and needs are being heard and that politicians are responding directly to their concerns.
The announcement came as the Institute of Community Cohesion (iCoCo) launched a new piece of research examining solutions to the pressures facing white working class communities in Birmingham, north London and Coventry.
by (JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
