The Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) created on the 5th of May has responsibility for overall equality policy, including race policy, faith, gender and sexual orientation. DCLG also has a remit to promote community cohesion and equality.
DCLG is also responsible for the following:
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The Women and Equality Unit
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The Race, Cohesion and Faiths Directorate
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Commission for Equality and Human Rights (CEHR)
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Commission for Racial Equality (CRE)
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Social Exclusion
DCLG’s Neighbourhood Renewal Unit harnesses the work of all Government Departments, local public services, the community, private and voluntary sectors to tackle deprivation and bring about improvements.
The national strategy and action plan produced in 2001: A New Commitment to Neighbourhood Renewal contained the overarching principle that within 10 to 20 years no-one should be seriously disadvantaged by where they live.
Looking back at the strategy, it provides information on ways of tackling the root problems of declining areas such as high unemployment, weak economies and failing schools. It uses the power of partnerships at a local level; Local strategic Partnerships (LSPs and Local Area Agreements (LAAs) as a vehicle to joint working between the public, private, community and voluntary sectors to work together for the benefit of the whole community to drive forward change.
The DCLG recognises the importance of neighbourhood renewal as integral to improving the quality of life and as catalyst in attracting people and communities back into deprived areas. They also recognise the wider consequences of neglecting deprived areas as they state this as ultimately stifling opportunity and a drain on overall public resources in terms of benefits as well as the additional spending needed on crime prevention, social services, health care etc.
As organisations working within neighbourhood renewal and regeneration areas, we need to continue to lobby for sustainable communities as being at the heart of our work. Community cohesion through thriving, well run, active, inclusive and most importantly safe neighbourhoods has to be incorporated in all aspects of our work.
The Commission on Integration and Cohesion was announced by Ruth Kelly, Secretary of State for Communities on the 28th of June 2006. This is a fixed term advisory body, and their role is to consider how local areas can make the most of the benefits delivered by increasing diversity as well as looking at the tensions this can and does sometimes cause.
Their role will include developing practical approaches that build communities’ own capacity to prevent problems occurring and this will include looking at problems surrounding segregation and the dissemination of extremist ideologies. The Commission is chaired by Darra Singh, Chief Executive of Ealing Council and will report to Ruth Kelly in July 2007.
BNRRN urges Government and especially the DCLG to recognise, accept and include in their policy development that community cohesion is not just for those involved in the ‘softer’ areas of regeneration. There must be a recognition that many ethically and culturally mixed areas are working hard to meet other goals such as housing market renewal, higher educational standards, lower employment etc and all of this work depends on community relations. Community cohesion is not just an end in itself, but is also the cornerstone for wider social, physical and economic improvements.
BNRRN will develop links with the DCLG to better represent the views and needs of our members as well as feeding into their policy work to ensure that neighbourhood renewal and regeneration, Community Cohesion and Integration in London are developed to reflect the diverse communities that live in London.
