Hate and hostility ‘risk’ in declining towns
Issues with alienation and racism outlined in report
DISCONTENT IN Yorkshire towns caused by shrinking populations and visible decline is feeding into hate and hostility, a major new report has found.
Post-industrial and coastal towns, where many people feel there has been a departure in the “traditional way of life” are most vulnerable to feeling removed from modern politics and becoming radicalised by the far-right.
The report from HOPE Not Hate said immigration and multiculturalism has become a flashpoint for issues caused by deeper feelings of alienation and declining local economies. It said this is true across England and Wales but Yorkshire is more prone to problems with racism and division than any other area apart from the West Midlands.
Within the region, the towns of Barnsley, Rotherham, Dewsbury and Halifax had the most factors which made them at risk, such as visible decline, migration in the community, and an ageing and shrinking population.
The report said grooming gangs had stoked racial tensions in some areas and, while some communities had recovered from this, Rotherham “is still experiencing the political fallout”.
The east coast, including Scarborough and Bridlington, was also mentioned as somewhere where English identity is strong and where patriotism could easily be pushed over into nationalism.
Speaking to The Yorkshire Post,
Rosie Carter, senior policy officer and a co-author of the report, said: “Many of Yorkshire’s towns are confident and optimistic places, with rich histories and strong identities, and most people are welcoming and open.
“But our research shows how a decline of industry in many Yorkshire towns feeds a sense of loss that can sometimes spill over into resentments or hostility towards newcomers or minorities.”
She said the spotlight has often been on the region’s diverse cities – Bradford, Leeds and Sheffield.
“While cities need support, cohesion in towns is often only prioritised when something has gone wrong.”
The group called for structural change and national investment to boost resilience in towns.
Lucy Mort, research fellow at think-tank IPPR, said the report chimed with similar research in Yorkshire over the past few years.
She added: “It points to the need for local leadership and partnership working to address issues on the ground, but also to the need for macro-level policies that address community tensions through greater economic and social security for all.”
A Government spokeswoman said the £3.6 billion Towns Fund would “help transform the economic growth prospects of 100 places through Town Deals worth up to £25 million”.
“We’re also creating a UK Shared Prosperity Fund which binds together the whole of the UK, tackling inequality and deprivation in each of our four nations,” she added.