Community building
Carlisle City Council Community Overview & Scrutiny
Committee (O&S) formed a Task and Finish Group to carry out a
subject review looking at the issues faced by migrant workers in
the District. This was closely linked to the Policy and Performance
Team’s review of the Council’s
Race Equality Scheme.
As part of an innovative approach, O&S Members considered it
was important to involve a broad spectrum of groups in the process
and asked a broad cross section of people to get involved with the
evidence sessions. O&S members meet with representatives from
local community groups, voluntary groups, local businesses and
other district councils over three sessions. The discussion topics
centred on the experiences and strategies relating to migrant
workers and community cohesion. The issues examined by the Task and
Finish Group were complex and varied, including housing,
communication, community cohesion / discrimination and employment
opportunities. The results from the sessions have now been collated
and a report has been produced that makes a number of
recommendations that apply to the City Council and other
organisations in the District. For example, the report recommends
that:
- An inspection regime is established for licensed Houses in
Multiple Occupation (HMOs), a comprehensive accreditation scheme
should be established for all privately let accommodation. Both
designed to help raise the quality of accommodation for all those
renting in the district.
- Given the contrasting stories of good practice within some of
the City’s main employers and alledged abuse by other employers, a
Responsible Employers Scheme should be established. Such a scheme
would work best at a County level and could help spread good
practice to other, smaller employers but also isolate those
employers unwilling to address illegal or poor employment
practices.
- The provision of English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL)
teaching is patchy and difficult to access for migrant workers. In
the first instance, the provision needs to be mapped. Depending on
the outcomes of the mapping exercise, there is a recommendation
that the City Council works under the Learning City priority to
establish enhanced ESOL provision. Consideration should also be
given to providing an ESOL centre – a central point, perhaps on the
University of Cumbria campus – where the majority of the ESOL
training in the city could take place.
- Various myths have developed about migrant workers ranging from
preferential treatment for housing, to negative effects of migrant
workers on the local economy. We found no evidence to substantiate
these myths. As a community leader, the City Council can be at the
forefront of challenging these rumours. It is recommend that simple
‘myth busting’ training be established and made available to
officers and Members of the Council. This training is particularly
important for Members and those front-line officers who deal with
the public on a day-to-day basis.
We believe that more political leadership on race issues
generally, and migrant worker issues in particular, would be
welcome and appropriate. We are concerned that, without such
leadership, there is room for divisive and intolerant views to
thrive.
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