A SENSE OF BELONGING

Building a more socially integrated society THE UK’S The Challenge is the UK’s leading social integration charity. LEADING SOCIAL We design and deliver programmes that bring different people together to develop their confidence and skills INTEGRATION in understanding and connecting with others. The Challenge also conducts original CHARITY research and promotes policy ideas to forge a more integrated Britain.

We believe that, without action to build a more integrated society, the danger will grow that the people of Britain will respond to the complex challenges of the future not by asking ‘how can we solve this together?’, but ‘who can we blame?’

For more information, please visit www.the-challenge.org @TheChallenge_UK A SENSE OF BELONGING Building a more socially integrated society

FOREWORD By Andrew Harrop and Ryan Shorthouse CONTENTS We need to talk about women 4 Andrew Harrop is general secretary of the Dame Louise Casey Fabian Society and Ryan Shorthouse is the founder and chief executive of Bright Blue The ties that bind 6 Chuka Umunna MP

Think tanks from the right and left of poli- Social integration is about more than Striking the right balance 9 tics spend a lot of their time arguing with race and religion, however. It means Suella Fernandes MP each other. But there is plenty we agree bringing together people from all sorts of on too, and the need for social mixing and backgrounds: the old and young; straight Learning to live together 10 a shared common life is something that and gay; rich and poor; disabled and non- Ted Cantle people from across politics can sign up to. disabled. This truly ‘One Nation’ agenda is Earlier this month, Dame Louise Casey’s crucial, as the evidence shows, to reducing Creating spaces report of integration and opportunity prejudice and discrimination, and improv- for a common life 12 re-ignited the debate on social integration ing opportunities and quality of life. It is Jon Yates between different ethnic groups in Britain. particularly important after the recent EU It is right to start by saying there is much referendum which exposed and aggravated Capital ideas 14 to celebrate. People with immigrant back- deep social divisions. Julia Unwin grounds are now part of every commu- This collection of essays, bringing nity in Britain; mixed-race relationships are together leading opinion formers and de- A shared future 16 commonplace and accepted; and a number cision makers from different political and Alex Smith of ethnic minority groups have better edu- professional backgrounds, is we hope the cation and employment outcomes than the start – alongside the Casey Review – Lessons in aspiration 18 white British average. of a major debate on how to enhance Lord O’Shaughnessy But, as the Casey Review explored, social integration in the UK. Deep long- there are still many challenges. Her focus term currents shape our national way Two into one 20 was particularly on the isolation and dis- of life, but it is amenable to policy too: Miles Hewstone advantage experienced by people living in from housing and planning, to edu- places which have very high concentrations cation, criminal justice and initiatives for Beyond the from a single ethnic minority background. young people. numbers game 22 Casey’s fear is that a minority of immigrants Politicians need to ask how their actions David Montague – she highlights certain Muslim women – can reduce social segregation, increase are today unable to share in the British way understanding and foster more than pass- of life, which so many other newcomers have ing contact between people from different both adapted to and helped to shape. backgrounds. This collection of essays This is an important issue which politi- contains some initial ideas. We know that cians from all sides have worried about stronger and more diverse social networks for decades. Such segregation reduces life can generate significant benefits to both Report editors: Kate Murray and chances and may sometimes create space individuals and wider society. But this Tobias Phibbs (Fabian Society); for ideas and actions that threaten public cannot simply be a question of citizenship Laura Round (Bright Blue) safety. Casey’s report provides new insights oaths for a small minority of incomers. although perhaps fewer answers than are We must create an inclusive, modern citi- Produced in partnership truly needed. zenship for us all. ■ with The Challenge

3 / A Sense of Belonging WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT WOMEN By unlocking the potential of women we can tackle persistent gender and race inequalities, writes LOUISE CASEY

Dame Louise Casey is director general of the Casey Review team at the Department for Communities and Local Government. Her report on social integration was published in December 2016

have spent the past year touring the whether we – and I include myself in this men. And while 20 per cent of all British I country conducting a review into integra- as much as anyone – have been as active Pakistani and Bangladeshi men were tion and opportunity in our most isolated in promoting opportunity and as vigilant economically inactive in 2015, the rate for communities. Britain is a great nation, with and robust in calling out sexism, taking on British Pakistani and Bangladeshi women much to be proud of, and in which millions patriarchy and standing up to misogyny in was nearly three times higher, at 57 per of us from all kinds of backgrounds get on some minority communities, as we would cent. Not only are all those figures too well together. Yet sadly it is not like that for have been for white women or girls. high, they are shockingly gender unequal. us all. I have heard numerous personal ac- Not because we thought that white women Not enough of us have spoken out counts that have brought home to me the were more worthy of help, but because we against this unfairness and/or supported disadvantage still being suffered by some thought we were less qualified to com- those Muslim women, many who have people, including those in ‘traditional’ ment on cultures we didn’t understand. been courageously fighting these bat- white working-class communities. But the To be blunt, I wonder if our abhorrence of tles and whose voices have not always inequality suffered by so many black and racism and fear of being called racist, along been heard. minority ethnic women has really stood with our desire not to cause offence has We should not think that this is out for me and this has been particularly sometimes got in the way of our feminism. a problem that affects only older im- apparent in some Muslim communities For example, analysis of 2011 census migrant women who arrived in Britain 30 I have visited. I think it is time we talked data produced for my report shows that 44 or 40 years ago, as 44 per cent of non-UK about this in a more open and honest way. per cent and 36 per cent of women born born Pakistani and Bangladeshi women From the outset I want to say that in Bangladesh and Pakistan but living in aged 16 to 24 are currently unemployed no culture or religion can ever excuse the UK were unable to speak English well or inactive and not in full time education. violence and oppression against women, or at all, compared to 20 per cent and 13 Some ongoing patterns of inter-cousin but my review has caused me to reflect on per cent of Bangladesh and Pakistan-born marriage and a custom of bringing in

4 / A Sense of Belonging brides from ‘back home’ have also led to what Demos have described as a “first generation in every generation”, where young women are continually arriving into patriarchal Muslim communities with a lack of English, a lack of education and a reliance on their husband for money with a subservience to them in their life choices. This can have knock-on effects in their ability to understand even basic legal rights, to access health or domestic abuse services freely, as well as for their children who may not speak English in the home and are less well prepared for school as a result. I fear that we have been too afraid to talk about a lot of this, along with other issues of violence and abuse including female genital mutilation, forced marriage and so-called ‘honour’-based crimes, or the worrying prevalence of male-dominated ‘Biraderi’ (meaning brotherhood) politics that has taken a hold in some councils and

parts of our political parties and system. © Matthew G / Flickr Because such abuses hold minority ethnic, cultural or religious associations, we walk deteriorated even before the far right campaigned for women’s equality and on eggshells. We look hard for things that sought to exploit them. And of course it against racism and discrimination down might excuse such behaviours and harms was young women and girls who suffered the years are not the enemy here. They are, – including the possibility that regressive from the most appalling abuse. in so many ways, heroes who deserve our practices might grow in some communi- So we have to be honest about abuse, gratitude and respect. ties as a defensive reaction to hostile and discrimination and disadvantage wherever We have made so much progress on discriminatory behaviour. We worry about it occurs. If we wouldn’t stand for it with race and gender equality, although we still lacking the understanding and confidence white women, we shouldn’t stand for it have a long way to go on both. Indeed, necessary to confront such problems with any women. And I hope that the next the principle of equality – fought for by and are not comfortable doing so unless wave of our fight for women’s equality is the suffragettes; the ‘Made in Dagenham’ laws are clearly contravened. It is more one that reaches far into all communities girls, Barbara Castle and the MPs who straightforward to condemn criminal acts and not just those that we are most com- pushed through the Equal Pay and Race but more difficult to challenge or act on be- fortable criticising. Relations Acts; and more recently those haviours that fall into ‘grey’ areas along this who campaigned for all-women short- spectrum – where one person’s arranged We have to be lists or, the Conservatives’ A list, maternity marriage is another’s forced marriage; and paternity rights, laws against FGM where one person’s loving relationship is honest about abuse, and forced marriage, the Equalities Act and another’s coercive control; or where one discrimination and equal marriage to name but a few achieve- person’s religious conservatism is another’s ments - helps define our sense of common homophobia. We need an honest debate in disadvantage wherever British values. society about this spectrum. it occurs. If we And in that sense it can help with Those of us who regard ourselves as wouldn’t stand for it integration too. Because by uniting around progressives rightly don’t want to be racist our common values in a way that allows and hold back from calling out wrongdo- with white women, for and celebrates our differences but also ing for what it is. we shouldn’t stand for it guarantees our fundamental rights, we But the best case explanation for what can start to provide a route map through happened in Rotherham is a lesson here with any women the difficulties as well as the opportunities too. By failing to confront known child of our increasingly diverse nation. And, sexual exploitation because the major- Of course I recognise that support for by unlocking the potential of all women, ity of perpetrators were Pakistani-heritage vital English classes and domestic abuse we can tackle both the gender and race men, for fear of upsetting race relations services has been cut in recent years. I hope inequalities that still persist in this country in the town, the council and police only this can now be redressed. And I want to and that all progressives, of whatever made things worse. Race relations actually stress that feminists and those who have political persuasion, should want to end. ■

5 / A Sense of Belonging THE TIES THAT BIND We are facing a crisis of social solidarity. To tackle it, we must make rebuilding community a truly national, cross-party mission, writes CHUKA UMUNNA

Chuka Umunna is the Labour MP for Streatham and chair of the all-party parliamentary group on social integration

016 will go down in the history books Election should have been a wake-up call shift, however, arguably has its antecedents 2as a year in which western democracy to the growing and pernicious political not in the age of Blair and Brown but in shifted on its axis. Clashes of ideas between and cultural divisions brewing beneath social developments which took root dur- the left and right are as relevant to the the surface of our national life. For the first ing the premierships of Attlee, Macmillan future of Britain as ever but, increasingly, time, different parties won in each of the and Wilson. it is the fault line between what have been UK’s four constituent nations, giving the characterised as ‘small l liberals’ and ‘anti- impression of a kingdom coming apart at Diverse but divided PC populists’, or those in favour of open the seams, and new political dividing lines Throughout the lifetime of the baby versus closed societies, that gives shape to found expression in the electoral choices of boomer generation, Britain has become our political landscape. old and young, urban and rural and work- brilliantly diverse and our lives have Looking back now, the events of the ing and middle-class Britons. become less uniform in a number of ways. last year – Brexit, the ascent of Trump, fall Even a decade ago, Tony Blair – then in his We have gone from being an overwhelm- of Renzi and emergence of resurgent right- final years as prime minister – argued that ingly white nation to one where 14 per wing populism – shouldn’t have come the debate over whether our society should cent of the population is made up of as such a surprise. Teddy Roosevelt once embrace or build defences against global ethnic minority Britons and where many said that ‘fellow-feeling’ – or the ability markets and mobility had superseded the of our cities, towns and villages are home to recognise how much we have in com- left-right divide as the principal fracture in to people of every colour and creed. Over mon – is the most important element of our politics. Looking back now, it is clear that the same period, the rapid expansion of any effort at the ‘betterment of social and the government which he led made mistakes the middle-class and social and scientific civic conditions’, but it seems that, more in attempting to navigate this rift. Too often, advances have created new opportunities and more, we see less and less of ourselves as in the case of the decision to open up the for people to chart their own path in life in one another. UK labour market to the former Eastern Bloc and enabled many more of us to lead more Across the western world, the develop- countries seven years before most other EU fulfilling lives. ment of an educated, outward-looking, member states, New Labour fell back on the The world has got better, life more in- cosmopolitan class – as much a cultural ideological assumption that immigration teresting and rich, but change takes its toll mindset as an economic reality – has gen- is inherently good. As a result, ministers and new challenges to our social solidarity erated a sense of bemusement and failed to offer communities the support they have emerged. estrangement amongst people for whom required to successfully manage – and to What it means to be a family has a love of country and tradition is an obvi- come together in the wake of – demographic changed. We’re living longer and having ous virtue. In Britain, the 2015 General and cultural change. This political paradigm children later in life – trends which should

6 / A Sense of Belonging fear was actually due to exploitation in the private rental sector showing that the right reforms to tackle rogue landlords can have a positive impact on the whole community. In order to drain our politics of the ven- om of blame and recrimination, we must build a more socially integrated society. This will mean seriously engaging with the vital task of managing change and crafting a politics which speaks to the concerns of both globalists and patriots.

A multiculturalism that works More than any other issue, immigration has been the fulcrum around which po- litical debate has revolved over the last few years. At times, this conversation can seem hopelessly, irreconcilably polarised – with one group of voices claiming that Britain is full and that it’s time to pull up the draw- bridge, and another that multiculturalism is a great British success story and that it’s

© Meena Kadri / Flickr only a fundamentally backwards minority who are concerned about change. be celebrated, but which are putting strain augmenting the sense that there is more As ever, the truth is neither black nor on our health and social care services and which divides than that which binds us white but exists in shades of grey. It is not redefining the ways in which different together. The result is a self-perpetuating contradictory to at once recognise the dyna- generations relate to one another. cycle of fragmentation which fuels feelings mism and vibrancy which immigration has All the while, the strong social ties which of difference and dislocation and makes it infused into our communities and cultural once held working-class communities all too easy for people to pin the challenges life and the fact that rapid demographic together have been eroded as people have facing our country on ‘the other’. and cultural change can put real pressure moved away from towns and neighbour- There are some very practical steps we on public services and undermine people’s hoods occupied by generations of their can take at a local level to support commu- sense of security and belonging within family before them and the traditional in- nities and foster integration. When I vis- their communities. Indeed, any effort at dustries around which these communities ited Boston in Lincolnshire, one woman grappling with the forces of globalisation were organised have declined. Now, as we said to me that she wanted to talk to her and forging a settlement which works for grapple with the effects of rising inequal- neighbour and build a friendship with her, everyone in our society must begin with an ity, automation and economic insecurity, but she had to wait for her neighbour’s acknowledgement that immigration can many Britons feel abandoned to a broken children to come home to translate be- undermine the ties that bind - but that it future devoid of both economic and social cause her neighbour didn’t speak English. doesn’t have to. capital. Moreover, the rise of gated com- However, local authorities have had their I believe that it is possible to craft munities and the decline of common civic funding cut for English language services a middle way between the laissez-faire institutions (such as the organised church, and are not able to provide the scale and multiculturalism favoured by successive community social clubs and political par- depth of services needed. British governments and the assimilation- ties) mean that many of us simply have no Another resident told me that they were ist politics of the French burkini ban, build- idea how the other half lives. made to feel unsafe with young Eastern ing a meaningful integration programme These trends have, then, resulted in European men drinking on their street at which would enable Britons of all back- a Britain which is at once more diverse and night. However, as our conversation went grounds to both accept and look beyond less integrated. In 2014, the independent on another local resident said that the only our differences. Social Integration Commission found that, reason people drank on the streets was Developing meaningful solutions to even where people live in neighbourhoods because of private sector landlords who build a multiculturalism that works and which are diverse by ethnicity and income, only allowed tenants access to their room bring our divided nation back together they’re significantly more likely to interact at certain times of day. During the rest of will, however, require each of us to strive with people from similar backgrounds to the day someone else would be sleeping to understand the world from a different them than those from different walks of life. in the same bed, and communal spaces in perspective. We must, in other words, Social divisions sap our communities of larger properties had been converted into close neither our borders nor our ears trust – increasing anxiety, prejudice and the another bedroom to maximise rent. A local to the voices of those who are anxious fear of crime, restricting social mobility and community issue creating division and about immigration.

7 / A Sense of Belonging To live together meaningfully enable and inspire the development of with genuine comfort with our place in We cannot afford to fall into the trap of group identities which unify rather than Great Britain, Europe and the wider world. superimposing our own concerns onto fragment society in all its diversity. This is, of course, easier said than done. those who feel left behind by change in At a time in which people feel very far their communities, as we have too often Shared identities, shared lives removed from political power, proposals for in the past. The most powerful form of group identity an English parliament and greater regional Of course people are more likely to – patriotism – isn’t especially comfortable devolution are worthy of serious considera- cast around for someone to blame when territory for politicians and activists of the tion, but we should be wary of answering inequality is rampant, school places, houses left and liberal centre, who feel the weight questions which go to the heart of how peo- and jobs are harder to come by, but this isn’t of past injustices keenly and have spent ple feel about England with constitutional the whole story. In fact, in order to learn the much of the last half century practising quick fixes. More than ever before – in an lessons of the Brexit referendum, we must an emancipatory form of identity politics. age characterised by mistrust of elites and recognise that many people cast their ballot As the rise of civic nationalism in Scotland shaped more by peer-to-peer technology in favour of leaving the EU in full knowledge demonstrates, however, patriotism needn’t than by the peerage – what it means to be that they were voting against their own ma- be exclusionary or nationalistic. To draw on English will be crowd-sourced rather than terial interests. This trend has been correctly an analogy which the social psychologist imposed from above by politicians. interpreted by many as a rejection of the eco- Jonathan Haidt has deployed power- All ideas of national kinship are formed nomic status-quo, but it must also serve as fully, you love your spouse not because you through both the heritage left to us by past a reminder to the political class that there think they are better than other people, generations and the everyday shared cus- is more to life than gross domestic product. but because you love them as an individual. toms and common experiences which help In the same spirit, we must acknowledge We on the left must get over our queasi- us to recognise something of ourselves in that unease over immigration is rooted as ness at displays of national pride and stop one another; and the most powerful shared much in issues of identity and attachment giving the impression that we believe identities are almost always moulded in as in concerns over the jobs market or transnational entities such as the European the fire of collective endeavour. It follows public services. Union to be somehow morally superior to that, not only must our national conversa- Politics must, ultimately, speak to the nation states. Patriotic symbols such as the tion on the new patriotism stretch beyond issues where people find meaning in their Cross of St George have been hijacked by the debating halls of Westminster, it must lives. Those who dismiss unease over im- extend past our newspapers and Facebook migration as simply racism or purely anger Our national conversation feeds and unfold in our schools, streets, at the economic and social order are equally pubs and places of worship – in the places guilty of missing a shared desire to live on the new patriotism where people from different walks of life together with our neighbours in a mean- must stretch beyond still come together and lead shared lives. ingful way, fostering tolerance and respect It follows, too, that we need more of – such as the lady in Boston who wanted the debating halls of these places. After all, research shows that to get to know her neighbour; or another Westminster and unfold in when people from different ethnicities, gentleman who welcomed new Polish delis our schools, streets, pubs social backgrounds and ages meet and mix, and shops which had rejuvenated the High trust grows and communities flourish. That’s Street, but didn’t feel welcome enough to and places of worship why I believe that we must make rebuilding shop in those businesses. community a truly national, cross-party Especially – but not only – during the siren voices of the far right only because mission – driving change from the centre periods of insecurity and turbulence, we let them be. If we are to forge a more through adapting our schools and public human beings are hardwired to seek out integrated society and breathe new life services to better bring people together the comfort and safety of the tribe and into the One Nation tradition which has and establishing new national institutions group loyalties. Viewed through the lens animated British politics for over a century, to promote social integration; whilst also of social psychology rather than ideology we must harness the power of patriotism empowering cities, towns, local authorities or economic determinism, assertions of to accentuate our essential sameness and and communities to create new spaces in attachment to country and community are build bonds of trust between Britons of all which neighbours can come together. neither throwbacks to a bygone era nor backgrounds in every corner of our country. expressions of xenophobia, but rather of Englishness, much like Scottishness, is Rebuilding our common life a vital and deeply modern sort of solidarity. deeply felt – there’s no denying it’s a more I believe that we are facing nothing less As those of us who believe in open emotional connection than Britishness. than a crisis of social solidarity, but I also societies have been repeatedly reminded We English are bound together by his- know that our differences needn’t divide us. this year, political movements which at- torical and cultural ties – we exist in the Through developing a meaningful politics of tempt to suppress or circumvent the felt national consciousness as an imagined, social integration, we can craft a story of na- need for solidarity and community have but in no way imaginary, community. Now, tional renewal which draws upon and rein- a limited shelf life. The task before politi- we must develop a 21st century, pluralistic forces that which we have in common rather cians of all ideological persuasions seeking and inclusive idea of Englishness marrying than that which divides us, and build a more to piece our country back together is to a real and deep sense of national kinship empathetic, united and resilient country. ■

8 / A Sense of Belonging When the Social Integration Commis- sion looked at social integration in Britain today, it found that highly diverse areas were not necessarily integrated. For exam- ple, whilst London is more diverse than the rest of the country and Londoners, it is less integrated. Londoners’ actual social groups STRIKING THE are in fact the least likely to properly reflect the age, income and ethnic mix of the city RIGHT BALANCE around them. The commission also found that em- We are a more diverse ployed professionals had fewer social in- society, and a more divided teractions with those who are unemployed one – but that can change, than would be expected if there was no argues SUELLA FERNANDES social segregation. This raises significant questions about how social integration may affect access to work when around Flickr

40 per cent of jobs are found through / personal contacts So what’s the way forward? First we hat does the face of 21st century need to define what we mean by social WBritain look like? Are we a people at integration. When can an immigrant be ease with ourselves, united by a strong sense seen as ‘integrated’ into British society? © Iain and Sarah of British values, transcending race, class and What are the key indicators showing that age? Or, in the aftermath of an historic test of people have adapted to life in the UK? tional celebrations also work. The National how we see our country’s place in the world, This will help targeting of resources and Citizen Service and The Challenge have is talk of a divided nation justified? measuring progress. been remarkable at building meaningful Tolerance, openness, compassion and Second, since a common language is camaraderie between young people from fairness define Britain but whether we fundamental for integration, we need to unrelated walks of life. Scaling these are united is less clear. In many parts of put more stress on language fluency must projects up and extending their princi- the country, a ‘tale of two cities’ persists, be required more robustly. Worryingly, ples to adults and new arrivals should with communities living parallel lives, census figures for 2011 showed that just be explored. rarely brushing up against each other, and under 800,000 people living in the UK Finally, the Controlling Migration Fund experiencing dramatically divergent life had no command of English. The problem (a strong successor of the Migration chances. This self-imposed segregation is most acute among women: 60 per cent Impacts Fund) aims to help communi- weakens the fabric of our society and has of those living in England and Wales but ties experiencing high and unexpected an impact on the economy too. unable to speak the national tongue are volumes of immigration to ease pressures We are becoming a more diverse society. female. Those who do not speak English on services and to pay for additional im- In the next 10 to 15 years, the proportion of cannot learn, work or engage with wider migration enforcement. This needs to the UK’s population who are either under society and ghettos spring up. We need explicitly deal with the issue of integration 18 or over 60 years old is projected to rise better ESOL, targeted at rural areas and of migrants – not simply manage their ef- from 42 to 47 per cent. The proportion of low-skilled workers and we need to assess fect on public services. British residents who are members of a ability better. Over the last 50 years Britain has be- minority ethnic group will rise from 16 per Third, integration policy needs to come more broad-minded, equitable and cent in mid-2012 to around 38 per cent by respond to all types of migration, includ- open. The experience of migrants to this 2050. And based on the trends of the last 40 ing short-term EU and student migration. country in the 1960s, such as those of my years, the income gap between the richest Work to support integration needs to father, bear no comparison to those of new and poorest members of society will widen. be mainstreamed into all policy areas. migrants in the 2000s, or even myself, born When we look at this growing diversity, Housing and planning policy, for example, and educated in the UK. However, we now and think about the integration we need, it should take greater account of increasing face a new era of striking the right balance is vital for us to talk frankly. Otherwise, la- interaction within new communities by between permissiveness and respect; tent malaise and frustration about divisions mixing housing type and prioritising com- a challenge that needs all Britons, not in will be exploited by far-right populists. munity spaces for collective activities. spite of our differences but because of what That’s why it is important to recognise the Fourth, we need greater focus on bring- we share, to embrace. ■ cultural impact of fast-paced immigration ing diverse groups of people together. – an annual average of 248,000 between Sports, volunteering, and certain faith Suella Fernandes is the Conservative MP 2011 and 2015 compared with an annual groups create that sense of teamwork, for Fareham and a member of the all-party average of 37,000 between 1991 and 1995. combating isolation. Street parties and na- parliamentary group on social integration

9 / A Sense of Belonging LEARNING TO LIVE TOGETHER Fifteen years after his influential work on community cohesion, TED CANTLE says we need a new, national and positive story of living together with difference and a pro-active strategy of integration in communities, schools and workplaces

Professor Ted Cantle CBE is founder of the iCoCo Foundation which promotes interculturalism and community cohesion. In 2001 he wrote the Cantle report on community cohesion following riots in northern towns and cities

t would be good to give integration a try. their cultural heritage or distinctiveness. religious literacy; and become comfortable IThere are currently no policy objectives, Generally speaking, assimilation has been with difference and plurality. no performance targets and certainly no advanced by those on the right, whereas We have to recognise that integration is strategy or vision, to build an integrated those on the left have resisted any move also closely tied to notions of identity and society. This has been the case since the in that direction and as a result have loss – nowhere was this more clear than in birth of our modern, post-war multicul- tended to be wary of any integration policy. the Brexit debate in which the mantra of tural society. Of course, there have been ‘give us back our country’ resonated with many fine words extolling the benefits We have to consider the so many. Our challenge now is to develop of integration and from the outset, with a language which supports the idea of the race relations legislation in the 1960s, pace of change and people absorbing new and different layers there has been a statutory duty to promote recognise that both of identity without having to forsake their ‘good relations’. But like all the other fine own heritage. words, this was never developed and, apart migrants and host In the current circumstances, a particu- from the community cohesion programme communities will need lar focus must be placed on the position of introduced in 2001 and all but abandoned much more support Muslim communities who have become by the coalition government in 2010, there outsiders in the eyes of many. We also have has been nothing resembling a strategy or to come to terms to consider the current pace of change and programme. The very recent Casey Review with the changes they recognise that both migrants and host of Integration and Opportunity provides communities will need much more support an opportunity to redress this. see around them to come to terms with the changes that they see around them. This may well mean What is integration? We have thus often lost sight of a more debating difficult subjects openly, rather Integration is not a simple concept and has pragmatic approach – to find ways of what than shying away from them as we have been defined in a number of ways. In the we might call ‘living together’ – in which tended to do in the past. past, it has been equated with notions of we share a sense of belonging; develop Integration cannot be left to chance, as assimilation in which different groups lose our personal intercultural confidence and though it will somehow naturally develop

10 / A Sense of Belonging – whilst there are clearly now more diverse introducing key contemporary issues into of housing. The private rented sector has areas, there is also evidence that polarisa- all areas of the school community. This become part of the inner city revolving tion has increased in some areas and in should include tackling the ‘dangerous door for new arrivals, while encouraging relation to some groups. The physical conversations’ which are often avoided in more owner-occupied housing among changes in our communities, schools and schools, partly because teachers lack the newcomers has never been considered as workplaces tend to mirror our attitudes confidence and training and partly because an integration policy objective. and are similarly divided: according to of the fear of upsetting some part of the And whilst the state is reluctant to regu- recent Pew Research Centre polling, school’s community. late the faith sector it might be expected roughly one third of UK citizens believe However, at present too many of our to ensure that young people are provided that diversity has improved the country, schools have become more segregated with a plurality of views about faith and one third take the opposite view and the than the areas which they serve, with in- non-faith beliefs, with the emphasis on remainder have not made up their mind. creasingly segmented populations based free choice at adulthood. A recent Woolf This provides a large target for those who on faith, ethnicity and social class – the Institute report pointed out that this is peddle fear and hate. very opposite of the government’s objective not the case at present and recommended Perhaps the most important starting of “building a shared community where a clear and statutory underpinning. point is not some new initiative or inter- children of many faiths and backgrounds Finally, much more can be done at vention in our communities, but rather learn not just with each other, but from an informal level through the social and developing a new and positive narrative each other too”. Schools must develop cultural sector, with only modest financial about ‘living together’. There is little by a mixed intake in which students interact support. For example, English language way of a positive story to tell to either mi- with each other and develop friendships classes need not be formal or costly; ‘buddy’ nority or majority communities. There is no across boundaries. systems could be used to help people learn narrative which champions a diverse and It is of course the case that some work- about both the English language and the mixed society, nor the benefits of pluralism places are richly diverse and the NHS par- local culture, in the process developing and the development of a cosmopolitan ticularly stands out in this regard (although new friendships and dispelling some of the worldview. By contrast, there are plenty of not in every area or level of seniority). fear of new arrivals. negative messages about ‘Islamification’, However, there are many businesses that We have to recognise that both minor- immigration, and the alleged undermining are very monocultural and make little at- ity and majority communities in deeply of British values and ‘Britishness’. Rather tempt to broaden their recruitment. This segregated areas are likely to express the than providing a new vision, politicians is especially true of employers that target biggest resistance to integration. This have had to be reminded by the European new migrants and even more so where is partly to do with fear of the loss of Human Rights Commission of the need to labour providers are used to recruit the identity and economic pressures may play avoid “divisive language” and consider the workforce. Many parts of the food picking, a role too. But it is also a reflection of the impact “on [the] national mood of their packing and processing industry are deeply lack of opportunity to experience diver- words and policies”. segregated, often built around separate sity. In terms of priorities, then, the most But a new and positive narrative to ad- language and/or ethnic groups. deeply segregated areas will need the most dress difference can be forged at a number However, segregation is also found in investment in building opportunities to of levels – national, city and neighbour- some of the businesses that have been engage with others and come to terms hood. The recent appointment of a deputy established for decades where the labour with difference. ■ mayor of London for social integration and force has been continually replenished by the development of an ‘integration city’ a particular community or communities. programme is a start. Such an approach Employers need to do far more to promote would be more effective if it worked by equal opportunities and positive action to facilitating everyday activities rather than ensure that their workforces represent the as a top-down campaign. communities and customers they serve. Housing policy is another crucial area; Integration initiatives people have to live in the same vicinity in There are a number of integration – and order to encounter each other in shops, desegregation – initiatives which must be parks, sports centres and on the streets, developed together. and even this level of proximity has been The education sector offers the greatest found to reduce prejudice. Over time, this opportunities for providing young people form of meeting becomes more meaning- with the skills and experience to further ful as friendships form through regular integration and to live successfully in contact, especially where facilities are an increasingly diverse and globalised shared, schools are integrated, or people world. Indeed, they will need such skills meet as neighbours. to compete in the future job market. Social housing has generally been pro- Every opportunity should be taken to vided on the basis of need and is therefore build critical thinking and resilience by generally more integrated than other forms © Catrin Austin / Flickr

11 / A Sense of Belonging CREATING SPACES FOR A COMMON LIFE We need new institutions to bridge the growing divides between us, says JON YATES

Jon Yates is external affairs and operations director at The Challenge

his has been a year of division. This growth of difference is here to This bias made sense in the prehistoric TBrexit. Trump. Le Pen. And yet one stay – driven by forces of technological savannah – where the man who looked thing united us all. Whichever side you innovation as irreversible as King Canute different was likely to be the enemy. stood on – remain, leave, Clinton, Trump, found the sea. Unevolved, it has become a tendency to there was a common lament: “I want my The challenge this growth of differ- split, to divide, to segregate. country back”. ence presents is the human tendency to Successful human societies have In 2016, it wasn’t the past that was split off with people who remind us of always had a way to keep homophily in a foreign country. It was the present. ourselves: our age, our education, our check – a set of institutions that brought This sense of not recognising our own different people together; we call it here country is everywhere. But like all sudden The previous common the common life. Unfortunately that too revolutions, it is the result of years of slow life based on churches, is changing. underlying change. And in this case, there are two moving tectonic plates beneath us: trade unions and The loss of the common life the growth of difference – that unchecked membership groups All successful human societies had a com- divides us – and the loss of a ‘common life’ mon life that connected them. Successful to connect us back together. is in severe decline nomadic tribes used rites of passage that young men and women from all families The growth of difference ethnicity, our income. Psychologists have would take part in together; pre-industrial Our countries are increasingly diverse. Not a word for this bias – they call it ‘homoph- villages and towns used festivals, religious just by ethnicity, but by age and income ily’; the rest of us have a childhood phrase: services and courts to connect their as well. By 2050, almost 40 per cent of all ‘birds of a feather stick together’. This bias, citizens; successful industrial cities in the Britons will be non-white. Fifteen years though minor, is visible across our society: early 19th century relied on fast-growing sooner, almost 50 per cent will be children from the banal (students with glasses are churches, trade unions and new member- or pensioners – with half a century of life more likely to sit next to each other in ship groups – the Scouts, Guides, friendly experience apart. Meanwhile we are likely the lunch hall) to the serious (people will societies, Rotarians. to continue to see an increasing difference spend more to access a catchment area However, each change – from nomadic in life experience and income between where the school more closely represents tribe to village, from village to city – dis- skilled and unskilled Britons. their ethnic group). rupted the previous common life. Rites

12 / A Sense of Belonging of passage did not fit with village life; the retraining or retiring – it is during these suring that it appeals to young people of local parish and village courts did not fit moments of transition that we most want all backgrounds and the energy came from the industrial city. a new support group around us and when the entrepreneurs who left their day jobs The same is true today. The previous our identities are most in flux and open to to set up a charity to build the programme. common life based on churches, trade un- new alliances. I know the story well. For the charity I work ions and membership groups is in severe Third, we must ensure these moments for was that charity and I was one of those decline. These institutions no longer fit our of common life are intense and significant entrepreneurs. Eight years later, almost one new post-industrial society enough to create a shared identity. The in six young people are taking part in the We are now starting to live with the tribes’ rites of passage were once in NCS – and it reaches and connects citizens consequences: an increased polarisa- a lifetime challenges. The modern version of all incomes and backgrounds. tion of politics, low trust of others, a rise cannot just be about be different ethnic And yet, by itself, it is not enough. It is in loneliness (especially amongst the groups visiting the same coffee shop or time to double down and push for the next elderly), growing inequalities in access walking down the same streets. The focus NCS, the next element of our common life. and in connections to the job market, and on moments of transition will help: citizens Let me finish with an analogy and a call a lack of common space to integrate new training or retraining together, experienc- to arms. migrants into. ing being a parent together or considering Over the next five years, the renewable As a result, many of us live in a country retirement together will bring its own energy market is projected to double in size. full of difference, hidden from view by intensity. But we must look to use other Private sector initiative and investment has our own bubble full of similarity. Is it any methods that have always created shared pushed the market forward at pace. But wonder then, that when we look outside identity – sport, music and art. it took the government to act to start this our bubble, our country sometimes feels Finally, we must put excellent market- revolution. They moved to provide funding, foreign to us? ing and design front and centre. In design- subsidies and investment that unleashed ing the common life we are up against the creativity. Why? Because they realised Rebuilding a crowded market place for people’s time. that the ‘natural’ market made it cheaper We should not despair. Instead, it is time We must design institutions that are more to pollute than to renew. The government to act – to build the new common life to attractive than the competition and appeal intervened not to corrupt the market, but replace the old. Some principles will guide to people from all walks of life. We will need to correct it. our path. an approach that is led by government but Right now, when designing and build- First, we need to take the building of unleashes the ingenuity of the private sec- ing activities that bring people together, it a common life seriously. The Victorians tor. We should ask how to best incentivise is cheaper to segregate than to integrate. relied on charities to lead the charge on the private sector to build common life Cheaper to build a youth programme that education and healthcare. They did not institutions that we desperately need. appeals to one group in society: the rich, complete the job. The same is true of We know that these principles work; the poor, one ethnic group or another, the building a common life to achieve social they gave us the best example of the high achievers, the left behind. It is time for integration. The government must lead, common life we presently have – the Na- the government to start to change this. To with vision and investment. tional Citizen Service (NCS). The original provide a similar set of subsidies, invest- Second, we should focus on moments vision was set by government and the ments and incentives to entrepreneurs of transition. Starting school, becoming programme was built to fit a moment of who connect and build a common life. a young adult, starting your first job, set- transition as young people become adults. We have a green investment bank, tling in a new area, becoming a parent, The marketers were front and centre en- where is the integration one? ■ © The Challenge

13 / A Sense of Belonging CAPITAL IDEAS People who are struggling to get by have little time to invest in their communities. We need to do more to help them rebuild the social fabric that benefits us all, writes JULIA UNWIN

Julia Unwin is chief executive of the Joseph Rowntree Foundation

here are few who would have pre- supporting people and places that lack nomic progress of the boom years had shut Tdicted the huge political changes we economic security have all changed out huge swathes of the UK’s population. have witnessed over the past year. The fundamentally. For some these have been Economic prosperity at the turn of the 21st UK deciding to leave the European Union positive changes, as people grasp the op- century has emphatically not trickled down seemed unimaginable to many people, on portunities opened up by globalisation and and helped all to thrive, but has instead both sides of the debate, just a few months technological advancements to reap the introduced dangerous new divides. ago. The election of Donald Trump and the benefits of a more innovative, connected rise of populist parties from both ends of world. The huge increases in property The earnings gap the political spectrum in countries across values have brought increased economic The so-called gig economy brings gains the world have left people feeling shocked, for many but for others it has created an bewildered and, in many cases, afraid. We cannot talk about extremely insecure labour market, where 2016 has shown us that the world we low pay and poor conditions are rife. The live in is a more deeply divided place than how to support the social UK today is a nation where four in every we realised. As we leave the year behind capital of our society five people in low-paid work will still be in us, we must turn our attention to what we a low-paid role 10 years later. can do to heal these divisions. In my view, without also looking at The huge fall in the number of pension- tackling dispossession, isolation, and the how to stamp out the ers who are living in poverty is one of the erosion of social capital in many parts of hardship that can become great public policy successes of recent the UK must be at the heart of this. years. But success in this area has not been The decision to take Britain out of the entrenched when our matched by improvements in living stand- EU has laid bare some real and damag- communities are shut out ards for younger citizens. The number of ing fractures in our society. Research into people who work but still struggle to get by the demographics of the vote has shown from economic growth has been steadily increasing. Low pay, low a strong divide along economic, educa- hours and low productivity have meant tional and geographical lines. The decision security for some of those who own their that there are many people for whom earn- to leave was made by people who feel own homes. Government action to bring ing enough for a decent standard of living overlooked and cut off from the growth down poverty rates amongst pensioners has become impossible. The problem is that benefits those in more prosperous has helped to break broken the historic exacerbated by the escalating cost of basic parts of the country. link between old age and penury. essentials like energy, food and childcare. We should not be surprised to find But while the last decade has seen many The housing market too is contributing these levels of disconnection. Over the people prosper, it has also seen many to uncertainty, insecurity and is making last decade, the UK’s labour market, hous- people fall behind. Even before the global it more difficult for some to connect with ing market and the role of the state in financial crisis of 2008, the social and eco- their local communities. People in the

14 / A Sense of Belonging © Viviane / Flickr

bottom fifth on the income scale who live vote for Brexit was heavily influenced by lose economic potential and innovation. in the private rented sector are likely to be economics, its announcement was accom- If they are unwelcoming to older people paying 55 per cent of their income on their panied by a spike in hatred and violence who have lived in local area for years they housing – in many cases for a six-month which any of us found profoundly shocking. will lose wisdom and leadership. If a lack tenancy. This contrasts with the 13 per cent of opportunity becomes entrenched, with that a middle-income owner occupier is Crowded lives some areas of the country shut out of likely to be spending on their mortgage. To heal these divides we must also look at economic growth for years at a time, the This makes it difficult for many people at how to reduce isolation, support diversity potential of the people living in these areas the lower end of the income scale to put and help local communities, particularly in will be squandered and the result will hold down roots, make connections and build less prosperous areas, to thrive. This social the whole economy back. up the social capital that is at the heart of capital is not formed in a vacuum. Our con- Social capital is what distinguishes a healthy community. nections are shaped by the way that we live, open, creative, thriving communities from To move forwards, we must bring and people struggling to earn enough to isolated places where development and together efforts to help people who strug- get by are leading extremely crowded lives. progression are stifled. It is not an optional gling financially with work to increase A couple with two children needs to have extra. It is as fundamental to a healthy social capital, to make sure that everyone at least one parent in full-time and one in society as economic growth and financial feels they have a stake in a strong, welcom- part-time work on at least the National prosperity. Modern social capital enables ing society. We cannot talk about how to Living Wage to escape poverty. This leaves and encourages the small acts of kindness support the social capital of our society many families with little spare time to that enable us all to survive. But it can also without also looking at how to stamp out spend supporting neighbours, caring for connect people across generations, across the hardship that can become entrenched friends or relatives and engaging with their faiths and across nationalities. Without when our communities are shut out from local communities. a conscious, concerted effort to build social economic growth. If intolerance and violence are allowed capital, this will be put at risk. Divisions The divisions that we face today can- to spread, the social fabric which brings us will grow, diversity and inclusivity will suf- not be tackled unless we first tackle the together and creates social capital will col- fer and communities will shut down. In the structural barriers that prevent people from lapse. If our communities are less open to 21st century, in one of the richest countries building a secure life for themselves. And migrants and closed to young people who in the world, we cannot stand by and watch we cannot ignore the fact that although the are struggling to afford a secure home, they this happen. ■

15 / A Sense of Belonging A SHARED FUTURE Young and old have so much to gain from each other. ALEX SMITH explains how bridging the generation gap strengthens our common bond

Alex Smith founded North London Cares and South London Cares. He was formerly an advisor to Labour leader Ed Miliband and editor of LabourList

n my job, I’m sometimes asked, “What’s analysis of how we got here, and new ideas EU referendum the higher-than-normal Ithe difference between baby boomers and for how we can help people to live not just 64 per cent youth turnout was long shy of millennials?” It’s a strange and simplistic parallel experiences, but fully shared lives. the 72 per cent national vote. question, and one that seeks to highlight The reality of our social and generational It’s not just who votes, of course, that the divergences we have in our experience divides has been brutally exposed in recent matters, but how people vote too – and rather than what we all have in common. years. A distance was already opening up again the discrepancies between young But in the context of the globalisation, when, in 2011, some of our biggest cities and old are striking. In that finely balanced digitisation, gentrification, migration, were torn apart by riots. 2015 election, Labour attracted more votes housing bubbles and inequality that define The causes of those troubles included from young people than the Conservatives, the past 40 years of rapid social change – despair amongst some communities at the while its vote share amongst over-65s and the recent schisms in our subsequent power of the state, particularly the police. dropped to just one in four. With older electoral expressions – it’s also a question A rapid rise in youth unemployment, which people more likely to read newspapers, that requires more consideration than ever. spiked to 1 million that year – and which at with their established editorial positions, As we try to piece together the shards 21 per cent was twice the overall UK rate at and younger people increasingly consum- of separation that have sheared at our in- the time – was another key part of the picture. ing news and content through digital tegration in recent times, we must consider A general inequality of life chances was also platforms connected to their own social how, in our fast moving, connected age, we at play. Institute for Fiscal Studies research networks those trends may only perpetu- ensure that no one, regardless of age, class, shows that people between 22 and 30 were ate over time. ethnicity, faith or income feels left behind. in the process of becoming 7 per cent worse Although a relatively crude distillation, In a time when voting patterns, and off; the over-60s 11 per cent better off. information firm Experian’s demographic indeed voting participation, are diverging Meanwhile, as student fees were hiked mosaic groups offer an explanation as to across the generations, how do we make to £9,000 a year, the prospects of joining how divergent life experiences have led sure that government and our politics at the ranks of the well-connected felt further to such distinct worldviews. 80 per cent large represent the needs of everyone in away for many young people: a 2010 poll of its ‘Vintage Value’ category is over 65. our communities? showed that 75 per cent of people believed A majority live alone in social rented ac- And, beyond policy and psephology, the change in policy would make teenag- commodation, and make little use of the how do we begin to marry two diametri- ers from more deprived backgrounds less internet. Most are on low incomes drawn cally opposed worldviews – one forged likely to go to university. from state pensions, other benefits and on a backdrop of war, rationing and Even if those initial urges to lash out savings. The ‘Rental Hubs’ generation, on solidarity that ultimately led to the have for the time being largely quietened, the other hand, are predominantly under founding of the National Health Service the anger amongst many young people the age of 35, have become accustomed to and the welfare state, the other on post- remains. And in our current context, it’s digitisation, are professionally ambitious Thatcherite individualism? no wonder that young people can feel and live in private rented accommodation. These deeper questions will need to estranged from their older neighbours and Not all older and younger people fit be addressed if we are to establish inter- the political system. In the 2015 general into these categories, of course. But in generational justice, let alone authentic election, people aged 18 to 24 were half as our growing big cities in particular, where integration. To find answers, they require likely to vote as those over 65. Even in the people live closest together but often

16 / A Sense of Belonging credits that do more to offset poverty than to really solve it? Across the community sector, too, we can do more to bridge the gaps of discon- nection in our connected age. Bite the Ballot does good work to engage young people politically across the country. Currently working in Sixth Form col- leges, youth centres, faith groups and online, they should expand their vision to bring older people to the table too, to demonstrate the culture and importance of participation and to share understanding across generations. The Centre for Ageing Better, which is working to establish and understand the evidence around that process that

© Phil Richards / Flickr we’re all going through, should expand its remit to include how attitudes and experi- worlds apart, these differences in culture to tackle our problem of disconnection in ences amongst young people can develop and attitudes are clear, and stark. a connected age. through time and into later life. That’s why the charities that I run, North Government can make a start by de- And across political parties, the media, London Cares and South London Cares, veloping a proper social integration strat- charities and business, we should build exist – to reduce social isolation amongst egy with a full time champion attending a new ‘Re:generation’ campaign coalition older people and young professionals alike; cabinet and working across departments – one that challenges our national ste- to harness the people and places around us to push for the type of programmes and reotypes of younger and older people alike, so that neighbours can help one another funding that can help tighten our common puts a new spin on people’s perceptions of improve their skills, power and connection bonds in a time of rapid change. ‘dynamism’, ‘wisdom’, and ‘lucky and un- in a rapidly changing world; and to bridge On welfare, reforms can focus on what’s lucky generations’, and helps us to change the gaps across social, generational, digital, strong about communities – incentivising our collective attitudes towards age groups cultural and attitudinal divides. older and younger people to share their and social attitudes other than our own. We’ve been gobsmacked by the results. time, skills and networks for the benefit There’s a convention and a cliché 81 per cent of older people we work with of others, and drawing back on universal amongst some groups working with regularly tell us they feel better connected benefits in order to focus on the hardest up. older and younger generations – that ‘age as a result of their participation. 77 per cent Next, more homes – and mixed housing doesn’t matter’. But age does matter. Age is say their relations with young people have developments in particular – would create a collection of life experiences, of love and improved. Neighbours report feeling hap- the security and spaces for people to live loss, of hope and heartbreak, of mischief pier, a greater sense of community and that together, and spend time together, in the and misadventure. And context matters they have more people to rely on. real world. Building on the Dutch model, too. People who were brought up in a time And the connection goes both ways – residential homes should not be exclusively of war or restraint or sexual revolution or with 97 per cent of the young professionals for the oldest and frailest, but places where digital abundance may think differently feeling better able to appreciate older young people, too, can mix with their from those of other generations, and act people and 98 per cent reporting a greater older neighbours and create meaningful accordingly. That’s OK. Life would be bor- connection to their community. relationships that benefit everyone. ing if we were on repeat. In an age where housing is increasingly To fix the challenge of young people But in our context of a rapidly transform- “ghettoised ”, with council estates and feeling disengaged from the political status ing world shifting faster than our sense gated new-build apartment blocks exacer- quo, the franchise should be extended to of identity can keep up with, we should bating a sense of ‘otherness’ we’re particu- everyone over 16. In most parts of the law, do more – through every channel of civic larly pleased that The Cares Family’s work those 16–18 year olds are already adults life – to ensure that everyone, regardless of does not just bring people together across – they can have children, receive state ben- age, circumstance or background, can feel generational lines, but across social lines efits, join the armed forces and pay tax – so a part of, rather than left behind by, their too – with a similar proportion of private they should be trusted with the vote too. changing communities. and social rented tenants participating. And why not explore the notion of a ‘GI Then we might realise that people from But with our media filter bubbles and Bill’-style investment, that helps people of across social and generational lines still national dialogue continuing to underscore all ages to build a business, buy a home, have so much in common, and so much our differences, and networks turning or save, according to their own priorities to gain from one another – in shared time, ever more inwards, we need more ideas – rather than plastering over the cracks of laughter, new experiences and, ultimately, and initiatives to bring people together an unfair economy with never-ending tax their shared futures. ■

17 / A Sense of Belonging LESSONS IN ASPIRATION Our schools can be engines for social integration, argues JAMES O’SHAUGHNESSY

Lord O’Shaughnessy is a Conservative peer, senior fellow at Legatum Institute and founder of Floreat Education. He was director of policy and research for former prime minister David Cameron

he vote to leave the European Union the government’s attention, we must not resentment among all groups but espe- Thas turned the world upside down. forget that the primary reason that Britain cially the host majority. There is a fog of discussion about what voted to leave is because of Britons’ falter- Through my work with the academy the result really meant – are we in a post- ing relationships with one another. With trust Floreat Education, which I founded, liberal world now, or a post-truth one Disraeli in mind, we need to recognise I have spent a great deal of time in areas – but one thing is obvious: the Brexit vote that there are perhaps not just two nations where there is very little integration, let revealed, with unprecedented clarity, the in Britain but dozens of them, striated by alone assimilation. People from different extent of the social divisions that wrack the class, of course, but also ethnicity, culture, religious and ethnic groups live side by United Kingdom. age, religion and place. How might we be side, mainly peacefully, but very little activ- In the immediate aftermath of the able to bring people together again, to have ity – social, civic, economic – crosses these referendum, the Legatum Institute and the a more integrated society rather than one bounds. Lives are lived in parallel, with the Centre for Social Justice set about analys- that is slowly drifting apart? temple, gurdwara, mosque or church usu- ing the behaviour of voters in an attempt It strikes me that there are essentially ally at the centre of each group’s activities. to piece together a coherent and robust two different societal issues involved here. At Floreat we actively try to combat this narrative about why they behaved as they The first is the impact of multicultural- marginalisation in three ways. First, we en- did. Our 48:52 – Healing a Divided Britain ism. The second is what, in a US context, sure our pupils have very rigorous literacy report found that poorer and less-well George W Bush so memorably called and numeracy teaching from a young age educated voters were more likely to have the soft bigotry of low expectations – the so they have the basic skills needed to voted to leave the EU, as were those who absence of hope for those people living in participate in society. Second, we teach are not in work, those living in council or the least prosperous parts of the country. a knowledge-rich academic curriculum social housing, and those dependent on Education, particularly school-level educa- that introduces the children to, in the poet a state pension. This is, if you like, a picture tion, has a central role to play in solving Matthew Arnold’s famous words, the best of low prosperity Britain, and indeed the both problems. that has been thought and said. This is the Legatum Institute’s UK Prosperity Index, As David Goodhart explains in his book only way they will be able to have a power- published after 48:52, found a correlation, The British Dream, successive governments ful voice in Britain’s national conversation. particularly strong in England, between have pursued a policy of multiculturalism And third, we explicitly and purposefully living in a low prosperity area and a pro- over the last 40 years. This has sought to teach a programme of character virtue de- pensity to vote Leave. promote tolerance of, and accommodation velopment so that our pupils understand But now we find ourselves on the other with, immigrant communities rather than that the keys to a life well lived are to be side of the vote. As the Prime Minister has the more complex challenge of trying found in all major religions and cultures, said, Brexit means Brexit, and time has to integrate them. Goodhart convinc- and that there is much more that binds us come to begin to heal those divisions. While ingly argues that this policy has two major as humans than there is that divides us. it is inevitable that the task of redefining flaws – it weakens the bonds necessary for Floreat’s schools are secular and we our relationship with the EU will dominate a well-functioning society, and it creates welcome children from every background,

18 / A Sense of Belonging but our approach means that we do not have to downplay the importance of faith and community as a source of strength and inspiration. It is more than just toler- ance – it is an activist approach aimed at integrating and assimilating all pupils into the wonderful, tradition-rich but forward- looking culture of modern Britain. Across our three open schools Floreat is not only bringing people together but forging the kind of culture that will give our children a true sense of common purpose through- out their lives.

Low prosperity Rejecting multiculturalism in favour of in- tegration is a challenge mainly centred on

cities. For many towns in England the chal- © The Challenge lenge is different – too much educational mediocrity and, as I described it in a 2012 of less well-off children who do get into benefits from the arrival of a new selective report for Policy Exchange, a long tail of them they can have a transformative ef- school. The most obvious are limits on pupil underachievement. The integration re- fect. So reintroducing selection across the numbers, partnering with other schools, quired here is not between various minor- board seems to be anything but integrative, increasing the intake from less well-off ity groups, but rather between one group a point made by campaigners from across families, and accountability for performance – often the white working class – and the the political spectrum. across the local network of schools. rest. This is task is largely focused on less The idea of allowing a small injection For example, a new grammar school prosperous areas, which lack social capital of academic selection into low prosper- might be permitted if it provides no more and the critical mass of academic teachers ity areas, where performance is poor, local than 5 per cent of local secondary places, and aspirational parents needed to break capacity is weak, and there is a need for sponsors a local multi-academy trust that out of a culture of underperformance. an external stimulus, has more potential, included low performing schools and Successive governments have been however. A new grammar (or, perhaps, feeder primaries, admits a high percentage alive to this problem and tried to intervene. a converting independent school) could of less well off pupils, and became a teach- City Technology Colleges, Education act as a catalyst for change by raising ing school. This would ensure that one Action Zones, Teach First, City Academies, aspiration, bringing in academic teachers, institution was held accountable for the the National Teaching Service; they have education performance across the ability all been tried and, despite being successful spectrum while also taking positive steps in many areas, some places are stuck. This The desire to see schools to increase local capacity. is the context for the Theresa May’s highly as engines of social There is always a danger that policy- controversial proposals to introduce a new makers seek to load schools with ever wave of grammar schools. integration is perfectly more responsibilities because they are There are three main proposals for in keeping with their core the one moment when young people are expanding selection in the Department for educational responsibilities in one place for a long time. This urge is Education Green Paper Schools that work usually to be resisted, but the desire to see for everyone: allowing existing grammar schools as engines of social integration is schools to expand, allowing new gram- and then spreading quality throughout perfectly in keeping with their core educa- mars to set up, and allowing all schools the the local system. It would be unlikely to tional responsibilities. A broad ‘academics chance to select some or all of their pupils. drive significant negative performance in + character’ education is not only right The first proposal is much less controver- a community that is already characterised in itself but has the happy by-product of sial than the others, so let us set that aside. by low standards. binding young people together in a com- The most radical of the ideas in the However, just introducing a new gram- mon culture. And spreading the benefits Green Paper is allowing all schools to mar would not be enough. The critical test of an aspirational culture – using grammar select. The evidence about totally selective is not that it raises standards for its own schools if necessary – to those places that areas, like Kent or Buckinghamshire, can- pupils, which it obviously must, but that, don’t enjoy it is consistent with the view not be said to be supportive of a wholesale in the phrase used by Stanford academic that a core purpose of education should move to reintroduce selection. Totally Caroline Hoxby when talking about the po- be should be to provide equality of oppor- selective areas seem to do worse on both tential benefits of school choice, it should be tunity, so that every child has the chance social mobility and income inequality, a ‘tide that lifts all boats’. Certain conditions to become, in Michael Gove’s words, the although it is true that for the minority should apply to make sure that everyone authors of their own life story. ■

19 / A Sense of Belonging TWO INTO ONE Planned mergers between ethnically segregated schools can promote integration, as MILES HEWSTONE explains

Miles Hewstone is professor of social psychology at the University of Oxford

very school pupil is taught in maths repeatedly assessed the same pupils over tive attitude – or ‘liking’ –, and a decrease Elessons that two into one won’t go. But time, measuring how much contact they in anxiety, for both white British and Asian sometimes it does. About six years ago my had with pupils from the ethnic ‘outgroup’, British pupils. We also found that increases research team was given the opportunity the quality of that contact, their anxiety in contact with the other group were to evaluate a rare ‘natural experiment’ – significantly associated with increases in a planned merger between two schools, liking for that group. each serving a distinct ethnic group (86 per Pupils self-segregated Although it is encouraging to see cent white British and 93 per cent Asian- by gender and, to overall positive effects for the merger, in British Muslim, respectively). Waterhead further analyses we asked for whom the Academy would be a brand-new school a significantly greater merger had the greatest impact. We did on a site carefully chosen to promote social degree, by ethnicity. this by investigating its effects on pupils integration in Oldham, one of the towns with relatively lower versus higher levels of that experienced rioting in 2001. It would There was, however, contact with the ethnic outgroup. We did provide a test of the ‘contact hypothesis’ – a significant increase in this analysis separately for white British the social-psychological idea that positive integration over time and Asian British pupils. contact with members of an outgroup For white British pupils, especially for improves relations between groups. How the measure of anxiety about mixing with has the merger worked? about mixing with the outgroup, and their the other group, those with previously low We collected data from three year attitudes towards them. The final sample contact with the ethnic outgroup showed groups (years 7–9 at the start of the study) comprised 389 Asian British and 341 white a steeper decline in anxiety after the merger. before the move to the new school site in British pupils. The drop was highly statistically significant June 2012 and followed them over the next We analysed individual changes over and in absolute terms was almost a full five years. time. The greatest changes were evident point on the scale from 1 to 5. Thus, on Our main research method was lon- for Asian British pupils; but there was average, participants’ anxiety decreased, gitudinal analysis of pupil surveys – we a significant increase in contact and posi- but those with low contact showed the

20 / A Sense of Belonging the school, and repeated this process over two further time points (July 2014 and July 2015). We then plotted a ‘network’ of all the links between year 7 pupils. This analysis showed the extent to which the network was clustered as a function of ethnicity and gender. One of the most useful aspects of data generated by this kind of analysis is that it shows reciprocal friendships. It might, for example, be relatively easy for a White British or Asian British pupil to say, “Yes, I have [outgroup] friends” or even to nominate “Mohammed” or “Michael”, respectively, as one such friend. But social network analysis requires that Mohammed nominates Michael and vice versa if it is to count as a reciprocal friendship. The social network analysis showed that both Asian British (90 per cent) and white British pupils (90 per cent) primarily had friends of the same ethnic group as themselves. Like the data from the caf- eteria these findings indicate that when it

© Andrew Nash / Flickr comes to closest friends there is still some way to go towards full integration. greatest decrease, meaning that for those at two points in one school year. Cross- Waterhead, merging previously seg- with almost no contact, the impact of the ethnic mixing at lunchtime was modest in regated white British and Asian British merger was largest. For liking, the pattern each of the three different lunch periods, schools, represents a radical merger in eth- was similar: only at low levels of contact and at each of the two calendar periods. nic terms. Has it succeeded? That depends did liking increase significantly over time. Pupils self-segregated by gender and, to on exactly how you measure integration. In other words, the merger worked best for a significantly greater degree, by ethnicity. We found reduced anxiety and in- those who had previously mixed least with There was, however, a significant increase creased liking and contact, especially for the outgroup. in ethnic integration over time. Nonethe- Asian British, over time. We also showed We next investigated the impact of less, what we call re-segregation remains, that increases in contact over time were gaining just one outgroup friend over the and it poses a question for teachers: should associated with increases in liking. Contact course of the study. We found that gaining we try to intervene and promote greater had most impact on those with previously a new outgroup friend was associated with mixing at lunchtime? While respecting low contact. And gaining just one outgroup reduced anxiety for both white British and freedom of choice, I believe that a case can friend made a positive difference to inter- Asian British pupils. be made for some intervention, even light- group relations. That sounds like success. All these findings indicate that mixing touch ‘nudges’ to promote greater mixing Yet, self-segregation, or re-segregation, does take place at Waterhead, that contact during this social period of the school day. was evident both in patterns of actual increases over time, and has a positive Without that, future generations of pupils behaviour in the form of lunchtime seating impact on measures of anxiety and at- will, presumably, continue to sit apart, and patterns, and in social networks based on titudes. However, it is important not to ‘model’ this self-segregation for others. pupils’ nominations of their closest friends. be overly optimistic. To provide a more This passes ‘segregationist’ norms onto To conclude, if one were writing a school nuanced analysis of integration we also future generations. Thus, new year 7 pupils report on Waterhead one might say “great studied seating patterns of pupils. We did will arrive at their secondary school each effort has been shown, with promising re- this when they were free to sit where, and September, wonder about how things work sults; but more work is needed.” That work with whom, they wished at lunchtime in there, who sits where, and with whom, and must more fully exploit the potential of its the school cafeteria. Previous work has they will conform to a norm of segregation. diverse environment. But as a beacon for documented segregated seating choice in In a final study we investigated pupils’ other planned mergers Waterhead shows such situations, illustrating the principle social networks of close friends. Previous that it can be done. These young people no of homophily, whereby ‘birds of a feather research has reported that such social net- longer lead the “parallel lives” referred to in flock together’. works tend to be segregated. We assessed the Cantle Report on the 2001 riots. They We conducted observations using social networks very simply by asking have mixed and made friends across the multiple observers and over multiple time pupils to list up to ten closest friends from ethnic divide. That seems a very heartening points during the lunch break, sampling their year group. We did this for all pupils in story for an increasingly diverse nation lunch periods for different age groups and year 7 in January 2014, in their first year at and world. ■

21 / A Sense of Belonging BEYOND THE NUMBERS GAME Stable housing and welfare support for low-income working families are essential in creating integrated communities, writes DAVID MONTAGUE

David Montague is chief executive of L&Q housing group and chair of the g15 group of London’s largest housing associations

ritain’s housing crisis is often just seen mission. We want to build homes that are We reinvest all our business sur- Bas a numbers game. The government has genuinely affordable for people on low pluses back into housing and a variety of pledged to build one million new homes by incomes, and we want to create thriving, innovative community and economic 2020, and if that is achieved then supply will diverse communities that all residents can development initiatives, including em- start to keep pace with demand, prices will be proud of. ployment, skills, education, health and fall and the crisis will be over. Simple. Housing associations have a key role to wellbeing, volunteering and financial But although boosting supply is crucial play as place-makers. We need to design inclusion programmes. and it’s easy to see why politicians and neighbourhoods with a harmonious blend Last year, the g15 alone invested £40m the media focus on numbers and targets, of housing types, we need to provide in these programmes, and we have helped Britain’s housing crisis is actually a com- quality services and we need to invest in more than 11,000 Londoners into work plex web of issues which requires a cross- communities to enhance the life chances of over the last three years; with plans to help party vision, partnership working across our residents. a further 21,000 find employment in the the whole housing sector, and a much At the same time, the government can next three years. better understanding of the people who help us by providing investment for social These programmes make a real differ- need homes. rented housing, and adjusting welfare ence, but they need to be underpinned Housing associations have a key role to policy so that those on low incomes have by an effective benefits system if work is play in this. In London, the g15 group of the enough financial security to put down genuinely to pay and we are to prevent capital’s 15 largest associations which I chair roots and become long-term members of many low-income households falling into houses one in 10 Londoners and builds the community. serious poverty. a quarter of all new homes in the capital. A core part of a housing association’s This is not yet the case, as the Real We know that more homes are needed mission is to support the disadvantaged London Lives project, commissioned by overall, but we also have a broader social and promote social mobility. the g15 and independently undertaken by

22 / A Sense of Belonging the University of York’s Centre for Housing to change school and leave their friends Policy, has shown. behind, and people having to quit their This three-year, large-scale study, also jobs because the extra cost of commuting demonstrated that since 2013 welfare makes them unsustainable. change has had a cumulative impact – Of course even in cities like London, affected households got by on a restricted there are pockets of deprivation where income for a time but many are now des- housing costs are lower, but very often perately struggling to manage. they have limited employment opportuni- Unlike the often sensationalist media ties and little in the way of support ser- portrayal of social housing tenants, the vices. These areas of transient low-income study found evidence of a strong work families struggle to create a positive ethic among tenants. The majority of social community identity and social problems housing tenants were working in each of invariably surface. the three years of the study, with 86 per With this backdrop, my housing asso- cent of those working in 2013 still work- ciation, L&Q, has commissioned the Uni- ing three years later, generally in stable versity of Birmingham to carry out a major employment. However, 11 per cent of them research project exploring the impact of were on zerohours contracts – four times mixed tenure estates. the national average. The research is ongoing, but early The research found some tenants work- findings are that truly mixed communities ing full-time but with incomes below the will have residents with a diverse range of minimum wage, and others who would socio-economic circumstances and eth-

have been better off not working once their © Lydia / Flickr nicities and that a balance of incomes, and travel costs were taken into account. not just a diversity of tenures, is important Welfare benefits were incredibly impor- benefit system. For the poorest households, in making mixed communities work. tant in helping many of these low-income the social tenancy was a bulwark against There is also strong evidence emerging working families make ends meet. Work- utter destitution. that residents – both private tenants and ing tax credits were an invaluable income But equally important is the need for social renters – living on mixed tenure top-up. Yet there were cases where people social rented housing to be part of mixed- estates recognise their potential to widen fitting work around childcare could not tenure communities. people’s social circles, prevent segregation reach the 16-hour minimum threshold to Housing associations have learned over and create cohesive communities. Some claim them the years that by building mixed-tenure residents do, however, feel that more needs About a quarter of households in the to be done to address factors that often study were affected by the ‘bedroom tax’. As we look to build the lead to separation between residents of Despite substantial reductions in hous- different tenures. ing benefit as a result, virtually none had numbers of new homes We hope that the full findings will moved. Instead, families tended to down- we need to tackle the provide us with empirical evidence, rather grade their living standards, with some than the largely anecdotal evidence we developing severe financial problems. housing crisis, we must have now, about the value of mixed tenure Many tenants had come to see the wel- remember the importance communities. We also hope to identify fare system as a set of risky and complex examples of best practice that we can share challenges to be overcome. Getting welfare of getting the mix right with politicians and place-makers across ‘wrong’, for example a technical slip on the country. a housing benefit claim, could result an developments, we create more successful As we look to build the numbers of new intractable debt taking years to resolve. and integrated communities. homes we need to tackle the housing crisis, Even families who micro-managed In our experience, the people living in we must remember the importance of get- a low income highly effectively were in social rented housing are often among the ting the mix right. In building the sustain- difficulty by year three. Eighteen per cent most active community champions, work- able mixed communities we need to give all of households in the study had used food ing to break down barriers, unite neigh- residents the best life chances, the housing banks, payday loans, pawnbrokers or rent- bourhoods and deliver positive change for sector needs investment in social rented to-own shops, and some of the poorest the benefit of all. housing and a welfare system that ensures families were selling or pawning posses- The alternative to mixed communities is work pays. And we need a recognition sions to buy essentials like food. to sit by and allow market forces to price that good, mixed-tenure, mixed-income Social rented housing was vital to a low-income families out of their homes homes are the foundation for successful, life with dignity for all the households in and neighbourhoods. We have already well-integrated communities that work for the Real London Lives study. For those seen the effects families forced hundreds all their residents. The Real London Lives working in stable jobs, the low rent offered of miles away from their communities research reports and summaries can be found the prospect of independence from the and support networks; children having at www.reallondonlives.co.uk ■

23 / A Sense of Belonging The Challenge is UK’s leading social integration charity. We design and deliver programmes that bring different people together to develop their confidence and skills in understanding and connecting with others, and promote policy ideas to forge a more integrated Britain.

Bright Blue is an independent think tank and pressure group for liberal conservatism. Its work is guided by four research themes: social reform, integrated Britain, green conservatism and human rights. As a community for liberal conservatives, Bright Blue is at the forefront of thinking on the centre-right of politics.

The Fabian Society is Britain’s oldest political think tank. Founded in 1884, the society is at the forefront of developing political ideas and public policy on the left. The society is alone among think tanks in being a democratically-constituted membership organisation and was one of the original founders of the Labour party.

This report represents not the collective views of the organisations involved but only the views of the individual authors.