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‘Unfair housing policy will promote division’

24 May 2007

IWCA opposes move to allocate resources along ethnic and religious lines.

A new Oxford City Council housing strategy will promote division by aiming to single out particular ethnic and religious groups for favourable treatment at the expense of working class people in general, say IWCA councillors.

The IWCA opposed the introduction of a Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) Housing Strategy at the April full council meeting, arguing that it would damage community cohesion and working class solidarity by failing to recognise that those on the bottom rung of the ladder straddle all ethnic and religious groups.

However, it was adopted after receiving enthusiastic support from Labour and the Lib Dems.

As part of the strategy, which was drawn up by consultants at a cost of £4500, the council will make £30,000 available to address ‘ethnic minority underprivilege in council housing’, even though the BME Housing Strategy document fails to demonstrate that any particular groups are more disadvantaged than anyone else.

Leader of the IWCA group, Stuart Craft commented, ‘It is unacceptable, and unfair that taxpayer’s money is being spent on producing and implementing reports such as this that seek to benefit selected groups at the expense of others. In the same meeting we were told that funding pre-school and after-school groups in areas of social deprivation is not the responsibility of the city council and that there is no money in the pot to ensure that private landlords providing emergency accommodation for the council comply with basic health and safety requirements.’

He continued, ‘The report is also down-right insulting to the residents of Oxford’s council estates. It says that “black and minority ethnic groups do not chose to move to areas where social housing is situated (particularly the larger estates) because of, amongst other things, fear of racial harassment and other forms of crime.” Most people, regardless of ethnicity, fear crime, but we generally have no choice but to go where we are housed.’

On top of the £35,000 already set aside, the council will be promoting the use of a £50,000 ‘diversity budget’ to finance ‘faith based adaptations’ such as making sure tenants have gas cookers if their custom is to cook food over an open flame, or providing them with overhead showers if this is required by religion.

Stuart Craft said, ‘This is crazy. Plenty of people want amenities like showers but in order to get the council to provide them you now have to claim it’s because of your religion.’