How to make social glue
Perhaps the biggest challenge for developed nations like ours is how we live together. Today a committee of MPs from all parties warned government that without immediate action to defuse tensions over migration there could be violence on English streets.
Their report on Community Cohesion and Migration [pdf] concludes that rapid immigration is putting pressure on local public services and damaging community relations in some areas.
"Public concerns about the effect of migration cannot simply be dismissed as racist or xenophobic", they say, arguing that government sets up a contingency fund for local councils to draw on if they cannot cope with an unexpected influx of foreigners.
What struck me was the relationship they revealed between migrants and community tension - the conclusion being that there isn't one.
Recently the Department for Communities conducted a big survey which asked the question used to measure what they call social cohesion: "do you believe people from different backgrounds get on well together in your local area?"
The results can be downloaded so you can see what people said in your area - Community cohesion data [Excel file]:
Column C is the key one reflecting the proportion of the population which think people get on well. The national average is 79%
Now, what strikes me (and the committee) is that some places which have seen rapid recent migration score very badly - places like Boston in Lincolnshire where 25% of the population are now said to hail from Eastern Europe and only 38% of people thought people got on well.
And then there are other places which have seen even greater and equally rapid change but do better than average. Almost half the population in Brent in North London were born overseas and the area has seen among the highest number of overseas nationals applying for National Insurance numbers last year. Yet 81% of people gave community relations the thumbs up.
In Westminster and Camden in London which have also seen rapid and high volume immigration, cohesion scores are better than average.
The committee concludes this:
"There is no straightforward relationship between the number of migrants in an area and levels of cohesion. Some areas experience high inward migration yet have a good level of cohesion in comparison to the national average. Nevertheless, cohesion can be negatively affected by migration, particularly in areas where there is poverty and/or little previous experience of diversity."
It is perhaps this last point that rings most true. Brent has had long experience of diversity and a changing population. New arrivals are not a shock - they are traditional. But for communities like many in the Fens and East Anglia which score poorly in the social cohesion table, the sudden arrival of newcomers from overseas is a social shock.
That being said, other areas which score badly have seen waves of migration before. Places like Burnley, Pendle and Oldham have clearly got real challenges in improving community relations but it cannot be lack of experience in dealing with arrivals from overseas.
The Committee Report was told that in parts of Lancashire "there remain tensions between settled white and second and third generation Asian communities." Racially motivated crime, including assaults on both Asian and white people was a problem in the area, according to local police.
It was a different picture again in Barking and Dagenham where police told the MPs that the most significant level of reported hate crime in the area was of white-on-white crime between people of different nationalities, reflecting the arrival of workers from East and Central Europe.
The pace of change in the area was dramatic even before the arrival of EU migrants. The local council reports that "in 1991, only 6.8% of the borough's population was non-white and is now, it is estimated, approximately 25%".
Overall, community relations in England appear good with 79% of people saying that people get on, but there is clearly concern that without urgent action, matters could deteriorate in some places.
Today's report believes that it is perceived pressure over public services that fuels much of the tension and the MPs agree that rapid inward migration has put a strain on schools, translation services, social care, English language teaching and the NHS. "These pressures", they point out, "are currently left unfunded by Government because resource allocations are being made on the basis of flawed population data."
We have witnessed record levels of inward migration into the UK for a decade and it seems surprising that it has taken so long for Members of Parliament to get together and work out that such rapid change will lead to social pressures - pressures we ignore at our peril.
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mark,
it is true that we need more resources placed into integrating people that have move to the united kingdom.
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It's the strain on public services that's the problem, yes. Britain is a small place, and you can't fit a pint into a half-pint pot. Does nobody realise this?
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#2 Britain is a mostly empty place. Twice the population of Scotland live within the M25. Go to east anglia where most of the recent migrants have moved to and you can drive for hours without seeing any town worth the name.
Countries like Holland have twice the population density we do and manage fine.
The real problem is the massively declining birth rate among native Brits and ageing population. If we don't get young people from somewhere the UK will be the worlds largest retirement home. Without workers to PAY for the public services they'll be more than strained... they'll be non-functional.
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"it seems surprising that it has taken so long for Members of Parliament to get together and work out that such rapid change will lead to social pressures"
Really?
I'm not that surprised..... ;o)
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Why would I want to socialise with the British people of my age, as most of them drink and take drugs and can't have a proper intelectual conversation? I've lived here for over 5 years now. I have tried so many times but most of the people I met like to spend their weekends in front of the TV of in pubs, clubs and talk about make up and fashion or gossip. My genuine friends are at least 15 years older than me. In fact the people I care most are over 80.
I believe other immigrants feel the same.
I respect the people of this country, I learnt their language and I obey all the rules, but the Government does not encourage me in any way to mix with its people.
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Mark - There is a difference between MPs not working this out and MPs not being willing to say it in public.
In public life anyone foolish enough to discuss these issues has been condemned as 'racist'
Once again, thank you for having the bravery to raise these issues in a calm and factual way. It is also very re-assuring to see that the BBC has not cut your legs out from under you.
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#5. How can you say you respect the people in this country when you've just listed all the reasons why you don't like them? So what if a lot of us go to the pub? We've been doing it for 2000 years!
Equally why should the government be encouraging you to mix with brits, especially as it seems they'd have to shut the pubs and clubs down before you'd consider doing so? Mixing with us is totally up to you, but if you chose not to intergrate, don't blame us when you feel rejected.
I welcome anyone who wants to come here and improve their life while also doing something for the UK, but expecting us to change our ways to suit immigrants is exactly the sort of thing the BNP will use against you and frankly those thugs don't need any more encouragment.
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As the mansaid, there are lies, damn lies and statistics so take your pick. Some crimes have gne down. Few, if any, car radios are stlen these days, there being no sale for them, but their previous considerable numbers featured in the crime statisitics. Other, considerable crimes are just not recorded.
The facts are that crime is rampant and increasing, especially the more serious ones,the police are unable and/or unwilling to do much abut it. They spend their time in the Police Station, where very few crimes are committed or driving around in cars, easily spotted, from which they observe very little.
The fault lies not with the Police Officers but with the whole system, the poor strategy, weak laws and unimpressive judges who also are hampered by the system from enforcing the law.
The whole thing is yet another mess of incompetent government and phony statistics.
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# 3 "Britain is a mostly empty place".
When comparing it's human population this is just not the case relative to most other countries.If applied to Scotland well maybe this comment has some validity and if the Union dissolved then the comment certainly would'nt apply to England.
It reminds me of a comment on Question Time by George Gallagher when in response to a question on population expansion in the UK he said that he didn't consider the UK was overpopulated and inferred we could absorb further growth as when looking out of an aeroplane you could see there were large areas of open land.An inane answer devoid of any rational thought.
According to demographic trends the UK's population density is projected to be the highest in the EU and close to or higher than Japans' in future decades - England on it's own will be much higher still.
Population increases ,which will inevitably and even now are being fuelled by immigration, will increase pollution, add to traffic congestion,mean further reliance on energy and food imports whilst reducing agricultural land and cause the destruction of large tracts of the countryside together with it's fauna and flora.
Furthermore due to the higher birth rate associated with immigrants there is the possibility that problems of social cohesion are exacerbated.
Unfortunately this government have sleep walked into a situation whereby their policies/actions/lack of action and failure to anticipate situations have led to consequences that need never have arisen. At some point sooner rather than later we will have to wake up to the fact that the resources of this planet , let alone the UK are finite and that the imbalances resulting from exploding populations are unsustainable in the long run.It would be a start if the UK government understood this and adopted policies compatible with this principle.
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I have been living here since I have come as a student and about to finish my master degree. this country has treated me better than my own in every single aspect of life apart from the long dark winter and would stay longer if I am allowed. for those who do not like the Brits and moan about their culture, I really do not know what you were expecting when you applied for your Visa to come here. is it not what going to another country is all about? learn about others, interact and integrate, you are in their country after all. if you believe that you and your culture are superior, then why don't you just leave? because lots of people would love to have the opportunity that you have been offered. Syrian immigrant
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I'm here on a five year visa (three years to go!) and I find the whole experience interesting. I would be interested in seeing some numbers or graphs on the origin of UK immigrants. I've searched online but to no avail. Without actual numbers, it's pointless to discuss this 'issue'.
But I'd like to pose a question: What would the UK be without immigrants? Another ageing european country that is rapidly being eclipsed?
It is ironic that the British should complain about people coming to their country, paying taxes and contributing, whilst they did quite the opposite when they went abroad ;)
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My concern is that we as a nation are frightened to discuss certain topics because we are intimidated by political correctness. I remember one election in a Northern British town where immigration had got out of control. The winners of the Election were the BNP. Tabloids went crazy over this, with headlines like 'Nazis Take Control' etc etc. Now I am NO fan of the BNP, but they won a democratic election, the press didn't explore the possibility that the BNP won the election as a result of naturalised British citizens genuine concerns that their communities were being transformed completely to accommodate the flood of immigrants who had taken over their towns. The issue was buried, no one wanted to suggest that too many immigrants centred in the one area may have been a bad thing, God Forbid that we should discuss coloured immigration rationally. And for the record it's not the colour that's the problem, it's the culture clash. Even as I write this I can see my words being construed as 'Racist'. Save your breath, I'm not.
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