Memorandum by Leeds City Council (SOC
64)
1. INTRODUCTION
1.1 Leeds City Council has been working
tirelessly to promote race equality within the authority and also
with partners to achieve harmony amongst our diverse communities.
Building harmonious communities is a key objective of the Community
Strategy for Leeds whilst Leeds City Council's mission and core
values aim to promote equality.
The mission of the authority is:
"To bring the benefits of a prosperous,
vibrant and attractive city to all the people of Leeds".
Core values that are particularly reflective
of the Council's commitment to addressing race equality and community
cohesion include:
— "Tackling poverty and need"
1.2 In 2002 the Council launched a new Corporate
Plan "Closing the Gap" which details key corporate priorities.
Closing the Gap is a key aspect of building cohesive communities,
indeed it is our intention to ensure that measures aimed at dealing
with equality of opportunity are mainstreamed in all aspects of
our work. Leeds City Council Corporate Plan 2003-04 is attached
as Annex 1.
1.3 The Corporate Plan demonstrates the
importance placed by the authority on improving the life chances
of disadvantaged individuals and groups, however we also recognise
the significance of building respect and harmony between communities.
To achieve these objectives the authority has developed work on
a number of levels:
2. LOCAL PUBLIC
SERVICE AGREEMENT
TARGETS
The authority has set clear objectives to achieve
race equality across the work of all departments. Details of authority
wide developments can be found in the Annual Race Equality Report—Annex
2.
The Local Public Service Agreement targets particularly
relevant to the Race Equality Scheme are:
The following section provides up to date information
on Racial Harassment and Educational Attainment targets.
2.1 BVPI 174 "Racial harassment incidents
per 100,000 population"
<lh1>
<rcBV174
| 2002-03 | 2003-04 | 2004-05
| 2005-06 | 2006-07 | 2007-08
|
| Target | 250 (totalling 1,789 incidents)
| 366
(totalling 2,618 incidents) |
549
(totalling 3,927 incidents) | 600
(totalling 4,292 incidents)
| 650
(totalling 4,650 incidents) |
670
(totalling 4,793 incidents) |
Actual | 179 (1,281 incidents recorded)
| 5,45 (39 incidents, excluding Education Leeds) (Qtr 1)
| | | |
|
Variance | -71 (per 1,000 households)
| -85.96 (Qtr 1, excluding Education Leeds) |
| | |
|
| |
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2.2 LPSA & BVPI 175
"The % racial incidents that resulted in further action"
BV175 | 2002-03
| 2003-04
| 2004-05
| 2005-06
| 2006-07
| 2007-08
|
Target | 98%
| 98%
| 98%
| 95%
| 90%
| 90%
|
| Actual | 100%
|
| | | |
|
| Variance | +2%
|
| | | |
|
| |
| | |
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2.3 A report has been prepared by the Community Safety
Partnership Unit for presentation to Leeds City Council Corporate
Management Team (CMT) in August 2003. The report has been deferred
and will be tabled in September.
2.4 The report aims to provide senior management with
up to date information on both progress and issues, and in particular
to identify concerns in relation to reporting racial incidents.
The Community Safety Partnership Anti Social Behaviours Unit have
indicated particular concern in relation to the processing of
the paper work and also to areas of responsibility. These issues
are being addressed within the ASBU, and will form part of the
wider discussion undertaken by CMT.
CMT has a real commitment to ensuring that the city achieves
its race equality targets and has requested that a further, fuller
report should also be prepared for November 2003. The August report
can be made available to the Select Committee on request.
2.5 Educational attainment LPSA targets:
"Difference between the % of pupils from BME communities
obtaining five or more GCSE's at grades A-C and the average in
Leeds:
(a) Difference Pakistani & Bangladeshi (15% base line
March 2000, target 7.5% by 2005)
(b) Difference African/Caribbean (25% base line March
2000, target 15% by 2005)
2.6 In 2002 the city saw the largest increase in GCSE
levels at grade A-C for several years with an increase of 3% to
42.4%. The performance of schools with a high proportion of pupils
on free school meals remains significantly below the Leeds average,
but saw similar overall progress in terms of pupils achieving
five GCSEs at grades A-C.
2.7 There has been improvement at Key Stage 3 in English,
Maths and Science. Leeds is now 1% below the national average
in English, but is still 3% below in Maths and in Science. This
is in contrast to the figures for 2000 when Leeds was over 4%
lower in every subject indicating overall progress across all
three subjects.
2.8 In relation to ethnic minority pupils Indian pupils
performed particularly well with an increase of 9% which now stands
at 17% above the Leeds average.
2.9 The LPSA targets for closing the gap between the
Leeds average and priority ethnic minority groups at Key Stage
4 are being met for African-Caribbean pupils, but not for Pakistani/Bangladeshi
pupils. The gap between the achievement of Pakistani/Bangladeshi
pupils and the Leeds average increased in 2002 by 6%, from 9%
in 2001, missing the LPSA target of 12.5% by 2.5%. The gap remained
the same for African-Caribbean pupils at 19%, which is 2% below
the target of 21%.
2.10 Education Leeds is taking strenuous action to address
the short fall in the attainment levels of Pakistani/Bangladeshi
and African Caribbean pupils. The Education Development Plan 2003-07
places particular emphasis on meeting the LPSA targets. Plans
are currently being implemented in relation to partnerships with
schools aimed at improving approaches to target pupils and communities
in the priority groups.
Additionally good partnerships have been developed with community
based organisations. For example, the partnership with Leeds Children's
Fund has led to the publication of a "Feasibility Study Report;
Improving the Educational Attainment of BME Children in Study
Support Environments"
Pro active steps are being taken to develop closer working
between supplementary and mainstream schools in recognition that
pupils from the priority BME communities require additional support
both within schools and also within the community.
3. LEEDS CITY
COUNCIL PROGRESS
ON RACE
EQUALITY
3.1 Corporately, the Council has established comprehensive
race equality systems and approaches to monitor and improve our
performance as an employer, in the delivery of services and in
relation to political and organisational leadership. These developments
are outlined in the Annual Race Equality Report 2002-03 attached
as Annex 2. Chapter 5 "Progress by Education Leeds"
sets out a range of initiatives adopted by Education Leeds to
address race equality as part of a wider package of support for
BME and other disadvantaged pupils.
3.2 Externally, the Council has established mechanisms
for consultation with stakeholder and communities through the
Race Equality Advisory Forum which has direct lines of communication
to decision makers at the highest level within the Council through
the Executive Board.
3.3 We enjoy a positive and close working relationship
with the Leeds Initiative; the city's Local Strategic Partnership
and with Leeds Race Equality Council. In this context we have
worked with the LSP to link community cohesion and equalities
champions across a wide range of organisations and sectors including
BME groups and faith institutions.
3.4 To demonstrate the good working relationship between
Leeds Race Equality Council and Leeds City Council joint work
is well established in relation to the Home Office Race Equality
Support Grant; "Connecting Communities". The Council
Equal Opportunities Unit was instrumental in successfully applying
for Connecting Communities funding and continue to work closely
with Leeds REC to deliver the project. Additionally the Council
has supported the REC through support for the neighbourhood based
"Community Cohesion and Achievement" project. Support
for these and other initiatives provides an indication of the
importance placed by the Council on meaningful consultation and
close work with BME communities.
3.5 Additionally we have worked in partnership with the
LSP to develop the Community Strategy; 15 year strategy for Leeds—VISION
for LEEDS II (2003 to 2018). The strategy aims to identify objectives
for improving the social, environmental and economic wellbeing
of the city but critically recognises the importance of addressing
the issue of diversity and equality. The VISION therefore recognises
that Leeds is both a dynamic and a diverse city with a rich mix
of faiths and communities. A key theme of the VISION for LEEDS
II is to build harmony across communities. A summary of the VISION
for Leeds II consultation document is attached as Annex 3. More
detailed documents can be made available to the Select Committee
if helpful.
3.6 In developing work in designated neighbourhood renewal
areas in the city, the authority and partners have ensured that
community cohesion approaches form and integral part of the work
of the Neighbourhood Renewal Teams. In particular plans are in
place to test performance indicators on the cohesiveness of communities
living in neighbourhood renewal areas through "Building A
Picture of Community Cohesion in Neighbourhood Renewal Areas in
Leeds". The draft audit document is attached as Annex 4.
4. LSP COMMUNITY COHESION—PROGRESS
4.1 Leeds City Council has been actively involved in
developments with the LSP to ensure community cohesion is addressed
at all levels of the work of the Partnership. The authority has
demonstrated leadership and commitment by providing senior staff
resources to support the LSP in developing community cohesion
work across the city.
4.2. The current reorganisation of the City Council has
enabled the authority to give detailed consideration to increasing
the level of support available to progressing the community cohesion
agenda through the LSP.
The LSP agreed three key priorities to deliver community
cohesion in Leeds:
— Developing strategic leadership, including political
leadership
— Developing youth leadership
— Developing inter-faith leadership
Progress against the three priorities are outlined below.
4.3 The stratgic leadership theme has led to the inclusion
of BME and faith representatives on the LSP from July 2003.
A BME Strategy Group has been established in the city to
support and guide the work of the LSP in developing a more cohesive
city. City Council staff have played a key role in enabling and
supporting this development. Members of the Strategy Group are
from both public and community/voluntary sectors.
The BME Strategy Group is represented on the Neighbourhoods
and Communities Partnership, Learning Partnership and the Leeds
Initiative Board. Targets have been set to ensure inclusion of
BME representatives on the other Leeds Initiative strategy and
partnership groups.
4.4 Neighbourhood Renewal Partnerships are area based
partnerships overseeing work in neighbourhood renewal areas. The
Partnerships are currently developing "Resident Network Forums"
which will include representatives of BME and other communities.
Forum representatives will be invited to join the Partnership
Boards to ensure the views of local people, including BME residents,
are included in decision making thus ensuring inclusion and community
engagement. Similar processes are being developed to ensure representation
from faith communities.
4.5 Other leadership actions on community cohesion include
the development of employment projects in Neighbourhood Renewal
Areas to link skills development programmes to employment opportunities
in other parts of the city.
A city-wide, strategic Employment Task Group has been established
to bring together key employers and other partners such as the
Chamber and Job Centre Plus and Business Link, to address the
issue of economic inclusion. The Task Group aims to link labour
market demand with labour supply to ensure employability developments
in neighbourhood renewal areas are supported strategically through
work with growth sector employers.
4.6 Youth leadership programmes have been tested in one
Neighbourhood Renewal Partnership area. The pilot engaged a large
number of young people who live in the area and from a range of
different ethnic backgrounds in the production of a video of the
area.
The final production team of 15 young people edited and presented
the "video diary" to the Neighbourhood Renewal Partnership
as a new approach to sharing young people's thoughts and views
about the area with decision makers. This is a significant development
in relation to community cohesion enabling young people's voices
to be heard. It is perhaps more significant that a large number
of young people from an area that faces considerable disadvantage
have found a means to share their views. The area, Harehills is
amongst the most disadvantaged wards in the city and is ranked
third in relation to the Index of Multiple Deprivation. A copy
of the video can be made available to the Select Committee if
required.
4.7 This approach to consultation have proven very successful
both for the young people and the Partnership Board. Young people
have demonstrated an interest in remaining involved in longer-term
communication with the Partnership and have also engaged in service
specific consultations following the launch of the video diary.
A number of the young people involved in the "video
diary" project have engaged in conflict resolution and leadership
programmes following the making of the video. Conflict resolution
programmes area also being tested in targeted schools in the Beeston
Hill and Holbeck neighbourhood renewal area in south Leeds.
4.8 The LSP and Leeds City Council have undertaken considerable
work to develop existing inter faith projects in the city. The
Leeds Faith Communities Liaison Forum is an established inter-faith
network involving representatives of Christian, Muslim, Jewish,
Buddhist and Baha'i faiths.
4.9 The City Council is currently working with the Forum
to secure funds to appoint a consultant to develop the constitution
and structure of the Forum to enable it to receive public funds.
Additionally, the Council has jointly funded "Faith Together
in Leeds 11" which is good example of inter-faith work at
neighbourhood level.
4.10 In November 2002 the (then) Deputy Leader of the
City Council, Councillor Wakefield, observed prayer at the Grand
Mosque in Leeds and joined the Muslim congregation in "breaking
fast". The invitation for the Deputy Leader to visit the
Mosque was made during the holy week of Ramadan, during the period
that believers in the Muslim faith fast until sun down. A series
of further visits to other faith institutions are planned for
the remainder of 2003 demonstrating the commitment of elected
members to address issues of social cohesion across faiths.
5. OTHER KEY
EVENTS THAT
BUILD COMMUNITY
COHESION
5.1 There is a vast amount of work being undertaken across
the city to support relationship building and better understanding
between communities. A few examples are outlined below and further
information can be provided on any of the initiatives outlined
below if required.
5.2 The work of Leeds City Council Department of Learning
and Leisure is an exemplar of best practice in working with communities,
young people and across ethnic and geographic divides. A copy
of Arts @ Leeds; celebrating creative communities, is attached
as Annex 5.
5.3 The Arts @ Leeds Team actively celebrate diversity
by supporting a festival programme including the Asian Mela, West
Indian Carnival and Irish Festival.
5.4 Additionally, the work introduces other cultural
traditions to often largely mono-cultural areas, developing knowledge
and understanding of the many culturally diverse art froms that
exist in the city. This work includes "Talking Reality"
which is a festival of cultural diversity and the "Breeze"
festival involving large numbers of young people from a number
of different ethnic backgrounds.
5.5 The team play an active part in encouraging a sense
of belonging by providing opportunities for all communities within
the Leeds boundary to be involved in city-wide projects and to
showcase their work in the city centre by use of the Town Hall
and other central venues.
5.6 Arts @ Leeds also plays an active role in involving
young people in decisions about events and activities, enabling
them to play a leading part in activities aimed at the younger
generation. One example of the work undertaken is the Children
and Young People's Film Festival where a strong emphasis is placed
on recruiting young people as consultants to give direction and
leadership to the programme.
5.7 Other relevant community cohesion activities undertaken
in the city include work undertaken by voluntary organisations
funded through Leeds City Council to progress the work of building
cohesive communities.
5.8 Examples of work include the use of church facilities
by Asian girls of Bangladeshi, Pakistani and Indian origin to
familiarise themselves with the environment of the Christian faith.
Management committee training for residents of some of the city's
most disadvantaged communities to build skills and confidence.
Exchanges between African Caribbean girls from an Evangelical
church with Asian girls from a local Mosque. Other work has provided
opportunities for Pakistani boys and white boys to exchange experiences;
football projects have been established with African Caribbean
and Asian male workers leading an Asian girls football project.
A visit has also been undertaken by adult members of a black Catholic
church to a Mosque in the same area of the city.
5.9 Whilst some of the work outlined above is on-going,
others are one-off initiatives. It is however important for the
Select Committee to be aware that work in the city is being undertaken
at a number of levels and across all parts of the city.
6. CONCLUSION
6.1 Leeds has over achieved on taking further actions
in dealing with racist incidents. However whilst the City Council
failed to achieve the LPSA targets on reporting racial harassment
incidents in 2002-03, the authority has a clearly outlined timetable
to engage in detailed analysis of the target to identify rectifying
actions. Leeds City council Corporate Management Team will be
instrumental in addressing the deficiencies to ensure the city
is well placed in meeting the target in future years.
6.2 In relation to the Educational Attainment LPSA targets
the city has seen the largest increase in GCSE levels grade A-C
for several years with an increase of 3% in 2002. However, the
performance of Pakistani and African Caribbean pupils although
improving remains below average and the performance of Bangladeshi
pupils fell in the same year.
Education Leeds has produced an Education Development Plan
2003-07 titled Closing the Gap. Programmes have been developed
in inner city high schools to raise the aspirations of BME pupils
and additional support is being provided through the Excellence
in Cities programme in other inner city schools. These and other
developments are highlighted in the Annual Race Equality Report—Annex
2.
6.3 The information provided in paper provides a flavour
of the types of strategic and action based initiatives encouraged
by the city Council. These activities and others aimed at building
better understanding will be promoted and further enhanced through
the Community Strategy and the City Council in demonstrating leadership
in community cohesion and equalities issues in the city.
6.4 It is clear that the city still has a lot of work
to undertake to achieve equality of opportunity. The information
included in this submission provides a snap shot of the types
of approaches the City Council and our partners are involved in
trying to deliver community cohesion.
6.5. Further information can be provided to the Select
Committee on any of the initiatives, strategies or actions referred
to in this submission on request.
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