community cohesion in oldham bruce penhale corporate policy manager oldham mbc
TRANSCRIPT
Community Cohesion in Oldham
Bruce Penhale
Corporate Policy Manager
Oldham MBC
A cohesive community is 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.
Community cohesion: not just a race issue
Race Ethnicity (including intra-community issues) Nationality (including prejudice against asylum seekers) Religion (including Islamophobia) Different parts of Oldham
– Identity– Perceived fairness in resource allocation
Tensions between younger and older people Social class – links to patterns of tenure and affluence Other forms of prejudice – homophobia, exclusion of disabled
people
Community Cohesion Policy development Developing Community Cohesion Strategy Central to this are:
– Political and community leadership– “Mainstreaming” community cohesion by integrating
it into all areas of activity– Building community involvement – New approach to regeneration
This needs a good evidence base. The 2001 Census provides part of the baseline
Measuring community cohesion
Thoughts and feelings• Fairness• Trust in institutions• Relationships with
other people in neighbourhoods
• Openness to other people
• Pride and identity• Safety and security
Behaviour• Where people live• Who they socialise
with• How they treat
other peopleetc
Experience of individuals, family
and friends in:• Labour market• Schools• Neighbourhoods• Leisure• Mediaetc
Ethnic group and religion
18.1
74.4
59.4
3.1
82.9
80.1
10.5
11.7
96.4
9.1
94.6
16.5 54.8
21.7
28.1
16.6
0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%
Chinese or Other
Black or Black British
Mixed
Indian
Bangladeshi
Pakistani
White
Christian Hindu Muslim Other None / not stated
How has the composition of Oldham changed?
Percentage of people from Black & Minority Ethnic groups – 1991: 9%, 2001: 14%
Growth mainly in the communities of Pakistani and Bangladeshi ethnic origin
Increase greatest in the areas with the largest BME populations in 1991– Werneth ward 38% to 59%– Saddleworth West ward 1% to 1.7%
Has Oldham become more or less segregated? And how and why?
Index of Dissimilarity – the percentage of the population who would have to move to be evenly distributed with respect to another group
Calculated at ward level Range from 0 (= No
segregation) to 100 (= fully segregated with respect to White people)
50*sum(abs((bi/B)-(wi/Wi))) 22.0-Mixed
30.737.0Black
37.833.2Other
48.853.5Indian
(63.3)(65.3)(All BME)
71.876.0Pakistani
74.478.3Bangladeshi
20011991
Measuring inequality using the 2001 Census
Employment – economic activity, type of job, earners in household
Learning – highest qualification Health – long-term limiting illness, health in
the last year Housing – tenure, overcrowding
Standardised ratios of poor health in the last year (England=100)
248
206
203
203
180
161
214
176
172
177
138
97
131
127
133
127
0 50 100 150 200 250 300
Pakistani
Mixed
Bangladeshi
Black
Other
Indian
All ethnic groups
W hiteFem ale
M ale
Housing tenure by ethnic origin of household reference person
05
1015202530354045
Bangladeshi Black White Pakistani Indian
%
Owned outright Owned with mortgage or loanFrom LA Other social rentedPrivate rented Rent free
Unemployment rates by ethnic group
20.4
16.2
13.1
12.1
11.8
6.9
6.7
5.8
20.6
16.5
10.5
11.1
5.8
4.3
3.9
3.7
0 5 10 15 20 25
Bangladeshi
Pakistani
Other
Mixed
Black
Total
Indian
White
%
Female
Male
Ethnic origin and unmeasured variation
White population is a large and diverse group Example of White people in Hollinwood ward (ranked
in most deprived 5% on the Indices of Deprivation 2000)
Standardised poor health ratios– For men 187 (131 for all men in Oldham) – For women 142 (133 for all women in Oldham)
Ratios are comparable to those for Black & Minority Ethnic groups with poor health
Conclusions
Value of the 2001 Census– Range of information – different issues, different spatial levels,
comprehensive coverage, quality and comparability across areas and over time
But:– Classifications of ethnic origin and religion may not be the
most relevant for you – Only indirect measures of community cohesion– Care is needed in determining cause and effect– Differences that aren’t easy to measure may be important