The final report was published from seven official working groups which were set up following the London terrorist bombings in July 2005. The report set out practical actions to promote a longer-term partnership between government and Muslim communities.
Source: 'Preventing Extremism Together' Working Groups Aug-Oct 2005, Home Office (0870 000 1585)
Links: Report | Government response | Home Office press release | Guardian report
Date: 2005-Nov
A new book compared the patterns of ethnic minority politics in British and French city politics. It analyzed the ways in which ethnic and cultural diversity in urban societies translated into conflictual politics.
Source: Romain Garbaye, Getting Into Local Power: The politics of ethnic minorities in British and French cities, Blackwell Publishing (01235 465500)
Links: Summary
Date: 2005-Oct
A new book called for a fundamental rethink of race and diversity policy. It said that it was now necessary to establish a programme to build commonalities between groups, rather than to reinforce and emphasise differences .
Source: Ted Cantle, Community Cohesion: A new framework for race and diversity, Palgrave Macmillan (01256 329242)
Links: Summary | IDEA press release | Guardian report
Date: 2005-Oct
The government responded to a report by a committee of MPs on ways of dealing with the effects of Northern Ireland's history of inter-community violence.
Source: Ways of Dealing with Northern Ireland's Past: Interim Report - Victims and Survivors. Government Response to the Committee's Tenth Report of Session 2004-05, Sixth Special Report (Session 2005-06), HC 530, House of Commons Northern Ireland Affairs Select Committee, TSO (0870 600 5522)
Links: Response | MPs report
Date: 2005-Oct
An article reported on a survey which asked young people aged 16 in Northern Ireland about their attitudes to, and experiences of, community relations.
Source: Dirk Schubotz and Paula Devine, 'What now?: exploring community relations among 16-year olds in Northern Ireland', Shared Space, October 2005, Community Relations Council (028 9022 7500)
Links: Article (pdf)
Date: 2005-Oct
The government began consultation on whether to create a specific criminal offence relating to forced marriage.
Source: Forced Marriage - A Wrong not a Right, Home Office (0870 000 1585) and Foreign and Commonwealth Office
Links: Consultation document (pdf) | Community Care report | Guardian report
Date: 2005-Sep
A report (by a group opposed to large-scale immigration) said that the problems of integrating immigrant communities would only get worse if action were not taken urgently to severely curtail transnational marriages.
Source: Transnational Marriage and the Formation of Ghettoes, MigrationwatchUK (01869 337007)
Links: Report
Date: 2005-Sep
An article examined the community cohesion policy agenda in England, and in particular the role of housing.
Source: David Robinson, 'The search for community cohesion: key themes and dominant concepts of the public policy agenda', Urban Studies, Volume 42 Number 8
Links: Abstract
Date: 2005-Jul
The government responded to a report by a committee of MPs on terrorism and community relations.
Source: Terrorism and Community Relations: Government reply to 6th report from Home Affairs Committee session 2004-05, Cm 6593, Home Office, TSO (0870 600 5522)
Links: Response (pdf) | MPs report
Date: 2005-Jun
The Racial and Religious Hatred Bill was published, and given a second reading. The Bill proposed a new offence of incitement to religious hatred - applying where threatening, abusive or insulting words or behaviour were used by someone who intended to stir up hatred against a group of people defined by reference to religious belief or lack of religious belief.
Source: Racial and Religious Hatred Bill, Home Office, TSO (0870 600 5522) | House of Commons Hansard, Debate 21 June 2005, columns 668-767, TSO
Links: Text of Bill | Explanatory notes | Hansard | ACPO press release | JUSTICE briefing (pdf) | Law Society press release | Liberty briefing (pdf) | HOC Library research paper (pdf) | Guardian report
Date: 2005-Jun
A paper described evidence on the extent of ethnic segregation experienced by children across secondary schools and neighbourhoods.
Source: Simon Burgess, Deborah Wilson and Ruth Lupton, Parallel Lives? Ethnic segregation in schools and neighbourhoods, CASEpaper 101, Centre for Analysis of Social Exclusion/London School of Economics (020 7955 6679)
Links: Paper (pdf) | Urban Studies abstract
Date: 2005-Jun
The Serious Organised Crime and Police Act was given Royal assent. It established a Serious Organised Crime Agency to tackle serious crime, and gave the police and community support officers new powers. Proposals to outlaw incitement to religious hatred were dropped due to opposition from the Liberal Democrat and Conservative parties.
Source: Serious Organised Crime and Police Act 2005, TSO (0870 600 5522)
Links: Text of Act | MCB press release | Guardian report
Date: 2005-Apr
A report by a committee of MPs considered how the threat of international terrorism had affected relations between communities, focusing on the Muslim community. It concluded that the United Kingdom was well placed to deal with the issues involved, but that this would require active leadership at all levels.
Source: Terrorism and Community Relations, Sixth Report (Session 2004-05), HC 165, House of Commons Home Affairs Select Committee, TSO (0870 600 5522)
Links: Report | IHRC press release | Guardian report
Date: 2005-Apr
A new book used case studies to explore high-profile social problems, in particular racism and ethnic/religious community segregation. It also examined legislative and other responses to these problems, including strategies to counter institutional prejudice (especially in policing), hate crime legislation, managed migration, community safety, and community cohesion strategies.
Source: Derek McGhee, Intolerant Britain? Hate, citizenship and difference, Open University Press (01280 823388)
Links: Summary
Date: 2005-Apr
Researchers examined the attitudes of young people taking part in five projects which aimed, through a variety of approaches, to combat racism. There were signs of success in influencing behaviour in a positive way including those working with offenders who have committed racially motivated offences. But the attitudes of young people attending schools in multi-cultural areas were found to be less, rather than more, tolerant than others.
Source: Gerard Lemos, The Search for Tolerance: Challenging and changing racist attitudes and behaviour in young people, York Publishing Services for Joseph Rowntree Foundation, available from York Publishing Services Ltd (01904 430033)
Links: Report (pdf) | JRF Findings 0135 | JRF press release
Date: 2005-Mar
The Northern Ireland Executive published a strategy for improving community relations. It aimed for the elimination of sectarianism, racism, and all forms of prejudice, so as to enable people to live without fear of intimidation or harassment; the reduction of tension at interface areas; and the development of a shared community where people wished to live, work, play and learn together.
Source: A Shared Future: Improving relations in Northern Ireland, Northern Ireland Executive (028 9052 2658) | House of Commons Hansard, Written Ministerial Statement 21 March 2005, columns 42-43WS, TSO (0870 600 5522)
Links: Strategy (pdf) | Hansard | NIE press release | CRC press release
Date: 2005-Mar
A report indicated ways in which local authorities could use their scrutiny powers to promote cohesion within local communities.
Source: David Janner-Klausner, Scrutiny of Community Cohesion Issue, Local Government Information Unit, available from Central Books (0845 458 9910)
Links: LGIU press release (pdf)
Date: 2005-Feb
A report used data from the 2003 Home Office Citizenship Survey to explore levels of trust and community participation in England. There was no statistically significant relationship between social diversity (by socio-economic or ethnic groups) and trust in the courts, in Parliament, in the local council, in the police, or in employers. However, the more ethnically diverse an area was, the less likely people were to trust others within that area.
Source: Rachel Pennant, Diversity, Trust and Community Participation in England, Research Findings 253, Home Office (020 7273 2084)
Links: Findings (pdf)
Date: 2005-Jan