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New Community Cohesion Strategy Proposed For Leeds

Tuesday, 20 September 2016 15:14

A strategy setting out how Leeds City Council aims to improve access to opportunity and foster good community relations is set to be discussed by senior councillors at executive board this week.

The report will consider how the local authority is proposing to help inspire trust and confidence across the city’s diverse communities, engaging with people from all backgrounds, ethnicities, faiths and ages, to bring communities in Leeds closer together.

Already proud of Leeds’ reputation as a welcoming and compassionate city and as a city of sanctuary, the council wants to work with a growing and increasingly diverse population in Leeds to access opportunities, address inequalities, and be more involved in their local community and contribute to the civic life of the city.

The Strong and Resilient Communities project builds on a huge amount of positive work that is already taking place in communities whilst also acknowledging that there is still more that we can do together. Marginalisation of communities can lead to a potential vulnerability for some to extremist messages and confronting extremist behaviour continues to be a priority for the council.

The report also sets out how this specific issue will be tackled working more preventatively with and alongside local communities. The project will be underpinned by five core priorities; Instilling a sense of belonging and pride in being a citizen of Leeds; Improving community resilience and sustainability; Developing capacity and leadership within communities; Raising the aspirations of communities and widening access to economic opportunity; Improving our understanding of our local communities; and providing more targeted support to those that may be considered more vulnerable to extremist narratives.

Councillor Debra Coupar, Leeds City Council’s executive member for communities said:

“We want every resident, regardless of their background, ethnicity or faith to be proud and feel fully engaged in the life of our city, and to also have the confidence that they can make a real positive difference, not just in their own communities, but to Leeds as a whole."

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