DECEMBER 2001 Black and minority ethnic communities: key data 11 Introduction The study is supplemented by appendices y covering: Awareness of the need for housing associations (HAs) to address the • A comparison of HA lettings to BME inequalities faced by Black and Minority households and Census data in each d Ethnic (BME) households has been English local authority area; heightened by a number of key events in • HAs’ lettings, employment and recent years: governance statistics in relation to BME u communities. • The Housing Corporation’s BME housing t policy, launched in 1998; The appendices should be used by HAs in • The Report of the Lawrence Inquiry in analysing their own performance and will 1999 and its emphasis on the dangers of be updated on an annual basis, including s organisations failing to review practice; 2001 Census data as it becomes available. • The Race Relations Amendment Act s 2000 which places an enforceable duty on the Housing Corporation to promote Data limitations racial equality and prevent racial r discrimination, which it can most The categories used to collect data on BME effectively meet through the work of communities vary between different HAs; sources, causing difficulties in comparing o • The publication of the Challenge Report data. This reflects more than simple in 2001 from the Race and Housing differences in group names. For example, t Inquiry and its emphasis on the need for Irish communities, which are covered by the continuous improvement in HAs’ race Housing Corporation’s BME housing policy, equality work; are classified as ‘white’ rather than BME c • The Housing Corporation’s new groups in many data sources. This not only regulatory code with its emphasis on race hides their needs but understates the extent equality issues and the importance of of BME needs more generally. e continuous improvement in performance. The broad categories often used to present The aim of this Sector Study is to provide data imply a homogeneity which may not s key facts relating to BME communities exist. For example, the needs and which are of relevance to housing providers expectations of different Asian communities and others; and to provide a tool for those can be overlooked when they are discussed involved in service delivery and policy as one group. There are also clear gender formulation to review and improve their differences in the educational and labour performance. market performance of some ethnic groups, which should be remembered when data on different groups is analysed. 234 Population people increase steadily from 4.3% of the 45–64 population to 10.3% of the 0–4 Table 1 shows the age profile of the population. Migration patterns and death population in England by ethnic group. rates will have some effect on these figures and will clearly directly affect the ‘born in • 6.2% of the population and 4.5% of the Ireland’ figures. Housing providers will need households in England were recorded as to respond to a more diverse older population being from a BME group by the 1991 in the future and will want to assess how Census. far there are ethnic differences in demand. • Official national statistics estimate that the BME percentage of the population of Figure 1 shows the distribution of the BME England had increased to 7.3% by 1998. population throughout England at the time BME communities: key data • 1.6% of the population were ‘born in of the 1991 Census. Ireland’ according to the 1991 Census. This was 2.2% of all households.1 These There are large regional variations in the are not included in the BME percentages ethnic composition of the population and above. wide diversity in the distribution of each BME community. However, BME populations The BME population is relatively young, are generally concentrated in the most Sector Study 11 which will lead to a growth in the populous and urban areas of England. In percentage of the workforce from BME particular this concentration is in Greater backgrounds. For example, 12% of primary London and to a lesser extent the West school children and 11% of secondary Midlands, although BME communities are school children in England, are from BME present in almost all local authority areas. groups. The most youthful ethnic groups are Bangladeshis, Pakistanis, Black Other Figure 2 shows the distribution of HA and Other Other (the largest numbers in lettings to BME households (12.15% this group are from Arab backgrounds nationally). It shows that lettings are including North African and from Iranian, concentrated in local authority areas of Turkish and other Middle Eastern origins). above average BME population. 320 local authorities have a higher percentage of HA Over time increasing proportions of people lets to BME households than the percentage above pensionable age will be from BME of BME households recorded by the 1991 households. Whilst only 1.2% of the current Census. population over 65 is from a BME background, the percentages of BME In 46 local authorities the percentage is 1 Data are only available from the 1991 Census on people born in Ireland rather than people who con- sider their ethnic group to be Irish. Table 1 Age group (%) Age profile of the 0–4 5–15 16–24 25–44 45–64 65+ population of All 3,129,485 6,306,822 6,001,215 13,784,374 10,279,837 7,553,471 England by ethnic White 89.7 89.9 92.2 93.2 95.7 98.7 group All BME 10.3 10.1 7.8 6.8 4.3 1.2 Black—Caribbean 1.2 1.1 1.2 1.2 1.2 0.4 Black—African 0.8 0.6 0.6 0.6 0.2 0.0 Black—Other 1.1 0.8 0.5 0.3 0.1 0.0 Indian 2.3 2.7 2.1 2.1 1.3 0.4 Pakistani 1.9 2.1 1.3 0.8 0.5 0.1 Bangladeshi 0.8 0.8 0.5 0.2 0.2 0.0 Chinese 0.3 0.4 0.4 0.4 0.2 0.1 Other-Asian 0.5 0.5 0.5 0.6 0.3 0.1 Other-Other 1.4 1.1 0.7 0.6 0.3 0.1 Total 100 100 100 100 100 100 Source: 1991 Census Born in Ireland 0.2 0.4 0.9 1.6 2.8 2.2 Figure 1: Percentage ranges of BME households by local authority at 1991 Census lower, but in only one case by more than 1 for Bangladeshi women. In addition, figures percentage point. The largest number of HA reflect age on arrival in England and the lettings where the percentage made to BME number of other households from the same households is below the Census BME community in a particular neighbourhood. percentage is in North Tyneside, Cotswold, North Wiltshire and Suffolk Coastal districts. Demand for language services should be kept under review, particularly because the Appendix 1 outlines the percentage of BME arrival of asylum seekers and refugees can households living in each local authority bring new interpreting and translation area and the percentage of HA lettings they requirements. received. Sources of further information Language • Modood, T., Berthoud, R. et al. (eds.) A number of established BME communities 1997: Ethnic Minorities in Britain: will require HAs to provide interpreters diversity and disadvantage. The Fourth and/or translations. The Fourth PSI survey National Survey of Ethnic Minorities. (1994) recorded between a fifth and a London: PSI. quarter of Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi • Owen, D. 1992: Ethnic Minorities in and Chinese men who did not speak Great Britain: settlement patterns. 1991 English fluently or fairly well. Gender is an Census Statistical Paper No. 1. Coventry: important differentiating factor. For women CRER, University of Warwick. figures were generally higher, reaching 60% • Ratcliffe, P. (ed.) 1996: Ethnicity in the Figure 2: Percentage of RSL lets to BME households by local authority 2000/2001 1991 Census. Volume Three: social • Disproportionate to their numbers in the geography and ethnicity in Britain: population, Indian households are more geographical spread, spatial concentra- likely to be owner-occupiers than all tion and internal migration. London: other ethnic groups, including ‘white’. HMSO. http://www.statistics.gov.uk • Irish people (included within the ‘white’ • Performance and Innovation Unit 2001: group), are under-represented in owner Improving labour market achievements occupied housing compared with their for ethnic minorities in British society numbers in the population. Scoping Note • 56% of Bangladeshi households occupy http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/ social housing, the highest percentage innovation/2001/ethnicity/scope.shtml for the ethnic groups shown, and compared with just 20% of white households. Housing • Black Caribbean and ‘Other or mixed’ ethnic groups were also highly The Survey of English Housing (2000) shows represented in the social rented sector. that the percentage of white households living in owner-occupied property is far High levels of owner-occupation in some higher than the percentage for all BME BME groups does not necessarily reflect households (Table 2). However, the situation greater wealth. BME households are most is more complex once broad groupings are likely to be living in the poorest quality broken down. housing in each tenure. Table 3 shows they 2 This uses the DTLR standard of the number of household members per bedroom. Table 2 Owner Social Private Total Tenure by ethnic Ethnic group occupied rented rented Total thousands group of head of White 70 20 10 100 19,241 household Black Caribbean 46 47 7 100 259 (all households Indian 80 10 10 100 296 England 1999/2000) Pakistani 64 20 15 100 164 Bangladeshi* 31 56 12 100 42 Other or mixed 36 41 23 100 589 All ethnic minority 51 33 16 100 1,351 All groups 69 21 10 100 Thousands 14,200 4,293 2,099 20,592 Source: DTLR Survey of English Housing Note: * This estimate has a large sampling error because of the concentration and small size of the 1999/2000 Bangladeshi population.