What are the causes of tension between communities?
The Cantle report (2001) was commissioned by the Government in response to disturbances in a number of towns and cities in the spring and early summer of 2001, involving large numbers of people from different cultural backgrounds and resulting in destruction of property and attacks on the police. The review team found evidence of physical segregation of housing estates and inner city areas and was particularly struck by the depth of polarisation in the towns and cities that it visited. They found evidence of separate educational arrangements, separate community and voluntary bodies, employment, places of worship, language, social and cultural networks. This separation was so evident that the review team concluded that many communities were operating on the basis of parallel lives that do not seem to touch at any point, let alone overlap and promote any meaningful interchanges. Many of the well intentioned regeneration programmes aimed at tackling the needs of disadvantaged people were failing to bring people together and were increasing the sense of division and unfairness.
The 'Our shared future' report (2007) reminds us that British society has for centuries experienced social change and welcomed migrants who have strengthened our economy:
'but since the end of the second world war we have seen the kind of social change that can prompt significant challenges to our models of fairness and equality'.
The introduction to a set of essays recently published by the Smith Institute (2008) argues that:
'We live in a time of rapid change generated by globalisation, demography and technology. Britain, despite its status as one of the world's richest economies and most diverse societies, is still a place of inequality, exclusion and isolation. Segregation between communities seems to be growing in some parts of the country. Extremism, both political and religious, is on the rise as people become more disillusioned and discontented'.
In this climate, it is difficult to resolve conflicting needs and competition for resources between different communities. External events such as the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and terrorist attacks in New York, Madrid and Bali can increase divisions and myths can grow through emotive media coverage.
'Our shared future' (2007) recommends a number of actions that need to be taken at national level but most of its recommendations are about local action. The commission found that there are big variations in cohesion across the country and that this 'often seems to be the result of local characteristics, initiatives or political leadership - relying on a clear local vision or activities to address challenges head on'.
They recommend four main principles that need to be adopted by local strategies and applied in the local context:
- Developing shared futures
- Strengthening rights and responsibilities
- Building mutual respect and civility
- Making social justice visible
By applying these principles in a local context we can start to turn parallel lives into more integrated communities but it will require commitment from all key agencies and from community leaders. The health community can play a key role in helping to promote a positive vision of diversity in local areas, promoting a sense of belonging, tackling negative views and busting myths. How you communicate with communities can be an important part of a local partnership effort to promote cohesion and develop a new narrative about the nature of your local area. For more information, see our examples of good practice.
