Living through Change; the effects of global, national and local change on people and places in Bradford
| Title | Living through Change; the effects of global, national and local change on people and places in Bradford |
| Author(s) | Nick Johnson |
| Organisation | Joseph Rowntree Foundation |
| Date | July 2011 |
| No. of pages | 8 |
| Key words | Managing change; social productivity; local partnerships; local networks; family networks; citizens; globalisation; public spending cuts; youth unemployment; counter terrorism; migrant workers; long-term unemployment; poverty |
| Description | This summarises research into the experience of people and businesses in Bradford during a time of significant change. Drawing on four reports produced by The Bradford: Living through change programme, it focuses on employment opportunities and Bradford’s economy, leadership at local and national levels, the effect of poverty during times of change, and social cohesion and inequality. |
| Select quotations | “Key points - The recession has had a detrimental but not dramatic impact on Bradford. There was fear that the squeeze in public spending would have a much more damaging impact: reducing frontline services, increasing unemployment and potentially leading to rising tensions between neighbourhoods and groups.
- Businesses are cautiously optimistic about the future although the optimism is not shared by those seeking work. Economic grown is seen as crucial to Bradford’s future. Concerns are mounting about youth unemployment, and the failure to attract and retain investment, jobs and skills.
- People across the city felt let down by the leadership – both local and national. National policies around counter-terrorism and community cohesion were highlighted as having been damaging at the local level.
- Poverty remains an aspect of daily life for large parts of Bradford’s population. Public services were highly valued, but also criticised for being poorly co-ordinated.
- Cohesion remains a challenge in Bradford. Many respondents felt the focus on Muslim communities and the ethnic make-up of Bradford since the 2001 riots had been unhelpful and distracted attention away from the underlying issues of poverty, inequality and lack of access to jobs, housing and services.”
“People talked about simply not having enough to live on, relying on public services or family networks for support and falling into a vicious cycle of low incomes and worklessness. Many spoke of lives that are characterised by debt, being the victims of crime and anti-social behaviour.” “…but the underlying causes were due more generally to shifts in types of employment practice (associated with globalisation) such as increased contract and agency work, and increased movement of jobs to other countries and employment of migrant workers in the UK.” “The national image of Bradford as a divided and segregated city was seen as untrue and unhelpful in the research on local business and enterprise. Employers and business leaders felt that stereotyping of the city was a barrier to both public and private investment. Indeed, many said that the diversity of the city made it easier to work in a more global market and identify new markets and opportunities.” |
| Link | http://www.jrf.org.uk/sites/files/jrf/poverty-recession-communities-summary.pdf |
