The importance of Community Cohesion by Birmingham Councillor Alan Rudge
Author: Councillor Alan Rudge
Last Updated: 8/9/2009 11:24:28 AM
Summary
Cabinet Member for Equalities and Human Resources, Councillor Alan Rudge explains why it is so important to engage with local community partners and drive forward the Community Cohesion agenda.
Article
Community cohesion is not just a vague concept. It is about
everyone having a stake in society and being able to join in and
influence the decisions that affect their lives.
Birmingham is a city of great diversity, both in terms of
culture, art, faith, race and language. Yet it is a city that is
cohesive, vibrant and innovative. It is a city that has welcomed
people from all over the world, who have benefited from the peace
and harmony that exists and the social and economic development
that the city is famous for.
Community cohesion is about ensuring that all people from
different backgrounds and communities feel they belong to the place
in which they live. We cannot realise our ambitions by living
in isolation to one another, it must be as a united city, where the
differences of race, colour, and religion are embraced.
It is in the interest of all our citizens, whether they live in
Sparkbrook or Solihull and must be at the heart of the work of the
Council, our Partners and communities.
For Birmingham, real community cohesion means living together
positively; so people feel secure that their different backgrounds
and circumstances are appreciated and valued and strong, positive
relationships are forged,
It's giving all our citizens a stake in the city's success and
opening up similar positive life opportunities, creating fairness
and openness and encouraging enterprise, excellence and innovation
- making people feel good about the city they live in.
To promote these principles we need to strengthen a range of
attitudes and behaviours which we take for granted but in the
diverse world in which we live we need to further cultivate.
This includes valuing and respecting all people - their ideas,
energy, skills and talents. Building trust between and across
communities so we are able to work towards a common goal and the
greater good of the community and city as a whole.
Empowering individuals and communities to generate and release
individual capabilities and collective resources, so we can all
contribute to the growth of communities.
And through valuing, respecting, trusting and empowering
individuals and communities, we create bonds of trust and respect
which develop over time and through experience to create
relationships that are essential to good community cohesion.
To meet these aspirations, we need to recognise that these
attitudes and behaviours have to be embedded into the social ethos
of our society, and mediated through our social institutions. To
achieve this I believe there are a number of areas to which
emphasis should be given.
The family, for one, is where the values of community cohesion
begins. Yet with increasing pressures and demands put upon it, the
family is becoming fragmented and ignored as an important source of
social development for our young.
Our young need to be nurtured and encouraged and as one of the
most youthful cities in Europe special attention needs to be given
to this section of our community. As someone who has been
involved in youth work, I am always amazed at their resilience and
inspired by their courage and creativity. They are the future
leaders and managers of our city and they will make a major
contribution to its social, cultural and economic
development.
However, whilst most can be an inspiration, we can't ignore that
some can prove a challenge and that is why for my part, I also lead
on Birmingham's Reduction of Gang Violence and Preventing Violent
Extremism.
Faith communities also have a valuable contribution to make in
building a sense of local community and renewing civil society,
although also having distinctive characteristics and potential of
their own. I believe the new challenge for these communities,
and in particular their leadership, is how in a secular multi-faith
society, they can emerge a theology that transcends their
boundaries to reach out to others to work for a mission which
promotes cohesion between and across faiths.
Further emphasis should also be given to the voluntary and not
for profit sector which has a crucial role to play in the
reinvigoration of civic life and promoting community cohesion and
its values. Having myself been a life long volunteer, and
involved in a number of voluntary organisations, it is a social
institution I passionately believe in.
We need to use the voluntary and not for profit sector's
strengths to challenge and stimulate new ideas, complement our
shared objectives, to work with citizens and communities to
respect, trust and value each other.
One of the final areas of focus needs to be our democratic
culture. There is no other country in the world than Britain that
has led the way in evolving a strong democratic culture. The
Progressive Alliance in Birmingham City Council has been a champion
and advocate of local democracy, and recently in partnership with
Be- Birmingham we have established the Neighbourhood Boards,
and the Neighbourhood Boards Strategic Partnership, which I
chair.
I see democratic and civil renewal as a key priority for us
where equal and high participation by our citizens in civic life is
a central goal. Civil renewal should be about developing
constructive dialogue between people and local government. Working
together to make life and our environment better.
I believe that consultation, engagement and participation with
the broadest cross section of our communities, is at the heart of
the Council policy-making. That is why I have established a number
of community networks to ensure we are able to hear the voices of
citizens in various local communities, not the usual suspects, but
the unheard voices, those who work tirelessly without proper
recognition.
Community Cohesion is critical to the quality of life of local
people and, as community leaders, local authorities have an
essential role to play in facilitating this. By each and
everyone of us working together we can join in enhancing our city's
reputation as one that is prosperous, safe, and at peace with
itself.
The Author
Councillor Alan Rudge is a Cabinet Member for Equalities and
Human Resources can be contacted via email at: alan.rudge@birmingham.gov.uk