As the UK heads for recession, there is a danger that councils may face more pressure on cohesion issues as residents come under pressure. Heather Jameson went to Luton to hear what chief executive Kevin Crompton, is doing to tackle the issue
How do you tackle cohesion in a town which has just been identified as a potential hotbed of terrorists.
That is the issue facing Luton BC chief executive, Kevin Crompton, after the town was named, alongside London and Birmingham, in a leaked report by the security services on potential areas where violent extremism could breed.
Kevin says: ‘Tackling violent extremism has been one of the biggest challenges of my career.
‘It is a fact that there are individuals in this town who are engaged in activities which could threaten our security, but the majority of residents are law-abiding, so it is a challenge to minimise the first without “demonising” or overtly worrying the second.’
Therefore, if you are looking to find cohesion working in practice, Luton is probably a good place to start.
Like countless other towns in Britain, it has a hugely diverse population. But when Northern cities such as Bradford and Oldham were experiencing race riots, things were much quieter on the streets on Luton. Kevin, tells The MJ: ‘There is plenty of evidence to suggest Luton has a high incidence of cohesion. It has absorbed waves of immigration very well over its history.’
And he has a hypothesis – that communities where youngsters are in good schools, where there is a safe and pleasant environment to live in, and good life chances, there are cohesive communities.
Building that environment is the same for all ethnic groups, religions and social classes.
Kevin admits the theory is ‘a bit stretched’ when one looks at the educational attainment of some of the recent terrorists but, nevertheless, it is a good starting point, and he is convinced part of the answer to challenging extremism lies in social exclusion – which is often more strongly felt in some parts of the Muslim community in Luton.
And the community groups in the town are united in many respects. All the community leaders have been ‘unanimous in their condemnation’ of the 7/7 attacks in the capital in 2005, as well as other terrorist atrocities.
The council has a number of projects in place to try to prevent violent extremism. Theatre is being used in schools to help young people discuss extremism in a safe and open environment; community groups are working with disaffected young people ‘not in education, employment or training’ who could be targeted for radicalisation; and the Islamic Cultural Society has developed the ‘Ambassadors of Islam’ programme which is ‘equipping young people with the theological arguments to counter those used by the radicals’.
‘As we have been funding programmes, we have had other groups come forward’ – both from other Muslim groups which don’t feel represented, and from other ethnic groups.
Right-wing groups are ‘just as much a threat to cohesion’, and the council has to be careful not to ‘tip the balance to the right wing’.
He acknowledges: ‘The recession is not going to help.’ If deprivation is linked to one particular group, or the council is targeting its scarce resources in a particular direction, there is a chance this could lead to resentment. Which, in turn, might lead to alienation and radicalisation.
‘If we wish to remove the threat of radicals, we have to strive for a society where everyone has a stake. It’s not rocket science – it’s just the hierarchy of needs. Currently in Luton, the immediate impact of this recession has produced greater demand for debt counselling, but other effects are too date limited. The council believes the real impact will come next year,’ Kevin says.
The authority is preparing to help people keep their homes and businesses, and is monitoring the situation on a weekly basis.
Luton has a number of tools to increase cohesion in the borough. These include:
l celebrating diversity of the community, with events including Luton Carnival, as well as some of the festivals specific to different ethnic groups, such as the Mela
l ensuring democracy and decision-making is transparent – particularly in the use of resources and allocating funds
l tackling the key issues for all the community – for example, jobs, improving numeracy, literacy and skill levels, improving the physical environment and cutting inequality
l boosting relations between the council, the police and the community.
Most of all, he says it is about ‘being seen to be caring about the community’ and ‘creating a feeling of belonging’.
Kevin says: ‘It may not be rocket science, but it’s not easy. It’s a lot of hard work.’
That is the issue facing Luton BC chief executive, Kevin Crompton, after the town was named, alongside London and Birmingham, in a leaked report by the security services on potential areas where violent extremism could breed.
Kevin says: ‘Tackling violent extremism has been one of the biggest challenges of my career.
‘It is a fact that there are individuals in this town who are engaged in activities which could threaten our security, but the majority of residents are law-abiding, so it is a challenge to minimise the first without “demonising” or overtly worrying the second.’
Therefore, if you are looking to find cohesion working in practice, Luton is probably a good place to start.
Like countless other towns in Britain, it has a hugely diverse population. But when Northern cities such as Bradford and Oldham were experiencing race riots, things were much quieter on the streets on Luton. Kevin, tells The MJ: ‘There is plenty of evidence to suggest Luton has a high incidence of cohesion. It has absorbed waves of immigration very well over its history.’
And he has a hypothesis – that communities where youngsters are in good schools, where there is a safe and pleasant environment to live in, and good life chances, there are cohesive communities.
Building that environment is the same for all ethnic groups, religions and social classes.
Kevin admits the theory is ‘a bit stretched’ when one looks at the educational attainment of some of the recent terrorists but, nevertheless, it is a good starting point, and he is convinced part of the answer to challenging extremism lies in social exclusion – which is often more strongly felt in some parts of the Muslim community in Luton.
And the community groups in the town are united in many respects. All the community leaders have been ‘unanimous in their condemnation’ of the 7/7 attacks in the capital in 2005, as well as other terrorist atrocities.
The council has a number of projects in place to try to prevent violent extremism. Theatre is being used in schools to help young people discuss extremism in a safe and open environment; community groups are working with disaffected young people ‘not in education, employment or training’ who could be targeted for radicalisation; and the Islamic Cultural Society has developed the ‘Ambassadors of Islam’ programme which is ‘equipping young people with the theological arguments to counter those used by the radicals’.
‘As we have been funding programmes, we have had other groups come forward’ – both from other Muslim groups which don’t feel represented, and from other ethnic groups.
Right-wing groups are ‘just as much a threat to cohesion’, and the council has to be careful not to ‘tip the balance to the right wing’.
He acknowledges: ‘The recession is not going to help.’ If deprivation is linked to one particular group, or the council is targeting its scarce resources in a particular direction, there is a chance this could lead to resentment. Which, in turn, might lead to alienation and radicalisation.
‘If we wish to remove the threat of radicals, we have to strive for a society where everyone has a stake. It’s not rocket science – it’s just the hierarchy of needs. Currently in Luton, the immediate impact of this recession has produced greater demand for debt counselling, but other effects are too date limited. The council believes the real impact will come next year,’ Kevin says.
The authority is preparing to help people keep their homes and businesses, and is monitoring the situation on a weekly basis.
Luton has a number of tools to increase cohesion in the borough. These include:
l celebrating diversity of the community, with events including Luton Carnival, as well as some of the festivals specific to different ethnic groups, such as the Mela
l ensuring democracy and decision-making is transparent – particularly in the use of resources and allocating funds
l tackling the key issues for all the community – for example, jobs, improving numeracy, literacy and skill levels, improving the physical environment and cutting inequality
l boosting relations between the council, the police and the community.
Most of all, he says it is about ‘being seen to be caring about the community’ and ‘creating a feeling of belonging’.
Kevin says: ‘It may not be rocket science, but it’s not easy. It’s a lot of hard work.’
