Supplementary memorandum by Oldham Metropolitan
Borough Council (SOC 27(b))
UPDATE ON ACTIVITY TO BUILD COMMUNITY COHESION
Submitted to the Office of the Deputy Prime
Minister Select Committee on Social Cohesion March 2004
INTRODUCTION
1. In June 2003 Oldham Metropolitan Borough
Council submitted evidence to the ODPM Select Committee on Social
Cohesion. This report provides an update on various strands of
work and in particular gives additional information on grassroots
and front line work currently being undertaken by the Council
and its partners to help build community cohesion in Oldham.
THE CONTINUING
CHALLENGE
2. Oldham continues to face many challenges
locally. In particular there has been controversy at the Holocaust
Memorial Day event when the local leader of the BNP laid a wreath,
and in mid-February when the BNP laid a plaque in a pavement in
Glodwick to Gavin Hopley, the young man murdered in Oldham allegedly
by a group of Bangladeshi young men. This act was particularly
heartless in that Gavin Hopley's parents had refused to support
the action. In recent weeks the BNP have also circulated a leaflet
targeting young people in schools.
3. However, local opportunities and developments
abound and partnerships between Oldham Council, the Voluntary,
Community and Faith Sector and other statutory partners are flourishing,
in particular through the thematic partnerships of the Local Strategic
Partnership.
APPROACH
4. The Council is committed to building
more confident and cohesive communities in Oldham, and is actively
pursuing this in partnership with the LSP, including its partners
in the Voluntary, Community and Faith Sector. Oldham Council supports
a range of activities via mainstream funding, external funding
and through facilitating and supporting the work of others. This
report provides detail on a selected number of these programmes
of work. The range of work being undertaken in Oldham is significantly
more diverse and wide-ranging than the report can hope to provide
detail on, but it illustrates the range of work which is being
carried out, organised under six themes:
— Equalities and Fairness;
— Community Empowerment and Engagement;
— Community integration; and
LEADERSHIP AND
VISION
5. The Council have developed a vision and
values statement—Forward Together—which sets out a
clear message of how the leadership of the Council see the future
of the Borough (a copy is attached at Appendix 1). This has been
debated at two meetings of full Council.
6. The Leader of the Council, David Jones,
and Andrew Kilburn, the Chief Executive have attended all six
Area Committees, the two Parish Councils, and meetings with the
LSP and each of its thematic partnerships to deliver a presentation
about the vision and values statement, and to discuss with each
group how they can contribute to a strategy for making it a reality.
This has led to full and productive debates with councillors,
co-opted members of the Area Committees, representatives of partner
organisations and members of the public. A range of constructive
comments and suggestions have been made and there has generally
been support for the Council's position.
7. The high profile events have received
good press coverage and stimulated substantial debate in the letters
pages of local papers. Every household in the Borough has received
a copy of the statement through the Council's newspaper—the
Oldhamer.
8. The presentations have sent out a very
clear message of how the leadership of Oldham Council see the
future of Oldham as a Borough, both in its opportunities and its
challenges. A copy of the statement and presentation is attached.
9. As part of this process of consensus
building, a diverse group of around 40 people, ranging from community
activists to senior representatives from local organisations,
are participating in the "Building Good Relations" project.
This is sponsored by the Government Office for the North West
and facilitated by Mediation Northern Ireland. The three development
days held to date have focused upon segregation, policing and
social and economic issues. The fourth session, later in March,
will address community leadership. The process provides an opportunity
to explore difficult issues, and is next moving into the problem
solving stage. The project will culminate later this year with
on-the-ground, grass roots implementation.
Mainstreaming community cohesion
10. The debate about a shared vision and
values around community cohesion is being used to ensure that
all the thematic partnerships of the LSP (Crime and Disorder,
Learning etc) and their constituent organisations are mainstreaming
community cohesion into every area of activity. The Community
Cohesion Partnership are working closely with the Council in co-ordinating
this work and building it into a Community Cohesion Strategy for
Oldham (the discussion paper which has been used to frame the
debate with the LSP and thematic Partnerships is attached at Appendix
2).
11. All LSP Partnerships are making contributions
to the community cohesion agenda including, for example:
— the Children and Young People's Partnership
supporting the Unity Project which brings young people together
through sport and the arts;
— the Local Learning Partnerships "Grow
your own" idea for encouraging the progression of classroom
support assistants into teaching or other more senior posts;
— the Economic Partnership's support
for a range of Positive Action Programmes for people with disabilities;
— the Health and Social Care Partnership
are focusing on Health inequality issues; and
— the Crime and Disorder Partnership
have major programmes of work to reduce anti-social behaviour
and to tackle hate crimes and incidents.
12. Within the Council every service area
has been developing their plans for 2004-05. As part of the planning
process every head of service has attended a training session
which has considered what is needed to build a cohesive community
and how their service can contribute to this. This means that
every service, not just those for whom social issues have traditionally
been a priority, are building this into their work. For example,
the service responsible for managing Oldham's markets are developing
a code of conduct for stall holders and visitors which will address
problems of racist and other anti-social behaviour.
13. Similarly, the Local Strategic Partnership
have mainstreamed community cohesion within resource allocation
processes. In evaluating priorities for the allocation of Neighbourhood
Renewal Funding the contribution of the work to community cohesion
was one of the assessment criteria. The projects supported include,
for example: the Community Safety Unit, improving services for
Asylum Seekers and Refugees, a youth empowerment programme, a
programme of grass roots arts and culture initiatives to be run
by a consortium of voluntary, community and statutory partners
aimed at bringing communities together, under the banner "Celebrating
Oldham" Projects. These are in the process of being appraised
before final approval. A major focus is upon "neighbourhood
problem solving"—linking up services at a local level
to more effectively reduce crime and anti-social behaviour and
improve the local environment.
EQUALITY AND
FAIRNESS
14. As the largest employer in Oldham, Oldham
Council recognises its responsibilities to be a fair employer
and the benefits of having a workforce representative of the community
it serves. Most recent figures show that Oldham Council increased
the proportion of its workforce from Black and Minority Ethnic
(BME) Groups from 5.4% in February 2003 to 5.9% in October 2003.[9]
Around 8.5% of the economically active population of working age
in Oldham are from Black and Minority Ethnic Groups.
15. Some examples relating to particular
services are:
— The Youth Service has now established
multi-cultural staff teams in 10 of its youth centres.
— The Library Service has now trained
95% of its staff in Cultural and Race awareness. It has offered
pre-application workshops to potential applicants from all communities
to help them to present themselves well at interviews and, partly
as a result of this, has increased the proportion of its staff
from Black and Minority Ethnic groups.
— The Early Years Service has also
improved the diversity of its workforce through a range of targeted
events and promotional activities. This has increased the numbers
of people from Oldham's Black and Minority Ethnic communities
taking up a career in childcare, which will contribute to the
commitment to provide a sensitive service which is appropriate
to cultural needs and expectations.
16. One example of a service which is contributing
to building community cohesion is the Nugget Street Project. This
offers an integrated care support service to people aged over
55. It addresses key issues of health inequalities including:
mental health, social isolation, poverty, crime and fear of crime
and independent living. The project is a partnership project involving
the Ethnic Health Team, Social Services and the Police Reassurance
Project. It is currently in negotiation with New Deal for Communities
to expand the team to offer services in the neighbouring areas
of Fitton Hill and Hathershaw. The services offered via the Nugget
Street virtual team continue to ensure older people from all communities
benefit from a joined up approach to care. A great deal of trust
has been built up between the project and the community in Glodwick
and this is being built on via a variety of funding sources.
17. The Oldham College is proud to have
recently won the Association of Colleges Beacon Award for Promoting
Race Equality. They are keen to stress that the Award is not just
a recognition of what the College staff have achieved, but also
rewards the enthusiasm shown by students in tackling prejudice
and building a genuinely fair and open college community. The
Award has been made in recognition of the College's work over
the past few years to develop racial harmony, including:
— the "Celebrating Diversity"
competition;
— Positive Action Staffing Project;
— College inter-faith forum;
— work to raise ethnic minority student
achievement; and
— strong links with the work of Oldham
Race Equality Partnership.
COMMUNITY EMPOWERMENT
AND ENGAGEMENT
18. A significant development in support
of community empowerment has been the establishment of the Voluntary,
Community and Faith Partnership, which is a recognised partnership
within the LSP. The Partnership has made community empowerment
and engagement its core work and is seeking to lead the development
of a neighbourhood-based community empowerment strategy on behalf
of the LSP. The continued development of the Inter Faith Forum,
the BME Network and the Community Network led by the Community
Empowerment Team (Voluntary Action Oldham) all take a lead role
in working with Oldham Council to ensure communities are engaged.
19. The "Oldham Beyond" visioning
exercise, commissioned by the LSP and the North West Development
Agency, has involved over 2,000 people in considering the future
of Oldham. As part of this process an exhibition, located within
an eye-catching inflatable—"the Satellite"—visited
different parts of the Borough to encourage people to contribute
their views. The process has resulted in a number of innovative
and thought-provoking draft master plans, and the vision provides
a starting point for further involvement of communities in the
future development of the Borough. Two key issues within the work
are wealth creation and quality of life, and it also has a focus
upon making a difference at a neighbourhood level. Project Director
David Rudlin from the regeneration consultancy URBED said:
"It means dealing with issues of safety
and security but it also means a stress on good neighbourliness
and increasing tolerance and understanding between Oldhamers of
different races, cultures and age groups. We don't think you can
have one without the other.
"We think the revival of Oldham as whole
must start with revival at the local level. After all, if you
can't feel proud of your neighbourhood, how can you feel pride
in your town?"
20. Gallery Oldham are key partners and
leaders in delivering a range of programmes to engage the community
in activities promoting a cohesive community. Examples include:
— An urban music seminar showcased
the very best of Urban Music and offered advice to young people
interested in building a career in the music industry through
master classes and workshops. The event attracted over 800 people
from a diverse range of backgrounds.
— The La Lumie"re Lantern Parade
involved schools and local community groups across Oldham culminating
in a finale of hundreds of people and lanterns participating in
an evening parade, the event was both multi-cultural and inter-generational.
— During October half-term the family
event, Fiesta! and Autumn Mischief were attended by families from
a wide range of backgrounds, over 1,200 people took part.
— As part of a small series of performance
poetry events a multi-lingual Mushaira was held at the Museum
and was attended by women and their children from all sectors
of the community.
— Following initial outreach craft
sessions with Marlborough Street Women's Group, which is a group
of disabled women from different ethnic backgrounds, the group
has begun to attend the Gallery for regular art and craft sessions.
21. During Local Democracy Week, Oldham
Council had a theme of "Listening to Tomorrow's Voters Today".
The Youth Service held three key events: the first was "Any
Questions?" in which 50 young people from a range of cultural
backgrounds went on a residential to work together on issues of
democracy; a "Question Time" debate was held in the
Council Chamber for an equally diverse group of young people to
question the political leadership of Oldham Council directly;
and lastly a session was held facilitated by staff from the Peace
Centre in Warrington.
SAFETY AND
SECURITY
22. Oldham's Crime and Disorder Partnership
has achieved a number of significant successes during the last
year, which have contributed to tackling different aspects of
crime and disorder and so reduced the impact of crime and fear
of crime on local people:
— Rates of domestic burglary have been
significantly reduced during the last year. During the period
April-December 2002 there were a total of 3,177 burglaries in
Oldham, as compared with 2,575 during April-December 2003—a
reduction of 19%. There are currently around 40 burglaries per
week in Oldham, as compared with around 100 per week during several
months in 2002. The reduction in burglary has been disproportionately
achieved in some of the neighbourhoods which previously had the
greatest problem—in particular the Fitton Hill.
— Working closely with the Police and
other agencies, the new Anti-Social Behaviour Team within the
Community Safety Unit has had a significant impact, securing 34
Anti-Social Behaviour Orders as well as a range of other interventions
such as Anti-Social Behaviour Contracts (ABCs), possession orders
and injunctions. Two areas where their work has had a particularly
significant impact on the lives of local people are Dowry Street
in Fitton Hill (see attached letter from the Oldham Chronicle
at Appendix 3 in which a resident says what this means to her)
and the Dean Street area of Failsworth where a group of local
women who worked with the team to tackle serious problems of anti-social
behaviour won a national "Taking a Stand" award (see
attached press cutting at Appendix 4).
In a speech following a visit to Oldham, Louise
Casey, the Head of the Home Office's Anti-Social Behaviour Unit,
praised this work. Referring to the situation in Dean Street she
said:
"In Oldham I met a group of mums. Over the
last couple of years they have seen their streets taken over by
groups of kids. Some were their neighbours, others lived miles
away.
"This group held the street to ransom. Their
own kids couldn't play outside their own front door. They were
threatened and abused. Life for them for a time was miserable.
I wouldn't wish it on anybody.
"But it is from these women that we have
learnt what to do. They had the courage to come forward and give
evidence. They stood together and said enough is enough.
"But, the key for them, the thing that made
the difference was the Oldham Against Crime Partnership Community
Safety Team which was there with them the whole time, on their
side, supporting them.
"The nightmare minority have now got anti-social
behaviour orders. These mums now feel safer. Their children can
play in the street.
"I want every local authority to have a
team like I met in Oldham. They are winning back the streets for
local people. They did it by working together—local services
working with local people."
— A town centre drinking ban has been
introduced in central Oldham aimed at reducing drink related problems
of violence and anti-social behaviour. This forms part of a wider
programme of work to make the town centre safer and more accessible
to a wide range of people.
— The National Reassurance Policing
initiative which is being piloted in St. Mary's and Failsworth
West wards. This aims to respond more effectively to community
priorities around crime and disorder, in particular by reducing
"signal crimes" which have a disproportionate impact
on public feelings of safety (such as anti-social behaviour, youth
nuisance, minor damage, litter, abandoned vehicles and graffiti).
The pilot, which depends upon close partnership working, has achieved
considerable early success.
COMMUNITY INTEGRATION
23. Inspired by a fact finding and partnership
building visit to Belfast, the Youth Service has developed a project
to empower young people to break down barriers and bring people
from different cultures and backgrounds together. The project,
Youth Fusion, began in February half-term. It took 50 young people
from year 10, two young men and two young women, from almost all
of the secondary schools in the. Borough, on a week's residential.
The young people, who come from a diverse range of backgrounds
and neighbourhoods, and were put forward by their schools as peer
leaders, took part in an intensive programme which aimed to enhance
their confidence and self-esteem, explore the diversity of Oldham
and establish friendships with young people from different schools.
The young people gained understanding about each others' faiths,
traditions and cultures and will pass on that understanding back
in their schools. The Youth Service will facilitate continuing
links between the group of young people.
24. The Oldham Theatre Workshop production,
An Urban Fairytale, was performed at the Grange Arts Centre in
December 2003. A diverse group of 68 young people aged between
eight and 25 came together to learn new skills and gain confidence
in an atmosphere of teamwork. Evaluations included such statements
as,
"The project gave us a common interest and
enables us to interact with people from all cultures".
25. The Unity project has been supported
via Neighbourhood Renewal funding and is about to enter its fourth
year of activity. It continues to be supported by its partners:
Oldham Council, Oldham Athletic, Greater Manchester Police and
the Greater Manchester Fire Service. The Unity project has also
been instrumental in bringing together a range of other sports-focused
community cohesion projects to develop a more co-ordinated approach
to sports' contribution to the cohesion agenda. Comments from
primary schools involved in the initiative include,
"It has enabled our school to link with
a totally different school. Children have become much more aware
of another culture and have made friends with children who they
would not normally mix with". (Werneth Junior)
"It has given the children an opportunity
to mix and interact with children from a different ethnic group.
We are an 100% Asian school, and feel it is important to mix with
children from different cultural backgrounds". (Rushcroft)
26. Oldham Race Equality Partnership (OREP)
have continued to establish their role in the Borough with some
significant project work and the development of a range of partnerships.
OREP's Oldham Voices project, in partnership with Gallery Oldham,
brought together older and younger people to work in a creative
way on issues of local identity. The project worked across all
communities involving Age Concern, the Black and Minority Ethnic
Network and local care homes with young people aged 14 to 24.
OREP have been instrumental in developing a new grouping of private,
voluntary and statutory agencies together to address issues of
inequality in access to employment. Oldham Council is currently
working closely with OREP to develop an appropriate funding package
to further develop this work.
27. OREP's Exchange programme has also seen
some extremely successful relationship building between different
communities and a range of private companies, such as Ferranti's
in Oldham, opening their doors and providing open days for a range
of individuals, groups and agencies who might not normally have
that opportunity.
28. Housing Market Renewal will have a huge
impact on the environment of Oldham. With ambitious plans for
community involvement, and innovative and wide-ranging proposals,
the programme of renewal is just beginning. The Housing Market
Renewal Team are proposing that community cohesion be a central
theme of the renewal of the housing market, that the integration
of communities be seen as a positive choice for people, and that
the improved environment, raised prosperity and social interaction
will give added value to the physical process of renewal. Subject
to revenue funding being made available, HMR will continue to
be a positive force for the development of a cohesive community.
29. The Community Cohesion Agency and Community
Induction Project work together in providing support to people
moving to "non traditional" areas of the Borough. They
provide practical assistance and reassurance which enables these
moves to be a success. To date the numbers of people supported
have been comparatively small, but this area of work will be expanded
as Housing Market Renewal progresses. Appendix 5 is a press article
covering the work of the Community Induction Project and provides
a case study of how this is working.
VALUING DIVERSITY
30. The Council recognises the vital role
its staff play in the promotion and development of a cohesive
community. Its 10,000 strong workforce can be a force for change
and in addition to enhanced training on race, culture and diversity
issues, staff are being supported via a range of internal network
groups. The Gay/Lesbian/Bisexual/Trans network is meeting on a
regular basis, and soon a women's group will be established. Future
networks are to include a group for BME staff and staff with disabilities.
These groups are available as a means of personal support but
also to enable the Council to consult with groups of staff that
can be subject to discrimination and marginalisation. The network
groups are a source of information and consultation, and support
the effective implementation of the Council's recently updated
Equalities and Diversity Policy.
31. Oldham's Inter Faith Forum has been
successful in reaching and engaging with a wide range of faith
groups. Most recently the Forum, in partnership with a range of
organisations including Oldham Council, organised the Festival
of Light, a large celebratory event for Xmas, Eid and Diwali.
Several hundred people from the different faiths attended and
in addition to presentations from each of the faith leaders focusing
on similarities between the faiths, there were dancers, singers
and poets from a range of backgrounds. It was an extremely positive
event, well supported and in part sponsored by the local paper,
the Oldham Chronicle.
32. Black and Asian History Month celebrated
the culture, achievements and literature of Black and Asian people
in providing events in libraries across Oldham with accomplished
writers and poets. In October, three African Caribbean writers
and poets presented their work to an audience of 40 at The Central
Library. A Black and Asian History Group has been set up in Oldham
and will be celebrating with a range of events throughout the
year. Chadderton Library now has an annual Eid celebration and
the Library service held a special celebration event for the release
of the 5th Harry Potter book, which was shared by children, staff
and families from a wide range of backgrounds. Libraries are also
involved in the St George's Day Project, which is aimed at reclaiming
the St George's Flag as a positive symbol for England and challenging
its abuse by organisations from the far right.
33. The Youth Service have introduced a
new core service objective, "To develop programmes of work
that promote community cohesion and the celebration of cultural
diversity". This is being achieved through a diverse programme
of activities across the Borough for young people including:
— an Eid celebration involving 180
young women;
— a Youth Conference involving 200
young people from different areas and communities of the Borough,
— the work of a multi-cultural group
of young people who designed and built a metal sculpture on the
theme of community cohesion;
— a 12-week project involving a group
of young people of Pakistani heritage being supported in accessing
a specialist music project based in a white residential area;
— the Gay, Lesbian and Bisexual group
was awarded Best Community Float at the Manchester Gay Pride Festival;
and
— a range of projects aiming to foster
the inclusion of young people with physical or learning disabilities.
CONCLUSION
34. A report such as this can only hope
to give a snapshot of activity in Oldham. Departments of the Council,
LSP Partners and the wide range of Voluntary, Community and Faith
Groups are delivering a huge range of activities, services and
programmes that both directly and indirectly support the development
of a cohesive community.
35. The process of community integration,
understanding and relationship building is a long-term process,
and must be addressed by a combination of well-informed strategic
leadership, good quality services, a commitment to fairness and
equality of opportunity for all; and focused and targeted additional
activity addressing priority areas and issues. Oldham Metropolitan
Borough Council is working hard to achieve this.
APPENDIX 1
FORWARD TOGETHER—THE OLDHAM VISION
FOR COMMUNITY COHESION
Together, we want to make the Borough of Oldham
a place in which people are well educated, with a thriving economy
providing people with decent jobs; which has an attractive and
healthy environment; where people are safe and live together peacefully;
where everyone receives equality of treatment and people treat
each other with respect, whatever their race, culture, religion;
which welcomes visitors, and where people are proud to say they
belong.
In working towards this, we believe that:
— every person is of equal worth, and
can play their own part in making Oldham better;
— everyone has a right to enjoy a good
quality of life, but also a responsibility not to do things which
prevent others from doing the same;
— everyone should be able to participate
fully in the social, economic and cultural life of the Borough,
and be able to contribute their views as part of democratic decision-making
processes;
— making the Borough a safe and pleasant
place to live is vitally important, and this environment also
needs to be protected and preserved for future generations;
— we should work towards a just society,
in which everyone is able to benefit equally;
— the Borough is a multi-faith, multi-cultural
and multi-racial society, and that this diversity is an asset
not a problem; and
— we should oppose prejudice and discrimination.
To achieve this we will:
— support the development of an integrated
society, encouraging people from different social and cultural
backgrounds to choose to live, work, study and enjoy life together;
— work to build strong communities
in which people trust and respect each other, and tackle the tensions
within and between communities—such as between people living
in different parts of the Borough, people from different ethnic
groups, and younger and older people;
— oppose those who for political, religious
or other reasons try to: undermine an integrated society; threaten
the safety or well-being of others; stir up hatred or prejudice
between communities; or who discriminate unfairly against other
people.
— work to improve the quality of life
in neighbourhoods—for example by reducing crime and improving
the local environment;
— support the activity of voluntary,
community and faith groups which involve people in their communities,
and enable people to contribute to decision-making in a variety
of different ways;
— work together to reduce inequalities
with the aim of ensuring that everyone in the Borough enjoys a
decent quality of life; and
— be positive about the rich diversity
of the communities of the Borough.
APPENDIX 2
OLDHAM METROPOLITAN BOROUGH COUNCIL
OLDHAM LOCAL STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP
COMMUNITY COHESION PARTNERSHIP
FORWARD TOGETHER—BUILDING CONFIDENT
COMMUNITIES
1. PURPOSE
This paper introduces the emerging strategy
of the Community Cohesion Partnership of Oldham. It outlines the
broad themes of the Partnership and how its role can be seen in
relation to other partnerships within the Local Strategic Partnership,
the Council and other agencies in the Borough and sub-region.
The report is an interim framework for information and consultation.
For background information please see the range of analytical
and diagnostic reports,[10]
the objectives of the Partnership and the draft Community Cohesion
Action Plan in the Community Strategy Performance Management Framework.
It is anticipated that by March 2004 all of
these documents will be drawn together by the Community Cohesion
Partnership to form the Oldham Community Cohesion Strategy. Your
contributions and comments to this paper or any of the background
documents will be very much welcomed.
2. WHAT IS
A COHESIVE
COMMUNITY?
We define a cohesive community as a community:
— which is prosperous, and where everyone
enjoys a good standard of living;
— to which people are proud to say
they belong;
— where people from different ethnic,
religious and social backgrounds and with different incomes live
side-by-side in peace and safety;
— which is not disfigured by racism
or other forms of prejudice, and where people treat each other
with courtesy and respect;
— where people support each other when
they are in need, and where conflicts can be resolved rather than
festering or growing;
— where people receive, and feel they
receive, fair treatment from organisations providing services,
facilities and employment opportunities; and
— people are able to contribute to
decisions which affect their lives, and to participate fully in
the economic, social and cultural life of the community.
3. POLITICAL
AND COMMUNITY
LEADERSHIP
The direction of the political and community
leadership is most clearly expressed in the definition of community
cohesion above and the draft values and vision statement on community
cohesion which is attached to this paper. The main focus for leadership
is coming to be "building a confident community and better
relations across Oldham". This paper summarises the work
at this stage. Political and community leadership is being assessed
and driven forward by the Development Group of the "Good
Relations in Oldham" process. It is vital that all strategic
leadership bodies at borough-wide and area committee levels as
well as the range of all Oldham communities are fully involved
with the work of the Development Group.
4. QUALITY SERVICES
FOR ALL—MAINSTREAMING
COHESION
Building community cohesion cannot be an "add
on", but needs to be central to the delivery of services
across all sectors, partnerships and departments within the Borough.
It needs to be built into everything that people and organisations
do, and how things are done—arrangements for delivering
services, project management arrangements, the process for designing
a new facility—are as important as what is done.
The Community Cohesion Partnership has a role
in supporting and where necessary co-ordinating community cohesion
activities. It does this primarily through its function as the
lead body for community cohesion within the Local Strategic Partnership.
But it is reliant on the work of the thematic partnerships of
the LSP to ensure that major aspects of the community cohesion
agenda are moved forward.
This section of the report introduces key aspects
within each of the Partnerships' work which link particularly
closely to building community cohesion, and where there is ongoing
involvement or a possible joint developmental role with the Community
Cohesion Partnership itself. It does not attempt to outline all
the work of the partnerships that contributes to community cohesion.
For such an overview please see individual partnership's own strategic
documents.
4.1 The Local Strategic Partnership
A major strategic development is OMBC's and
the Local Strategic Partnership's new approach to regeneration.
This recognises that the previous approach, which focused upon
comprehensive area-based initiatives, has not achieved the necessary
impact in the Borough, and has created resentments and tensions
between people living in different areas. The combination of a
more thematic approach to regeneration (eg meeting the needs of
unemployed people anywhere in the Borough) and emphasis on the
regeneration of the whole Borough (including the development of
strategies for each area committee area) aims to both be more
effective in regenerating Oldham and to ensure that all communities
feel that they are receiving some of the benefits.
4.2 Oldham Housing Investment Partnership
There are two central activities in the field
of housing that relate to removing the barriers that create "segregated
communities" in Oldham and that support the development of
more integrated neighbourhoods. These are principally the Neighbourhood
Support Project that relate directly to the Partners in Action
housing renewal areas. The second is the Community Cohesion Agency
which has a remit to address housing need, promote community cohesion
and tackle ethnic residential segregation by the integration of
communities within the social and private housing sectors across
Oldham.
4.3 Children and Young People Partnership
The Partnership is the central co-ordinating
body for the LSP in relation to Children and Young People. Unity
(formally now known as Unity in the Community) has been a flagship
community cohesion activity of the Borough with regard to children
and young people over the last 18 months. Alongside the Children
and Young Peoples' Partnership there is a role for the Community
Cohesion Partnership in evaluating Unity and helping to plan the
future of their work.
The Community Cohesion Partnership has a developmental
role in relation to youth engagement through the Partnership's
Community Cohesion Youth Officer. The work is focused on embedding
community cohesion work with existing organisations. This is focused
with the voluntary, community and faith (VCF) sector but works
through the cross sector Youth Empowerment Group and the Children
and Young People's Alliance. The primary purpose is to support
work to build bridges between young people living in different
area committee areas and neighbourhoods. The work is carried out
through existing groups and networks and includes drama work,
producing video and learning resources, leadership development
and leisure-based activities. This is fed into the processes to
engage young people in decision making.
The Children and Young People's Partnership
is engaged with the work through the representatives from the
VCF sector. The ideas would link with the Children and Young People's
Partnership proposed programme for "Including the Young".
The idea of Extended Schools from the C&YP Partnership may
also be a creative idea to enhance community cohesion.
4.4 Crime and Disorder Partnership
The Police and the Community Safety Unit are
clearly the central bodies responsible for the community cohesion
agenda with relation to crime and disorder. A key aspect of this
role is in relation to tackling hate crime and building community
relations. An important part of this is in building confidence
and trust between all communities and those responsible for crime
and disorder, and establishing networks and relationships which
enable agencies to find out about problems at an early stage,
and to take the appropriate action to prevent them escalating.
The Community Cohesion Partnership can contribute to this process,
but the role need to be clarified by all parties.
4.5 Voluntary, Community and Faith Partnership
It is anticipated that the Voluntary, Community
and Faith (VCF) sector will be central to ensuring that the communities
of the Borough are effectively engaged in decision-making processes,
and helping communities themselves bring change that will to lead
to a greater sense of community cohesion. Voluntary Action Oldham
and, within this, the Interfaith Forum, the Black and Minority
Ethnic Groups Network and the Community Empowerment Team, will
be pivotal in developing the framework for the engagement of communities.
It is envisaged that the Voluntary, Community and Faith Partnership
will also be responsible for work empowering local community and
neighbourhood groups in relation to the ongoing community planning
process which is a central to the Oldham Renewal Strategy.
4.6 Environment Partnership
In relation to the central theme of all the
work on community cohesion "building confident communities
and better relations across Oldham", the Environment Partnership
have a central role in proving to local people that things can
change and that their involvement in activities can make a difference.
The approach of the Partnership is one where environmental improvements
will only work if championed and sustained by the local community.
Neighbourhood problem solving will be the approach of the Partnership
and designing out and managing out barriers to cohesion could
be central to the approach. There will be three main issues to
address in this: environmental improvements, community safety,
and youth provision to tackle intergenerational tensions. Working
with the local community and with the Community Safety Unit, those
responsible for environmental issues will look to sustaining community
involvement, education and enforcement and generally better care
in service delivery. The possible linkages between neighbourhood
problem solving and the community cohesion strategy are drawn
out further in section 6 of this report.
4.7 Local Learning Partnership
There are two main programmes within the Local
Learning Partnership's strategy that relate to community cohesion.
"Grow your own Professionals" is a proactive inclusion
strategy across the communities of the Borough to address basis
skills. It will also enhance local people's skills so that there
are more effective entry points and faster progression for local
people within the workforce. The second key idea is the citizenship
programmes that continue to be rolled out across the schools and
colleges. There are great opportunities being developed here in
relation to understanding community cohesion from a younger person's
perspective and for the involvement of the voluntary community
and faith sector.
4.8 Health and Social Care Partnership
Projects and programmes that address the health
inequalities of the Borough are central to the work of this partnership
and to the community cohesion agenda. Linkages to create the conceptual
and practical frameworks for action need to be strengthened. It
is hoped that further work between the Health and Social Care
Partnership and the Community Cohesion Partnership in evaluating
relevant projects could develop these frameworks.
4.9 Economic Partnership
Growing prosperity, and ensuring that the benefits
of this are shared across the Borough can be a major driver in
building community cohesion. The diversity of the communities
of the Borough also has great potential to create opportunities
for economic growth that have yet to realised.
The private sector interest potentially has
a huge role to play in building community cohesion. This work
is currently being led by the businesses involved in Oldham United
working in partnership with the Commission for Racial Equality.
It is essential that their work be supported to ensure its sustainability,
and that the lead for this remains with the entrepreneurial elements
of the private sector itself.
4.10 Oldham Race Equality Partnership
The work of OREP potentially cuts across all
aspects of the community cohesion agenda, and OREP has a role
in scrutinising progress in promoting race equality as well as
in assisting in the development of good practice. A potentially
important contribution to this is the proposed Connecting Communities
project which will act as an intermediary in assisting public
sector organisations to recruit more people from ethnic minority
communities into their workforce.
5. COMMUNITY
COHESION PARTNERSHIP
AND VISION
As can be seen, each of the various Partnerships
is already carrying out work or has proposals that relates directly
to Oldham's emerging Community Cohesion Strategy. The Community
Cohesion Partnership itself is likely to have a more limited role
in developing initiatives—usually where it needs to fill
gaps—and even then is likely to do so in collaboration with
other partnerships or organisations. Instead the role of the Community
Cohesion Partnership needs to focus upon consultation, co-ordination,
facilitation and review. This includes the development of an approach
to measuring community cohesion, so that it is possible to assess
progress in creating a cohesive Oldham. Linked to this, the Partnership
needs to monitor and evaluate the contribution of other Partnerships
in building community cohesion, and assist them in developing
and introducing best practice.
The Partnership will therefore play a central
supportive and monitoring role in enabling organisations to build
a new approach to service delivery which emphasises equality of
opportunity, community engagement and community development, challenging
prejudice and abuse of power etc.
5.1 Securing support for a shared vision
Oldham has faced an increasing separation of
communities across the Borough. There has rightly been a focus
on the "race" dimension of this, but it is also recognised
that community cohesion also applies to other social differences—conflict
between generations, religious differences, the polarisation of
the Borough in relation to income and wealth, and differential
access to job and services. The Oldham Vision for Community Cohesion
reflects the importance of all these different issues. While it
includes a commitment to move to the development of an integrated
society, this is balanced by the recognition that integration
cannot be imposed. People must choose to be part of it.
The challenge for Oldham is to convince individuals
and communities to pursue unity rather than division, and to be
outward looking and receptive to change rather than turning inwards
and living in the past. Failure to do so is a recipe for economic
and social decline, with all the consequences this will bring
for the people of Oldham.
To achieve this, there is a need to establish
what may be recognised as a common set of values, or the "common
good", and build agreement that this is the way forward for
Oldham. Gaining a stronger sense of community cohesion for Oldham
has to be a shared project, of which people feel they can be a
part. People need to be convinced that this is something they
want to be part of. The challenge of doing this will be greatest
in neighbourhoods that have undergone the greatest processes of
transition, where there is a very diverse base of values, cultures,
identities and aspirations. Building community confidence will
need flexible approaches involving organisations working in partnership,
leadership at the "grass roots", space for different
neighbourhood and community identities, and new management or
problem solving methods.
Implementing the vision will require great political
and community leadership, skilful and committed management, cultural
and organisational changes, and most of all a commitment by the
communities of Oldham themselves to enable it to happen for the
benefit of all.
5.2 Support and coordination activities
The Community Cohesion Partnership itself is
performing a key role which can be briefly outlined:
— The Building Good Relations Process
facilitated by Mediation Northern Ireland, supporting the development
of a strong and shared political and community leadership was
initiated by the Partnership. Officers of the Partnership provide
a key role in the Liaison Group between the Development Group
(referred to in section 3 above) and Mediation Northern Ireland.
— Providing training in Community Cohesion
skills. This is primarily through the Common Ground Training programme
that is being organised by the Community Empowerment Team.
— It is being planned that the Building
Good Relations Process and the Common Ground Training will be
carried forward through a Community Mediation Agency for the Borough.
— Support and Coordination are central
roles of the officers of the Partnership: to ensure updated mapping
of initiatives; communication across partnerships and other organisations;
and maintaining momentum for the work. This work is carried out
by the Community Cohesion Coordinator of the Partnership (primarily
supporting voluntary, community and faith Groups) with the Council's
Diversity and Cohesion Unit primarily focusing upon securing the
contribution of statutory partners to community cohesion.
The Partnership's Community Cohesion Youth Officer
engages young people in the work, and it has been proposed that
this should be complemented by a part-time Youth Empowerment Officer
working with the Youth Alliance.
— Finance was also secured from Neighbourhood
Renewal Funding for core costs of Oldham Race Equality Partnership
to support their work on this agenda.
— The effective monitoring and evaluation
of all community cohesion related activity is going to be essential
if a full understanding of best practice is to develop. This will
be vital if resources are to be most effectively used. Oldham
has the opportunity to pioneer this work. Creating measures for
community cohesion has already started in the Borough along with
partners within the region. If this is to be effectively carried
forward it will need a dedicated worker to pull it together.
— Oldham's responsibilities for refugees
and asylum seekers are being co-ordinated under the Community
Cohesion Partnership. It is anticipated that resources for this
work will come from statutory authorities. If this is not forthcoming
it is hoped that reserve finance can be secured via NRF/HMRF.
It is envisaged that a service development budget will be needed
alongside a finance for a post.
— Celebrating Oldham—Seeing is
Believing. A great deal of the work on the community cohesion
agenda is orientated around change in management practice and
service delivery. Alongside of this there is a need for programmes
specifically designed to engage hearts and minds and probably
more importantly of all the collective imagination.
— The Community Cohesion Partnership
is very keen to work with partners in the community and within
Oldham Arts and Events to devise a community based programme of
festivals and arts events that help people Celebrate Oldham and
start a process of Seeing is Believing (see separate paper on
this project). While the role of an effective cultural strategy
can be down played, it is very difficult to communicate anything
effectively especially across a wide range of communities and
neighbourhoods. Culture is a primary way by which people see change,
believe in it and become part of it. Most people will recall the
party, the festival, the celebration, the cultural event, the
performance or sculpture they participated in or helped to create.
6. FORWARD TOGETHER—BUILDING
A CONFIDENT
COMMUNITY
It was clearly very important to introduce a
collective statement following the disturbances in 2001 which
unified the responses of Oldham's communities and public services.
"Oldham Together—The Future's Bright" worked on
several levels. Where it may have failed was that many people
could not believe it. What had changed? Was there anything that
they could see or believe had changed and, more importantly, was
there anything they could contribute to help the change along?
There is now a need to ensure that the message
of community cohesion is communicated effectively to communities,
and that it is seen to have substance. Timing is important. The
message about how Oldham is moving forward needs to be on the
streets in early 2004 if people are to start to see it, believe
it, and be part of it in advance of the June elections, and there
is a need to secure commitment from agencies before they identify
their priorities and set their budgets for 2004-05.
6.1 The agenda—"Making a difference
an opportunity"
The focus for the agenda has to be that Oldham
is changing for the better, but that process of change will need
a commitment to "making a difference an opportunity".
Our differences can divide us: Higginshaw from Derker, Saddleworth
from Shaw, East Oldham from West Oldham, Coldhurst from Chadderton.
Accepting our differences and understanding our history is moving
on and creating a new story. Finding ways to share our stories
and what we have learnt may be a good start to defining the Oldham
we want and give a picture of the borough that people will be
drawn to.
Progress in building community cohesion needs
to be seen by local people as making a real difference on the
streets. A major vehicle for this is the developing approach to
neighbourhood problem solving within the Oldham Renewal Strategy.
This is part of the wider agenda of creating clean and safe neighbourhoods.
Delivering real change on the ground and demonstrating to people
how this links to community cohesion will help convince people
that there is action to back up the words.
Also part of this could be the launch of the
Area plans across the Borough, with all partnerships helping to
demonstrate to local people how implementation of the plans will
make a difference to their lives.
But bringing about the most fundamental changes
involves people actually committing to be part of the process
themselves. We need to find the best ways to encourage this and,
most importantly, ways of sustaining their involvement. This needs
to be in place very soon.
6.2 The Process of securing involvement
The Voluntary, Community and Faith Partnership
alongside the Area Managers could take a central role in facilitating
the involvement of local people. This could make use of Local
Neighbourhood Forums or Area-wide Conferences rather than the
standard formal Area Committee meetings.
The LSP Community Conference on the 31 January
would be a high profile event which could be used to initiate
the process.
Arts and culture can be used to add energy to
this process, to stimulate people's imaginations, and to engage
with deeper issues—relating to attitudes and prejudice—that
people may not always be comfortable talking about openly in meetings.
There are a number of existing resources and planned activities
that may be useful in this. It will also need to build upon and
extend the existing "Beyond Oldham" visioning process
commissioned by the LSP.
6.3 Communication strategy
A communication strategy is needed for the message
about community cohesion. A key part of this is the creation of
a brand for the work. It is proposed that this should be around
the slogan of "Forward Together". This was used for
the Community Empowerment Conference in September in which 340
people participated, and from which several of the ideas in this
paper emerged.
"Forward Together" is a simple, positive
message which links to the previous concept of "Oldham Together",
but can be used to also create a localised identity for the work
eg "Shaw Forward Together" or "Holts Forward Together".
If a decision is taken quickly, the design and
timetabling of the campaign could be linked into the plans of
the Marketing Oldham Group for promoting the LSP's Community Conference.
7. CONCLUDING
COMMENTS
The Community Cohesion Partnership and the LSP
have agreed this report as the consultation framework to lead
to the next stage of Oldham's corporate strategy for community
cohesion. Around this will be the work that is being carried out
by each of the Thematic Partnerships of the LSP, the Area Committees
and other organisations that are working to build community cofidence
and good relations.
Following the last Full Council Meeting and
the introduction of the Leader's Statement on the Values and Vision
for Community Cohesion in Oldham, it is anticipating that the
next Cohesion Hour, 4.00 pm Wednesday 14 January, can be used
to progress the thinking in relation to the Community Cohesion
Strategy for the Borough.
Within Oldham Metropolitan Borough Council,
will be working very closely with colleagues and partner organisations
within the Local Strategic Partnership as this corporate strategy
is drawn up. This work will be coordinated under the LSP through
the Community Cohesion Partnership. Over the next two months the
Leader and Chief Executive will be meeting with each of the Area
Committees, the Thematic Partnerships of the LSP and key community
groups to ensure that their views and their contributions to community
cohesion are understood and valued.
APPENDIX 3
SPIRIT BACK
IN STREET
Having lived on Dowry Street for 46 years I
have seen many changes. All those years ago it was a little village
all on its own.
The community spirit was there but then, as
people died or moved away, we got a different element of neighbours,
so the good old community spirit went.
Now, I am happy to say, thanks to hard work
from the council, anti-social and police presence we have got
it back.
The neighbours now are there if needed and in
summer they sit in the gardens and have a drink and a laugh.
This Christmas they have excelled themselves.
Almost every house is lit up with lights, trees and Santa's riding
along, plus a massive Santa over a door canopy.
It is just like the old times. Everyone will
give help if it is needed and there is always a friendly face,
so even though it is just a greeting or a smile it makes you feel
good.
Normally people ignore old age pensioners like
myself, but my neighbours are not like that. Even the children,
which is a novelty these days, aren't cheeky, they are not angels
but they aren't devils.
It looks like and even feels like Christmas
on our street now, so thanks to all who made this possible.
Mrs Lucy Barker, Dowry Street
APPENDIX 4
SAMANTHA REWARDED
FOR STANDING
UP TO
YOBS
A woman who stood up to yobs and thugs in her
community has received a £1,000 award from the Government.
Samantha Gibson, chairman of the Dean Street,
Mather Street and Dalton Street Area Community Association, in
Failsworth, was among 32 people and community groups rewarded
by the Home Office in its Taking A Stand awards at the House of
Commons.
She and other residents were not deterred by
retaliation when they took action against youths who were riding
mopeds on pavements, urinating in public, smashing bottles and
being abusive.
The Home Office spokesman said the awards recognised
the commitment, dedication and courage of local people who had
taken a personal stand against anti-social behaviour blighting
their community.
One overall winner—to be announced later
today—will receive £5,000.
Home Office Minister Hazel Blears said: "The
anti-social behaviour of a minority can destroy a community and
make decent, law abiding people live in fear.
"Left unchecked, this can start a downward
spiral which leads to a lack of community pride and fuels the
fear of crime. It is absolutely vital we take a stand against
anti-social behaviour.
"Doing so takes dedication, courage and
hard work—qualities all of the winners have in abundance."
The minister added: "The transformations
achieved are remarkable. The winners' work included graffiti clean-ups,
removal of abandoned cars, punishing local thugs and restoring
neighbourhood spirit.
"Each winner is a testament to selfless
action for the benefit of all."
9 The Council has a workforce of around 10,000 employees
including school based staff. Back
10
Such background documents as the Oldham Independent Review, Response
to the Oldham Independent Review, Cantle Report, Denham Report
etc. Back
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