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Billions spent on helping immigrants is actually driving communities apart John F. McManus Councils were today found to be wasting billions of pounds on community policies that unwittingly fuel ethnic tensions. A ground-breaking report said that thousands of drop- in centres for individual ethnic minority communities were simply keeping people apart. And the widespread practice of translating every official document into a variety of minority languages had backfired by ensuring thousands of immigrants never bother to learn English. The damning verdicts came in today's long awaited report, Our Nation's Future, by the Commission on Integration and Cohesion.
It urged a major cultural shift in the way some local authorities and Government departments cope with varied populations, moving away from supporting isolated communities in favour of getting people to mix. Communities Secretary Ruth Kelly welcomed the findings and said official bodies must learn the lessons. She told the Standard: "This is a wake-up call to local government that I hope will provoke a real culture change. "The report is striking because it shows how some local authorities have managed the changes in society very much better than others. What is clear is that strong local civic leadership is incredibly important when it comes to bringing people together rather than driving them apart." Among other key recommendations are a national watchdog body to guard against hotspots developing, giving new arrivals briefing packs on British customs - such as forming orderly queues and not spitting in the street - and using schools to foster integration. The report comes six years after disturbances in northern towns like Oldham and Bradford. Since then, the 11 September atrocity, the London bombings and mass immigration from eastern Europe have combined to deepen concern about the dangers of allowing communities to divide. It found huge variations in the way towns coped with immigration. Some of the greatest tensions were in predominantly-white East Anglia where residents were not prepared for large numbers of arrivals from new EU member states like Poland and Romania. Ms Kelly said there was no evidence that race riots were a risk in rural England. The report backed a big drive to teach English, finding that six people in 10 regard that as essential for integration. But there were pockets of people who did not bother because all official documents were translated into their native tongue. In future, said the report, only emergency services like casualty units should offer routine translation. Savings of tens of millions of pounds a year should go towards English tuition for newcomers. Similarly, councils should stop funding clubs or centres that serve only one ethnic group. Funds should go instead to centres that serve every community, although they could host special events for one minority. Ms Kelly said: "In this way they would be a hub, drawing people together from the entire community." The report called for a strong emphasis in schools on developing a sense of citizenship, with annual ceremonies at town halls to mark those completing the GCSE course in citizenship. Commission chairman Darra Singh said eight in 10 people felt their communities got on well. "At the same time, Britain continues to become a more diverse country. There are communities experiencing migration in a way they haven't before. Whilst there is no cause for alarm, there is a clear case for action." Sir Andrew Green, of pressure group Migrationwatch, said: "Immigrants are now arriving at nearly one a minute. Until these huge numbers are brought down, belated efforts at integration are doomed." In the mix... what the report recommends Translation curbs Translation of all council and government leaflets into minority languages should be scrapped. Savings, worth tens of millions of pounds, should be used to improve English teaching for migrants. Funding ban Councils should stop funding centres that cater for one ethnic community, such as Irish drop-in centres or Bangladeshi women's clubs. They should use funding for centres that encourage mixing. Community Week Annual festivals with street parties to bring communities together in a local area, with events focusing on local history and diversity. School twinning Links between pupils in different regions or communities would be forged through exchanges. Volunteering A national programme for young people, linked to citizenship. For adults, employers should give up to three days leave a year for community charity schemes. Citizenship ceremonies A GCSE course in Citizenship, currently taken by 38,000 pupils a year, would be completed with a town hall ceremony. Buddying schemes Linking immigrant children who cannot speak English with older pupils who have found their feet. Advice packs All immigrants to get "cultural briefing packs" to teach them
British customs when they arrive. A similar pack ended a row in Peterborough
where Polish anglers took home carp catches, not knowing it went against
local custom. A new national body should identify potential hotspots.
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