Chi states Newcastle’s diverse and united communities make it such a great city
In July 2015, the Government asked Dame Louise Casey to conduct an independent review of opportunity and integration in the UK. Her report was published yesterday.
Yesterday Chi in the House of Commons stated:
“ It is Newcastle’s diverse and united communities that make it such a great city.
The Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government agreed stating:
“ The hon. Lady is right to highlight Newcastle. It is a fantastic city, and one of the reasons for that is its diverse communities and the contribution that they all make to that great city.
Ms Onwurah felt that the Casey Report was absolutely right to highlight the important role that everyone must play in building strong, resilient, integrated and cohesive communities.
So Chi pressed the Secretary of State to take action asking him:
“ …… will the Secretary of State also recognise that the toxic combination of scapegoating refugees and migrants for cuts to public services, Muslims for terrorism, minorities for segregation and the white working class for xenophobia builds barriers to integration? Will he take steps to address such attitudes, wherever he may find them?
The Secretary of State agreed that there should be no scapegoating:
“ We should be focused on and driven by the facts. The report is full of that, and I look forward to ploughing through it and seeing what more we can do.
- Ends
Notes for Editors
a) Chi speech:
Hansard: https://www.theyworkforyou.com/debates/?id=2016-12 06a.130.6&s=chi+onwurah#g144.4
b) Casey Review: The report was officially published on 5th December 2016.After the end of the Rotherham report, Casey was asked to undertake a broader review of community cohesion and extremism. In October 2016, some newspapers printed that the report had been ready for months but had not been published because of concerns at the Home Office on its content with regards to immigration. The report apparently criticised the Home Office for a lack of strategy to integrate new immigrants into communities and to respond to extremism amongst Muslims.
The report was officially published on 5th December 2016.