Culture & Community Cohesion Partnership

What is the purpose and what are the goals of the Partnership?

The aim of the Culture & Community Cohesion Partnership is to positively celebrate local culture, heritage and promote community cohesion and integration in Tameside. The partnership brings together a broad range of key stakeholders from statutory & voluntary sectors in Tameside to work in partnership in developing strategies and work which address the needs of all of Tameside’s residents.

What is the national context?

'Cohesion is something that must be built at the local level; Central Government’s role is to set the national framework within which local authorities and local communities can deliver'
(Hazel Blears MP, Response to the Commission on Integration and Cohesion, 2007)

Community Cohesion has been a major cross-cutting theme in national and local government agendas since 2001. Whilst there is a natural focus how people from different cultural backgrounds can live peacefully side-by-side, the agenda embodies cohesion in its’ broadest sense and includes other cohesion agendas, for example intergenerational cohesion.

In 2006, the Government commissioned a review of community cohesion, led by the Commission of Integration and Cohesion (ICoCo) under the leadership of Ealing Borough Council’s then Chief Executive, Darra Singh. The Commission explored examples of good practise and looked at what additional support was needed to help local communities flourish and thrive.

As of 2006, every local authority in the UK has had a statutory responsibility to explore local issues surrounding community cohesion and put together a tangible local delivery plan for delivering and effectively monitoring projects that bring local people together. Local authorities are asked to lead a ‘whole council approach’ to community cohesion; ensuring that all of the council’s principal services are engaged with the agenda and are delivering cohesion through their everyday activities.

The onus is placed on local authorities to take an active role in listening to their local communities – they need to know how they’re changing, whether they are getting on well together, whether they’re satisfied with their local area as a place to live, whether they’re satisfied with the service they receive from the Council and whether they feel there is equality of service. Knowing what enhances cohesion, and helps it thrive, is vital.

What does community cohesion mean?

A new formal government definition of community cohesion was adopted in 2007, made public in the Commission of Integration and Cohesion’s (ICoCo’s) final report ‘Our Shared Future’. In it, an integrated and cohesive community is described as one where;

• There is a clearly defined and widely shared sense of the contribution of different individuals and different communities to a future vision for a neighbourhood, city, region or country
• There is a strong sense of an individual’s rights and responsibilities when living in a particular place – people know what everyone expects of them, and what they can expect in turn
• Those from different backgrounds have similar life opportunities, access to services and treatment
• There is a strong sense of trust in institutions locally to act fairly in arbitrating between different interests and for their role and justifications to be subject to public scrutiny
• There is a strong recognition of the contribution of both those who have newly arrived and those who already have deep attachments to a particular place, with a focus on what they have in common
• There are strong and positive relationships between people from different backgrounds in the workplace, in schools and other institutions within neighbourhoods

The new definition places greater emphasis on the importance of citizenship and community empowerment and recognises the increased importance of integration; ‘having things in common is essential to build trust and positive relationships between new and existing residents’ (LGA, 2007). The new definition of community cohesion emphasises the importance of valuing difference and diversity within the context of a ‘common vision and sense of belonging’.

‘Our Shared Future’ also identified key areas in which Local Authorities can help improve community cohesion. These are:

• Creating a shared sense of future
• Placing emphasis on a new model of rights and responsibilities
• Creating an ethics of hospitality – a new emphasis on mutual respect and civility
• A commitment to equality that sits alongside the need to deliver visible social justice

What are the Culture & Community Cohesion Partnership’s priorities in Tameside?

• Develop realistic perceptions between young and old people
• Build understanding and knowledge of diversity in Tameside
• Promote integration between communities/groups through the use of sport, leisure and cultural activities
• Provide opportunities for people to share experiences and activities
• Build the capacity and resources to deliver on community cohesion
• To oversee the delivery of the Tameside Cultural Strategy

Key Projects

THIP (Tameside Hate Incident Panel) is a group which meets up on a regular basis to monitor levels of hate crime in Tameside. Partners attending the group include the police, housing providers, council service representatives, Victim Support & Witness Services, Tameside Race Equality Council.

Strengthening Communities
In October 2008, a Strengthening Communities working group was established to lead on the development of a local Strengthening Communities/Preventing Violent Extremism (PVE) action plan. The group continue to meet on a quarterly basis and regularly up-date the Culture and Community Partnership on the work they are doing to sensitively progress this work in the Borough.

Community Cohesion Cultural events
A number of statutory and voluntary organisations organise annual events which celebrate local culture and bring local people together. Tameside Arts and Events team organise events in partnership with members of the local community to celebrate major cultural events including Diwali and Eid. In 2008, the Tameside Diwali celebrations were some of the largest in the northwest! Similarly, the 2008 Eid celebrations attracted over 1,500 people from a variety of different faiths, communities and cultures.

Plans are already underway to repeat these events in 2009 and details will be added here as soon as possible. A Diwali steering group has already been formed to lead on the planning and delivery of the 2009 Diwali celebrations and an Eid steering group will be established in June to make plans for the 2009 Eid Festival. As always, the community are invited to help lead on these events and to have their say in terms of what’s important to local people.

Other events this year include IDAHo celebrations (date TBC) and a Faith Walk (planned for Sunday 28 June).

Key Documents

• Community Cohesion Strategy (6,400KB)
• Cultural Strategy (1,433KB)

The partnership currently meets on a quarterly basis. For information about meetings or to discuss the work of the partnership in more detail please contact Sarah Booth on 0161 342 2934.

Other Useful Contacts

• Tameside Arts and Events Team - www.tameside.gov.uk/events/team
• Tameside Council's guide to hate crime - www.tameside.gov.uk/hatecrime
• The Tameside Local History Forum - www.tamesidehistoryforum.org.uk