Agenda item

Councillor Osman submits a report that presents the main findings of a project to assess community cohesion in the city. Cabinet is asked to approve the recommendations as set out in Paragraph 3 of the report.

Councillor Osman submitted a report that presented the main findings of a project to assess community cohesion in the city. He thanked officers, De Montfort University and people who took part. He also stated that it was important not to become complacent and highlighted the hard work that went into achieving Leicester’s success.

RESOLVED:

                        that Cabinet:

1)     notes the overall encouraging findings, certain challenges and implications as detailed in paragraphs. 4.12 to 4.52.

2)     approves the linking of further assessment on community cohesion with the council’s Resident Surveys.

3)     Commissions the Community Cohesion Executive Group to consider the implications of these findings within the action plan to develop the community cohesion strategy. This will include:

a)     Acknowledging that the socio-economic well-being of individuals and communities is a pre-requisite for cohesion:

·        Recognise that investment in the neighbourhood leads to a stronger sense of pride, belonging and neighbourliness. 

·        Targeting deprivation must take into account the perceived or real competition for resources between areas and or communities.

b)     Cohesion work should continue to work on building on the strong sense of belonging to Leicester. This work should be balanced between ethnic minority residents and White British residents:

·        The ‘One Leicester’ Strategy can build on this positive finding and has a vital role to play within the key theme of wanting ‘the people of Leicester becoming more confident – in themselves, their communities and their city’.

·        The work should strengthen initiatives for informal networking and the pursuit of a common sense of belonging to Leicester.

·        Resource allocation to communities of identity (i.e. religious and cultural) is important and should be continued. Attention should also be given to those neighbourhoods where residents feel that community spirit has dwindled (i.e. outer city areas).

c)      Strategies must continue to strengthen connection and co-operation between people and communities who might otherwise not have the opportunity to interact i.e.

·        Community facilities should be encouraged to promote themselves to all communities. This may mean staff or committees running such facilities by consulting and engaging with other communities to overcome real or perceived barriers to access.

·        Attention should be given to those areas of the city where more residents feel that people from different backgrounds do not get on well together.

·        Building on the recommendation of the I&DeA report*, develop innovative ways of communication and dissemination of information to and between communities.

·        Communicate the positives of community cohesion and ‘myth busting’.

·        Facilitate dialogue in safe environments in a way where people can express their differences and perceptions about diversity and cohesion and follow these up through structures of support such as conflict resolution.

·        Organise more opportunities for people to have open dialogue with people across neighbourhoods and communities of identity.

·        Arrange activities where all communities can celebrate pride in the city.

·        Support projects based around specific community needs.

d)     Continue to invest in structures where the diverse communities and residents are able to influence the decisions that affect them i.e.

·        Make sure that these structures include the diversity of existing communities and create access for new communities.

·        Provide resources and structures to enhance community action through all forms of volunteering throughout Leicester.

·        Promote the collecting and analysing of community profiles and intelligence.