Community Cohesion Strategy

A report from The Campaign Company

Summary

What they said…

Through this process we confirmed that large sections of the community do feel disengaged, although this was less pronounced amongst those from black and minority ethnic communities.

But the degree to which people were forthcoming (and often prepared to be candid) once an initial degree of trust had been established was positive.

The main themes that have emerged from this consultation are summarised below:

5.1 'Respect'

5.1.1 A widely held view was that respect for other people and public property is lacking in the borough. It was generally felt that the breakdown of the family unit and deterioration of family values is the root cause of many of the problems that currently exist in the borough and elsewhere.

5.1.2 Many people felt that respect is something that needs to be taught from a young age, in the home and at school.

5.1.3 Young people were particularly concerned about increasing respect between different groups. These included groups from different cultural backgrounds but also between young and older people.

5.2 'Togetherness'

5.2.1 Opinions about whether Barking and Dagenham is a strong community were divided. Some people felt that there still is a strong sense of community spirit, that local people are generally friendly and talk to one another, and that a diverse community is a good thing.

"The majority of people get on. There will always be a minority of difficult people. Some newcomers have language problems, for example some Kosovans in the block, but their children speak English and translate for the parents - they are well brought up, hold doors open for you. They all work, don't take handouts and are to be commended."

Resident, Parkside House.

Others felt that it is a divided community and were unconvinced that much could be done to change that.

"There was a strong community here. There was a sense of belonging because the majority of people that were born here have stayed here. But new people moving in don't want to integrate, don't want to join in."

Tenants and Residents Association representative.

5.2.2 Many residents thought that there was not much contact between neighbours. Most ethnic minorities wanted to see more contact and thought the council was best placed to facilitate this.

Some white residents thought this was a good idea too, whilst others were sceptical about the possibility of change in this respect. This reflected their view that what was once a close community had changed forever and they were pessimistic it could be changed.

5.2.3 Many residents of ethnic minority backgrounds who have lived in the area for a significant time would like to see better integration from newcomers to the borough.

5.2.4 Some people said that the council should organise more events, e.g. fetes, fairs and festivals, to bring the community together. These should be targeted at all sections of the community rather than parts of it.

5.3 'Fairness'

5.3.1 Some residents believed that they were less favoured in their treatment by the council, especially over housing issues.

5.4 Safety

5.4.1 Young people and antisocial behaviour: Young people hanging around the streets seems to be a significant issue of concern. Some people see youth of today as lacking respect and discipline for other people and property.

5.4.2 Policing: Many residents commented that the Safer Neighbourhood policing teams did an excellent job and that there had been a noticeable reduction in antisocial behaviour since they started.

5.4.3 However, it was generally felt that a stronger presence was still needed on the streets, particularly at night when the Safer Neighbourhood teams are off duty and much of the problem behaviour occurs.

5.4.4 Several residents complained about parking problems. In particular people were concerned about the lack of parking space in some parts of the borough, and commercial vehicles parking on pavements.

5.5 Housing

5.5.1 Social housing: Whilst the focus of this work was not on housing and related issues, the state of housing and particularly perceived unfairness of the new allocation system was often cited.

Some residents felt that new residents were being given special treatment over people who have been waiting for a new home for some time.

5.5.2 Private housing: poor maintenance of private housing was also an issue for residents who were upset to see unkempt houses and front gardens making once tidy streets look run down.

5.6 Local environment

5.6.1 Particular issues are the scruffy state of the local shops and the state of the local environment (e.g. untidy front gardens). This sends the message that what was once a very tidy suburb is turning into a much more urban area.

We are not seen as exclusively responsible for this. There is an awareness of the responsibility of local people to improve their area.

5.6.2 The shops at Dagenham Heathway were seen as very poor, with only 1 significant food shop (Iceland). There was some scepticism whether this would change much in the short-term.

5.7 Communication

5.7.1 Communication between neighbours: Some people feel that their community is close-knit and that the people of the borough are generally friendly and neighbourly. Others feel that community spirit it not as strong as it was, or has disappeared altogether.

The most common reasons cited for this include the break down of families, people new to the borough finding it difficult to integrate, tenants not staying in the same place for very long and 'problem' families being moved in and out of housing estates.

5.7.2 Communication between the council and residents: The work we have conducted to date has demonstrated that the vast majority of local people are, when asked, very happy to share their views.

"The Council is putting a lot into Dagenham. Progress is being made, people should give them credit for being a debt free council. I think they do care about their tenants and leaseholders. If you really look, the council are doing things. People who complain have not bothered to find out what's going on - they just believe what they read in the papers."

Resident, Ibscott Estate.

5.7.3 Others felt strongly that the council should improve communication and consultation with local residents and make better use of Tenants and Residents Associations as the 'bridge' into local communities.

5.7.4 Communication between Council departments: Some Tenants and Residents Association representatives felt frustrated by a perceived lack of internal communication within the council (i.e. between different departments).

5.8 Barking vs Dagenham

5.8.1 Many Dagenham residents felt that Barking gets more attention than Dagenham, although some did appreciate that much regeneration work is planned for the area.

5.8.2 Many older people in particular tended to feel that Barking had changed beyond recognition from the place that it used to be and were unhappy about this.

5.9 Cultural differences

In broad terms there are 2 different perceptions of Barking and Dagenham, depending on where people are coming from and where they want to go:

5.9.1 Residents from minority ethnic communities are generally keen to be engaged, see the place as 'quiet' and 'peaceful', and on the whole are satisfied with the council. This may reflect the fact that many have moved from a more urban environment.

They have a broadly optimistic outlook. Interestingly their expressed views sounded exactly like the anecdotes of the oldest white residents who talked about when they first moved to Dagenham!

5.9.2 Other residents (particularly older people), whilst not totally hostile to the council, mainly see the area as 'going downhill'. When questioned, some residents felt that it would be hard to strengthen and bring together the community.

This issue of 'ownership' of an area is probably worthy of further study as it likely to continue to happen whenever a previously stable community changes rapidly.

5.9.3 Many white residents when initially questioned on the doorstep started by saying that 'I am not allowed to tell you what I really think' but then through the course of the survey expressed concern over the number of ethnic minority residents moving into the borough.

The fact that white residents are reticent illustrates that many publicly expressed views of previous decades are perceived as unacceptable in public discourse today.

The danger however is that it makes it more difficult to engage with a significant section of the community who hold views that they perceive as at variance with the established view.

It is arguable that a concern over the perceived numbers of ethnic minority residents moving in is a different concern to clearly expressed individual racism to other ethnic groups.

Within the indigenous population there are a range of views and the council needs to be able to engage in a very personal way with individual residents to understand this more.

5.10 The future

5.10.1 When asked what they wanted Barking and Dagenham to feel like in 3 years, many referred to a more neighbourly culture from the past. Whilst a move back to the past was expressed, many white residents seemed to also believe that such a move back was unlikely due wider societal change.

5.10.2 There was very little reference to the development of the Thames Gateway and where there was, some residents did not expect it to benefit them or their families as they assumed it would just be populated by in comers to the borough and put a strain on existing services.

5.10.3 Encouragingly, a small percentage of newer residents we have spoken to have purchased houses in the area because they perceive it is the cheapest housing in London, and hoped more people would move into the area.