Elected members: Knowing and Leading your Communities

Sonika Sidhu, principal consultant IDeACllr Christine Channon, Member peer,

27th February 2008

About this session

• Review the new cohesion/integration context

• Review the legislative framework from members point of view

• How your members understand thier communities

• How you lead on these issues• Best practice and sharing

Assumption

A More Sophisticated Approach?

“A past built on difference, a future

which is shared”

Darra Singh OBE, Chair of Commission on Integration and Cohesion

The New Definition of Integration and Cohesion

An integrated and cohesive community is one where:

• There is a clearly defined and widely shared sense of the contribution of different individuals and different communities to a future vision for a neighbourhood, city, region or country

• There is a strong sense of an individual’s rights and responsibilities when living in a particular place – people know what everyone expects of them, and what they can expect in turn

• Those from different backgrounds have similar life opportunities, access to services and treatment

• There is a strong sense of trust in institutions locally to act fairly in arbitrating between different interests and for their role and justifications to be subject to public scrutiny

• There is a strong recognition of the contribution of both those who have newly arrived and those who already have deep attachments to a particular place, with a focus on what they have in common

• There are strong and positive relationships between people from different backgrounds in the workplace, in schools and other institutions within neighbourhoods.

The Challenge of Cohesion

• To break down segregated communities – and the ‘fear of difference’

• Continue to tackle unequal life chances, poverty and disaffection.

• With less initiatives, more mainstream and new approaches

• And a sense of belonging…..

Exercise 1

What are the cohesion pressure points in your communities?

The Legislative Framework

Race Relations Amendment Act 2000

Local Government Act 2000

Disability Discrimination Act 1995

Employment Equality Regulations 2003 (Religion/belief/sexual orientation)

Equality Standard

Community CohesionNational Guidance 2003

In Action…

• Local Government Act 2000: duty to promote well being

• Race Relations Amendment Act 2000: CRE power to issue notice of non compliance, judicial review

• Disability Discrimination Act 1995: unlawful not to respond to act

• Employment Equality Regulations 2003: unlawful not to respond to act

• Community Cohesion National Guidance 2003: CRE compliance

• Equality Standard for Local Government: PI in BVPP

More Recently

• CPA framework• Commission’s recommendations• Governments response

• Fair and easy access to services• Inter community tension• Cross cultural respect• Preparation of communities for new arrivals• Dealing with hate crimes• Mainstreaming cohesion• Busting the myths• Partnership working• Engaging faith communities• Facilitating dialogue

CPA indicative cohesion pointers

Commission’s Recommendations

•Mapping communities

•Monitoring BVPI

•Mainstreaming integration into key strategies

•Local areas encouraged to develop own local indicators

•Workforce strategies with targeted recruitment – likewise for political parties

•Welcome packs

•Guidelines to enable LA to award contracts to faith groups

•Communication plans which cover whole community

• Myth busting and rebuttal• Audit of opportunities for cross cultural and inter faith

engagement• Role in providing social housing and analysing impact for all

communities• Translation guidance• Funding of groups

Governments Response

• Specialist cohesion teams• Local authority twinning• Guidance on developing information packs

for migrants• Consultation on cohesion guidance for

funders• Cohesion impact tests

Local Area Agreements

“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.”

Hazel Blears – Communities Secretary 4th Feb 2008

The Members Role

• First step: Knowing your communities

• Enables you to pitch things appropriately to your own members

• Enables you to play to their strengths• Second step: Leading your

communities• Individuals, Groups, Council

Knowing your communities• Mapping and targeting

-Sheffield City Council: community profiles trends on crime, education, mobility, housing tenure

-Blackburn & Darwen BC: resource mapping – matching resources spent on particular themes against wards

• You need to consider what outcome you are looking for

• Some of the things that define people:-things about their families – such as their race or language -availability of housing or jobs -what life chances they have had – ie quality of education or wealth

-personal characteristics – ie disability, values or ambition 

• LGA Community Cohesion Action Guide:-regeneration, youth, education, housing services, employment, hate crime, race and faith discrimination

• Home Office “Building Picture of Community Cohesion”- 10 indicators to help build picture

• Don’t collect information without being clear what it is for

• Quick wins: Audit Commission area profile Partners – what information have

they got?

Leading your communities• Be clear of duties and responsibilities as councillors

• If you are new to this try some quick wins and focussed projects

• Portfolio holder

• You should be aiming towards a golden thread:-vision= service planning + corporate plan + community strategy-build commonality, respect rather than promote difference

• You need to champion the issue• Home Office Guidance – 7 Steps to Community

Cohesion

1. Demonstrating ownership and commitment2. Building partnerships around a common

vision3. Programme planning and management4. Engaging communities5. Changing perceptions6. Recognising the importance of community

cohesion to the local economy7. Achieving sustainabilitySeven Steps to Community Cohesion, Home

Office

Measuring success

• Establish a baseline• Measure against the baseline

-build up measurements initially from existing sources and highlight where there are gaps-identify and develop both subjective and objective measures of community cohesion to help monitor progress -measure on a regular basis, but not too often – give time for the

initiatives to succeed • Experienced councils

-Leicester City Council- community cohesion at centre of LAA

-LB Newham’s Household Panel survey examines perceptions and

attitudes of Newham residents around community cohesion

Communication

• Be strategic • Talk about it • Communicate all the time • Use other people to spread the word • Bust the myths • Make the media your friend • Work in partnership • Mind the credibility gap • Involve young people • Celebrate difference but also what’s in common

iCoCo: Ten top tips for communicating cohesion

Communication: working with the media

1. Develop a good working relationship with journalists and media editors based on openness, honesty and trust.

2. Agree your key messages and stick to them.

3. Make it your mission to educate and inform residents – myths and prejudice thrive on ignorance.

4. Review your target media with the help of your Census statistics.

5. Speak to the editor or news editor of your local newspaper, local radio stations or community TV channels, to see if they would be willing to run a joint campaign to improve community relations

6. Think like a journalist – would this story really interest the audience? If it’s complicated, try and give the story a human-interest angle.

7. Seek out community champions – members of voluntary or faith groups or elected members who are well respected and an authority in their area.

8. Do not assume that the journalist knows the subject as well as you do – offer fact sheets and updates to keep them informed.

9. Don’t expect journalists to ignore a story they feel is newsworthy even though it may well be potentially damaging. It is their job to report news. Instead try to make sure the authority’s viewpoint is given.

10. Build up a database of newsletters created by partner organisations and community groups – they can be used to send out messages to the community too.

What individual councillors can do• Understand and accept responsibilities• Awareness of corporate approach• Know and map their wards• Make contact with all sections of their

wards – not just usual suspects• Local champions

What Groups can do

• Take responsibility for their councillors• Encourage a healthy political system

-promote equality of opportunity within parties

-representative councillors-encourage voter participation

• Don’t play politics with these issues – take a collective stand

What councils can do

• Have a shared vision• Train councillors and officers

-provide extra support where needed

• Tackle myths and lies straightaway• Find opportunities to promote certain

issues• Promote equality of opportunity as

employer

What every council could do

• Establish an interfaith forum• Strengthen the private sector role through the

Chamber of Commerce• Establish an effective Race Equality council• Ensure a cohesive focus in community policing• Improve voluntary sector relationships• Strengthen youth forums• Maintain healthy political parties• Provide strong leadership

A Point of ViewDevon County Council

Practical Exercise

• Let’s think about an example focussed around gypsies and traveller

• How would you prepare for a public meeting?

Further information

• www.idea.gov.uk• www.coventry.ac.uk/icoco • www.communities.gov.uk• www.homeoffice.gov.uk/