Burnley Task Force Report
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BURNLEY TASK FORCE Page No CONTENTS 1-3 LISTEN TO US 4 PREFACE 5-6 CHAIR’S INTRODUCTION 7-9 TASK FORCE RECOMMENDATIONS AND ACTION PLAN 10-23 MAPS OF BURNLEY 24-26 SECTION 1 1.1 The origins of the Task Force, its 27-30 Membership and Terms of Reference 1.2 The First Meeting 30-31 1.3 The Consultation Process 31-34 SECTION 2 2.1. What Happened? 35-36 2.2. Why Did it Happen? 36-37 SECTION 3 3.1. Submissions and Task Force Responses 38-39 3.2. Housing 39-47 3.2.1. Ways Forward 3.2.2. Housing Market Renewal Fund 3.2.3. Partnership Management 3.2.4. The Borough’s Approach 3.2.5. Information from other Local Authorities 3.2.6. Private Landlords Page 1 of 87 3.2.7. Housing and Landlords Associations 3.3. Community Relations 4753 3.3.1. Funding of Race Relations Work 3.3.2. The Politicisation of Race 3.3.3. The Asian Heritage Communities 3.3.4. The White Community 3.4. Community and Voluntary Sector 54-57 3.5. Burnley Borough Council 58-62 3.5.1. Council’s Submission 3.6. Police 63-65 3.7. Summary of Newspaper Media Analysis 65-67 3.8. Education 67-68 3.9. Young People 68-77 3.9.1. How the Young People’s Group Operated 3.9.2. How the views of Young People were Obtained 3.9.3. Young People’s Questionnaire 3.9.4. Web Page and ROBOT 3.9.5. Youth Theatre Events 3.9.6. Youth and Community Services 3.9.7. Experiences of Young People as Part of Burnley Task Force 3.9.8. What will happen in the Future 3.10. Crime and Disorder 77-80 3.10.1. Drug Misuse 3.10.2. Alcohol Misuse 3.10.3. Taxi and Private Hire 3.11. Burnley’s Economy 80-81 3.12. Statutory Agencies 81-83 3.13. Government and Home Office 83-85 Page 2 of 87 SECTION 4 Conclusion and Next Steps 86 APPENDICES Appendix 1 Household Questionnaire Appendix 2 Submissions from Burnley’s Political Parties a) British National Party b) Conservative Group c) Labour Group d) Liberal Democrat Group e) Socialist Alliance Appendix 3 Housing Market Renewal Fund Appendix 4 Housing Providers a) Bradford and Northern Housing Association b) East Lancashire Landlords Association Appendix 5 Bangladeshi Welfare Association Appendix 6 East Lancashire Development Unit Appendix 7 Media Analysis Appendix 8 Education Appendix 9 Burnley’s Economy Appendix 10 Statutory Sector a) Lancashire County Council b) Burnley and Padiham Community Housing c) Government Office for the North West d) Burnley Job Centre e) Burnley and Pendle Primary Care Group f) Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service g) Lancashire Probation Service h) Burnley, Pendle and Rossendale Magistrates Court i) Lancashire Ambulance Service j) Burnley College k) Lancashire Constabulary Appendix 11 Burnley Borough Council a) Burnley Borough Council Response b) Council Minute c) Financial Background d) Housing Needs and Strategy Unit Page 3 of 87 LISTEN TO US We live in world full of drugs and pollution I think it’s about time we thought of a solution Listen to people’s views and what they think Don’t laugh at them and say they stink Try to understand we do want to change Don’t think or say that we are insane You have never seen our pain When you ask us about the good things in our town You take us for a bunch of clowns But we have parks that are very smart We just need some lighting for when it gets dark Whether you know it or not we do have some fun We have a youth club, but only one We are growing up and want more But they just don’t seem to want to know When you ask us about the bad things in our town Don’t just listen – write them down We have children missing at the age of seven They are not ready to go to heaven We have people on drugs getting high At the age of nineteen, they will die We have crime all around us, and know it as a fact That the criminals will get less than five months, if they get that We want more cameras and more police To watch out for our nephews and niece But most of all we want peace We want to be able to have fun before we reach the age of ninety one Girls are getting pregnant at an early age Missing exams and not having a career Wasting time and drinking beer I wrote this poem to make a point To try and make this place a better joint And give the people what they want A poem by Kerry Barnes aged 16 Youth Works Burnley Voices Group Page 4 of 87 PREFACE Throughout our investigations, the Burnley Task Force has looked at the issues that have led to the disturbances that took place on the weekend of the 23rd June. Our report covers not just the immediate causes of these problems, but also many of the deep-rooted issues that have led Burnley to the point where violence and prejudice was allowed to dominate the town for those days in June. The aim of our investigation and of the report we have produced is to look at what happened during those disturbances and to seek explanations. Importantly, however, the Task Force has sought to provide a way forward for Burnley. In crucial areas such as housing, community relations, policing, the role of the community and voluntary sector, youth and the work of statutory bodies, the Task Force has made recommendations for both immediate and long-term actions. These recommendations will require the support and effort of all sections of the Burnley community and the commitment of local, regional and central government. Burnley never asked for wounding of the town through successive job losses, and the steady decline of its traditional industries. Burnley people never sought the levels of deprivation that resulted from its economic difficulties. But the truth is that the people of Burnley cannot tackle all of these problems on their own. The time is right for all those who live and work in the town, those who employ people in Burnley, those who administer the services and facilities in Burnley, those who make decisions on its behalf, those who lead communities and faiths in the town and those who have the influence to direct funding within Burnley to unite around a common vision. Many people have said to us during our investigations that the vision for Burnley is not evident. They have said that the signposts pointing towards a brighter, more confident future are difficult to find. This Task Force report seeks to lift the community. It also aims to show the people of Burnley and the decision makers the signposts that may point the way to a more cohesive, inclusive and better-served community. We must provide the people of the town with compelling reasons to work together. We must provide the young people of Burnley with reasons to stay and build their lives in Burnley. We must all show each other that Burnley can be a place where people live together in peace because we share common goals and we understand each other’s concerns. In my short time working in Burnley, I have fallen in love with the town. It is a town of rich tradition and pride. It is also a town in which people, often through adversity and hardship, display the best elements of human nature; warmth, generosity, loyalty and a tremendous spirit. The challenge for all of us now is to build on the best that exists in Burnley and use the energy and determination that is here to build a better, more prosperous future. There Page 5 of 87 is no place here for those who preach prejudice and racial hatred. There is no place for those who do not want to contribute to the best future for the town. Prime Minister, Tony Blair’s words to the Labour Party Conference on 2nd October 2001 echo these sentiments. “The graffiti, the vandalism, the burnt out cars, the street corner drug dealers, the teenage mugger just graduating from the minor school of crime: we’re not old fashioned or right- wing to take action against this social menace. We’re standing up for the people we represent, who play by the rules and have a right to expect others to do the same. And especially at this time let us say: we celebrate the diversity in our country, get strength from the cultures and races that go to make up Britain today; and racist abuse and racist attacks have no place in the Britain we believe in”. The events of the weekend of the 23rd June were a low point for Burnley. But, out of difficult times, there often springs hope. In the view of the Task Force, those events have created an important opportunity. It is now time to seize that opportunity and create a Burnley in which everyone can live in peace and work together for a common future. Page 6 of 87 CHAIR'S INTRODUCTION At the end of July, I was invited to act as independent Chair to the Task Force set up to examine the sad events that occurred in Burnley on the 23rd to 25th June 2001. Having seen the Terms of Reference that were set by the Task Force following a Borough-wide Conference shortly after the disturbances, I agreed.