The government have published a summary of responses to the consultation on the Integrated Communities Strategy green paper, along with their response to the points raised.
They have also published the Integrated Communities Action Plan, which lays out the actions the government will take as a result of this consultation.
Common themes among the responses included:
- Strong support for the importance of shared opportunities and relationships in the definition of an integrated community
- Strong support for the idea of integration being viewed as a ‘two-way street’, and not being seen as assimilation
- The importance of a localised approach in designing interventions – respondents emphasised the need for strong local knowledge, engagement and listening to communities
- The importance of engaging employers, to get them to play a greater role in community engagement, and the need to ensure the inclusion of isolated groups or new communities who may be left out of local engagement.
