ETHNIC MINORITIES, ASYLUM SEEKERS AND REFUGEES

Transcription

1 Glasgow s Local Housing Strategy Joint Stakeholder Working Group Topic Paper ETHNIC MINORITIES, ASYLUM SEEKERS AND REFUGEES Contact : Craig Binns Housing Research Officer, Housing Services Phone: Fax: local.housingstrategy@gch.glasgow.gov.uk website at: Preparing Together for Glasgow s Future in Housing November

2 Glasgow s Local Housing Strategy Topic Paper ETHNIC MINORITIES, ASYLUM SEEKERS AND REFUGEES CONTENTS Executive Summary 1. Purpose of the Topic Paper 2. Statutory Duties and Policy Requirements 3. Scope of the Paper 4. Glasgow s Settled BME Communities 5. Survey of BME Council Tenants and Applicants 6. Asylum Seekers And Refugees 7. The Need For Additional Housing Provision 8. Housing Improvement 9. Integration And Discrimination 10. The Glasgow Housing Association 11. Options And Proposals References Appendix: Tables November

3 1. PURPOSE OF THE TOPIC PAPER The purpose of this Topic Paper is to review Glasgow City Council s housing strategy in relation to people of Black and Ethnic Minority (BME) origin, whether in general as residents of the city or as tenants of social rented housing or Council employees. Housing Services must ensure that all its activities include the promotion of equal opportunities in the widest sense. This principle needs to be integrated into every aspect of management, recruitment, staff development and training as well as all policies and practices. This paper seeks to define the best means of achieving this both for the Council and for the other agencies whose activities will be influenced by the GCC Local Housing Strategy. 2. STATUTORY DUTIES AND POLICY REQUIREMENTS Part 6 of the Housing (Scotland) Act 2001 on Equal Opportunities was introduced on 1 November This provides for the encouragement of equal opportunities, defined as the prevention, elimination or regulation of discrimination between persons on grounds of sex, marital status, race, disability, age, sexual orientation, language, social origin or other personal attributes including beliefs or opinions. It places duties on Scottish office-holders or public bodies to carry out their functions with regard to the equal opportunity requirements as defined in UK legislation. The Housing (Scotland) Act also imposes specific requirements. Homelessness Strategies (S.1 (4)) and Local Housing Strategies (S.89 (7)) must state how the equal opportunities requirements will be discharged in relation to matters covered by the strategies. As the regulator for the landlord functions of both local authorities and social landlords (S.79), Communities Scotland has laid down Guiding Standard GS2.1 Equal opportunities: We embrace diversity, promote equal opportunities for all and eliminate unlawful discrimination in all areas of our work. Communities Scotland will be inspecting to ensure compliance. In Glasgow s case inspection will occur after 2002/03. The Race Relations (Amendment) Act 2000 requires the Council in carrying out its duties and functions, to have due regard to the need (a) to eliminate unlawful racial discrimination; and (b) to promote equality of opportunity and good relations between persons of different racial groups. The Council will publish its Race Equality Scheme at the end of November 2002, setting out its plans for meeting the general and specific duties imposed by the Act. Communities Scotland s Race Equality Regional Action Plan (See References, 1.) requires Registered Social Landlords (RSLs) to: Address race equality issues Assess and meet BME housing needs Recognise these needs in their plans Include them in strategic agreements with councils and other partners Deliver a high level of service to BME communities Assist the empowerment of BME communities Facilitate appropriate development of BME-led RSLs. 3

4 These requirements are reflected in the statements of objectives of many RSLs including the Glasgow Housing Association (GHA), the receiving landlord of the transferred Glasgow City Council housing stock. The Council s Local Housing Strategy will seek to define the most effective means of meeting the requirements of this legislation and implementing the policies of these regulatory and partner agencies. 3. SCOPE OF THE PAPER This topic paper discusses Glasgow s settled BME communities as well as asylum seekers and refugees. These groups encounter similar problems and have many experiences in common. Improvements in the policies and practices of housing providers will be of benefit to all these groups. However, the two groups are different in many ways and they will be discussed in separate sections of this paper. In addition the paper refers to the Council s equal opportunities policy with respect to its own employees. The paper is intended to facilitate the discussion of the strategic options to be contained in the Local Housing Strategy, which have as their starting point: Additional provision of affordable housing in all tenures Extending the choice of housing available in practice to BME communities Ensuring equal treatment Removing obstacles (e.g. racial discrimination and harassment) that may prevent Glasgow s BME residents from gaining access to the services offered by housing providers. 4. GLASGOW S SETTLED BME COMMUNITIES Core areas of BME residence are concentrated in the inner south and west of Glasgow, particularly Pollokshields, Govanhill, Woodlands and Garnethill, with smaller centres in Sighthill and other localities in the north of the city. A report by Communities Scotland (See References, 2.) attributes the attractiveness of these areas to BME residents to: a good supply of inexpensive tenemental flats existence of a buoyant, easily accessible private rented sector central location cultural, social and economic support networks that have developed over the last thirty years. The same report notes that: Data from the 1991 Census shows that, in general, the BME population in Glasgow is: Young and expanding Predominantly Pakistani in origin Mainly living in owner-occupied housing Self-employed Experiencing higher rates of unemployment Less mobile than the overall population Predominantly resident in larger households Over represented in overcrowded dwellings. 4

5 It is thought that this pattern will be reflected in the 2001 Census findings, but that the BME percentage of the city s population has risen substantially above the 1991 figure of 3.2%. The number of BME older people is also expected to have increased. The 1991 tenure figures clearly show the much higher rate of owner occupation and private renting among the BME community (Table 2). The concentration of BME residents in a small number of core areas was also clearly shown in the 1991 Census (Table 3). The Communities Scotland research referred to above found that: The majority of participants (in focus groups and interviews) were broadly satisfied with their current accommodation because of its convenient location, neighbourhood and its proximity to community facilities. Proximity to community facilities and family and friends was quoted as particularly important in the selection of the location of housing. Individual decisions about location are also determined by the familiarity with the areas and the perceptions about security. A key issue raised by respondents was the apparent trade off between moving to a 'safe'area with a high population of BME residents, and buying a property in another area where there may be an increased likelihood of harassment. Housing Conditions In spite of this general satisfaction with core areas of residence, another report (References, 3.) shows that BME households are over-represented in poor-quality housing. They use Below Tolerable Standard (BTS) housing for longer periods and are more likely to be families. Young people less than 16 years old accounted for 20% of the White population but 35% of the BME population. Language difficulties and racial harassment were significant problems for BME households living in BTS housing. Overcrowding is another serious housing problem experienced by BME households, accounted for by extended family structures and the presence of a greater number of children than the average in white households. At the time of the 1991 Census 26% of Pakistani and 14% of Bangladeshi households had more than 1.5 persons per room, while the figure for the White group was less than 10% (Table 1). BME Communities and Council Housing Within the core areas there is relatively little Council housing. The main areas of Council housing, in particular the peripheral schemes, are not popular with ethnic minority applicants. As a result the uptake of Council housing by ethnic minority residents has been lower than the average for all residents of the city. This is true even in the main areas of ethnic minority residence (Table 4). Whether Council tenants belong to ethnic minorities was inferred from their surnames. This procedure was employed to derive samples for a survey of black and ethnic minority Council tenants. While its inadequacy is recognised, it represents the best information currently available. Since 1992 the Council has recorded the ethnicity of new applicants, and has data for persons whose first application has been made since that date, although the information may not be complete. By far the largest concentration of BME council tenants is not in any of the main core areas, but in Sighthill, a large estate of multi-storey blocks in the North of the city. 5

6 Since Table 4 was compiled the BME community in Sighthill has grown further as many asylum seekers and refugees have been housed there. BME Communities and Housing Associations The 1991 Census found that 3.5% of Glasgow s residents (on the new city boundaries) belonged to ethnic minorities. But even ten years later this was true of only a little over 1% of City Council tenants, as indicated by their surnames. Other social landlords do better in proportion to their total housing stock. Table 5 shows the main community-based housing associations operating in areas of ethnic minority residence. Overall, housing associations have less than half as many dwellings in their ownership, but have more than half as many ethnic minority tenants as the Council (Source: Annual Performance and Statistical Returns, Communities Scotland.) The figures do not include tenants or applicants counted as other or not known, but only those for whom a minority ethnic origin is explicitly recorded. They therefore probably understate the true total. Between 1998/99 and 2000/01 there was a fall in the number of BME housing association applicants, from 4.1% to 3.7%. This may be accounted for by the suspension of waiting lists by some associations, but is nevertheless disquieting. BME Demand For Social Rented Housing One problem in assessing BME demand for social rented housing is the unquantifiable element of multiple counting in the housing association waiting list figures. The same applicant may be on the waiting list of more than one association. Indeed, some may also have completed a Council application form with the intention of obtaining a housing association let through a Council nomination. One advantage of a Common Housing Register would be to improve the assessment of overall demand for social rented housing. In both Council and other social rented tenures there is a higher proportion of ethnic minority applicants than tenants (assuming that multiple counting has not significantly distorted the picture), indicating a potential for expansion of the service to ethnic minorities. Table 6 shows the figures for the Council s General List as at May The proportion of ethnic minority applicants appears to be much lower for the Council than for housing associations, although the GCC figure includes waiting list applicants only, while the RSL figures may also include transfer applicants. It is therefore urgent for the GHA and its Local Housing Organisations (LHOs) to take steps to make the services they offer more accessible and attractive to ethnic minorities. This means both increasing the uptake of lets by BME applicants in core areas and encouraging them to widen the choice of areas they are willing to consider. The majority of BME applicants for council housing already live in Glasgow. Of the 877 in May 2002 only 54 resided outside the city, the largest single group in East Renfrewshire. Nine applicants had addresses outside Scotland. The number of BME transfer applicants on the Council rehousing list is very small, reflecting the small number of BME tenants. The main areas of residence and of choice are shown in Table 7. On the whole applicants both live in and wish to be rehoused in the core areas of BME residence. Sighthill, which has the largest concentration of BME council tenants in Glasgow, is not among the most popular 6

7 choices for BME transfer applicants, but Townhead/Ladywell has attracted a substantial number of applications. Council Lets to BME Applicants The percentage of Council lets to BME applicants indicates how seriously they are under represented in Council tenure (Table 8). A substantial fall in the number of BME lets between 2000/01 and 2001/02, from 141 or 2% to 82 or 1.3% may be an effect of other housing programmes which have taken up housing in areas where many mainstream BME lets are made. The number of BME lets in the Sighthill area fell from 59 to 14 and in Royston from 10 to 7. Access To Housing Presentations at the Homeless Persons Unit run at about 12,000 per year, of which 2% are BME. This is a small proportion, but it is not much less than the percentage of BME applicants on the Rehousing List, and it is about the same as the percentage of BME lets of GCC housing. This indicates that BME residents are as likely to require the homeless service as they are to use other GCC housing services. In addition to mainstream lets, Southside Housing Association provides 22 self contained supported flats for young single homeless applicants from the BME community through the Saffron Project. There were 43 referrals in 2000/01, and 17 in 2001/02, made by several agencies, including the Scottish Refugee Council, Women s Aid, Positive Action in Housing and the Social Work Department. People of Pakistani, Indian and Iraqi ethnic origin form the majority of referrals (Southside HA Ltd, Annual Report 2002.) 5. SURVEY OF BME COUNCIL TENANTS AND APPLICANTS 2001 In May 2001, surveys of the housing experiences and aspirations of BME tenants of and applicants for council housing were conducted on behalf of City Housing Services by TMS Consulting. The purposes of the surveys were To ascertain why ethnic minorities are under-represented in Council Housing and in particular in those parts of the city where there is a substantial proportion of ethnic minority residents. To examine the possibility of making a wider range of areas in the city more attractive to ethnic minority customers. To obtain information that will allow us to provide a better and more sensitive service to ethnic minority customers. To ensure that City Housing Services policies and procedures are not deterring ethnic minority customers from using our services. In order to throw light on differences between areas, the samples of tenants and applicants for the surveys were chosen from the first three of the following categories of Council letting sub areas: 1. Areas in which there is a concentration of ethnic minority residents, of whom a significant number are Council tenants, relative to the amount of Council stock in the area 2. Areas with significant ethnic minority populations, but relatively fewer residing in Council housing 7

8 3. Areas adjoining 1. and 2. above, which might be made more attractive to members of ethnic minorities 4. Other areas, where few ethnic minority residents live or apply for Council housing. The areas in Categories 1 to 3 are as follows: Category 1 Category 2 Category 3 Anderston/Woodside Cathcart Anniesland Cowcaddens Cessnock/Kinning Pk Blairdardie Gorbals Hillington/Berryknowes Bridgeton Govanhill/Crosshill Ibrox Carnwadric Mansewood/Hillpark/Eastwood Mid Knightswood Dennistoun Pollokshaws Mosspark Glasgow X/Calton Pollokshields North Maryhill Govan Red Road Partick/Hillhead Hamiltonhill Royston Scotstoun Possilpark Sighthill Shawlands South Knightswood Townhead/Ladywell South Maryhill Summerston/Acre Rd Temple Toryglen Of the tenants surveyed, a large number had moved to their present home to obtain a larger house, reflecting the overcrowding prevalent in the BME community. Pakistanis were particularly concerned about the size of house. Tenants attached high importance to the provision of efficient transport, healthcare and suitable shops in their area, and to freedom from racial harassment, but significantly less importance to living within an established BME community, suitable secondary schools and nearness to family and place of worship. All of these features were rated more important by Pakistanis than others. About three quarters of respondents, both in core and other areas, were satisfied with their current neighbourhood, and about the same number were satisfied with their current home. Respondents in Areas 2 and 3 appeared to be just as satisfied as those in Area 1. Respondents rated owner occupation more highly than social rented housing, but private renting was by far their least favoured option. Their preferred areas of residence were Pollokshields, Govanhill and other South Side areas for Pakistani respondents, and the West End for the others. Applicants for council housing were typically couples with children looking for a larger house, or for a home of their own. The features of their neighbourhood they considered important were much the same as for tenants, as were their preferred areas of residence. There was substantial evidence from the survey that the fact that they were still waiting for council housing was due to greater difficulty in satisfying their needs, particularly over size. On average their households were much bigger than those who were already tenants, and they needed larger houses than the tenants were already occupying. They also attached more importance to special features of the neighbourhood Among both tenants and applicants there was a substantial demand for disabled adaptations from around a quarter of applicants. However, sheltered housing was generally not seen as an attractive model. 8

9 Overall, the survey finding suggests that there is some scope for BME households to satisfy their housing needs by spreading out more widely from their existing core areas. But it seems unlikely that this could be a full solution. There is a need for an additional supply of larger social rented houses, in the right locations. This is discussed further below. A fuller report on the survey findings will be available soon. 6. ASYLUM SEEKERS AND REFUGEES On 1 April 2000 Glasgow City Council entered into a five year contract with the Home Office for the procurement of 2,500 units of accommodation for asylum seekers dispersed by NASS (National Asylum Support Service) under the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999, pending determination of their claim by the Immigration Nationality Directorate. By November 2001 the full 2,500 units had been made available. At that point about 8,000 asylum seekers had been received in Glasgow, spread across 22 Neighbourhoods with Cube Housing Association in Maryhill housing 68 and a private provider over 150 households. Asylum Seekers and their families are supported by the Glasgow Asylum Support Project Team throughout their stay as Asylum Seekers. Asylum Seekers who receive a positive decision are given either indefinite or exceptional (2-4 years) leave to remain in the United Kingdom, and become refugees. Both categories can seek employment and are entitled to the full range of welfare benefits, as well as most of the other rights of citizenship. However NASS accommodation is withdrawn 14 days after notification of a positive decision. In October 2001 the Council accepted that, in terms of the Housing (Scotland) Act 1987, those without other accommodation are threatened with homelessness, in priority need, not intentionally homeless and have a local connection to Glasgow, if they wish to make Glasgow their principal home, though not simply by virtue of their dispersal accommodation. The ethnic background of Glasgow s refugees is mainly Islamic or Black African. Of the 1,015 granted leave to remain by October 2002, Afghans account for one third (33.7%), Iraqis one fifth (20.7%), and Somalians and Iranians for just over one tenth each (11.3% and 10.7% respectively). Africans (excluding the Maghreb) also account for just over one tenth (11.5%), with Congo, Burundi, Zimbabwe and Rwanda prominent, and Zaire, Uganda, Sudan, Sierra Leone, Nigeria, Kenya, Ivory Coast, Guinea, Eritrea, Cameroon, and Angola also featuring. Most of the remainder are from the Islamic world. The nationalities dispersed to Glasgow are particularly likely to receive a positive decision, and approximately 80% of Glasgow s asylum seekers are receiving leave to remain. Up to half wish to remain in the city. The Council s approved a Strategy for the Dispersal of Asylum Seekers and Integration of Refugees on 31 October It has the aims that those asylum seekers who become refugees and remain in the city are integrated into the wider community and that the city and the communities within it benefit from the skills and knowledge that refugees who eventually become resident in the city bring. The Council has established a Refugee Support Team, funded through Transitional Housing Benefit and, from April 2003, Supporting People It has the following targets: to minimise and prevent recurring homelessness among refugees. to ensure that refugees are given appropriate housing and welfare benefits advice within seven days of receiving a decision on their asylum claim from the Home Office. 9

10 to ensure that the transition from the temporary Home Office property (NASS flat) to appropriate accommodation is carried out within the 28-day period allowed under the NASS contract. to create Temporary Tenancies of NASS property within seven working days for those refugees who need to be moved to alternative accommodation. to provide a systematic and strategic approach to service delivery that will enable us to identify any gaps in service. It is taking time to achieve these targets. There is still a backlog of cases. Some people are in inappropriate accommodation due to overcrowding, racial harassment or change in circumstances such as births, later arrivals and family reunions or medical issues. Pressure on the service has been increased by a dramatic speeding up of the Home Office asylum claim determination process, with a current average of 18 positive decisions a week. 7. THE NEED FOR ADDITIONAL HOUSING PROVISION More than half of the BME applicants interviewed for the Council tenants and applicants survey gave the need for a larger home as the main reason for seeking a council house. Two thirds (67%) of respondents require 3 or more bedrooms, while only 21% of GCC stock consists of housing with three or more bedrooms. The average for BME survey respondents was 4.4 persons, including 2.1 children, compared with an average of about 2 persons for all applicant households. The average household size of all BME general list applicants is about 3.2 persons. Only 21% of all council houses have 3 or more bedrooms. In the core areas of BME residence, Anderston/Woodside, Pollokshields and Govanhill, there are over 1,300 council houses (as at August 2002), but only a minority are suitable for larger families. For house types suitable for larger families the number of lets is rather low. As Table 10 shows, only 34 four-apartment houses were let in these three letting areas in 2001/02. Of these, the majority were deck access flats in Pollokshields. Only three lets of house-type dwellings (4 in block, detached, semi or terraced) were made, all three apartments. The number of socially rented dwellings in these areas has been significantly reduced by council tenants right to buy: 308 sales in Anderston/Woodside, 268 in Pollokshields and 521 in Govanhill, affecting mainly houses and tenement flats. Increased provision of 4+ apartment housing in these areas would be of great benefit in increasing the uptake of social rented housing by BME residents. There is clearly a case for considering this in the proposed reprovisioning programme, which creates an exceptional opportunity for such work. 8. HOUSING IMPROVEMENT The improvements carried out under the Housing Action Area programme are important for the majority of Glasgow s BME residents who live in private sector housing. The core areas of BME residence consist largely or mainly of older tenemental stock, much of it requiring improvement. Between 1981 and 2001, 2,907 houses were improved in the course of the HAA programme in the Wards in the core BME area, out of a city total of 9,367. (See Table 11.) 10

11 More recent HAA projects comprise 112 houses in Govanhill and 46 in Woodlands, a total of 158 in the core BME area out of 399 citywide. The Scottish Executive announced in November 2001 that an additional 5m was to be made available to Communities Scotland for each of the financial years 2002/3 and 2003/4 for BME families in Below Tolerable Standard housing. In practice all of the money is being spent in Glasgow. The projects chosen have largely been identified by community based housing associations with significant input from the Council. Most of the money will be channelled through the associations, where they have direct ownership. Communities Scotland have, however, agreed with the Executive to transfer 1m to the Council in each of the financial years to pay grant to private owners participating in the projects. The 2002/03 programme includes properties in the two core BME areas, Allison and Govanhill Streets in the South of the city, and Willowbank Street in the North West (Table 12). 9. INTEGRATION AND DISCRIMINATION The Council s policy on racial harassment calls for all complaints to be investigated and resolved quickly. Action against perpetrators should be undertaken within two days. Details of the policy are available on the Council website. In the year to March incidents of racial harassment were reported involving mainstream tenants and 96 involving asylum seekers (Table 13.) There was a concentration of 35 incidents in Sighthill during the first half of the year, but this fell to 9 in the second half. Employment Issues Scotland, unlike England, does not monitor unemployment by ethnic group. It is therefore impossible to state with certainty the level of unemployment for black and ethnic minority men and women in Glasgow, but according to the 1991 Census the unemployment rate for all groups was high at 23%. City Housing Services is concerned to increase the number of black and minority ethnic workers, currently at an unacceptably low level. At March 2002 there were 30 BME employees in the Housing Service out of 2,379, or 1.26% of the total workforce. This represents about half the percentage within the population of the city as a whole shown in the 1991 Census. Ethnic minority employees are concentrated in the clerical grades. They are almost absent from manual or higher administrative and professional grades (Table 14). Recent patterns of appointment have done only a little to improve the situation. During 2001/02, 209 new employees were recruited by City Housing Services, of whom black and ethnic minorities accounted for 4, or 1.91%. The concentration of BME employees in lower grades may tend to be alleviated as they acquire length of service or are promoted. Most of them have been appointed recently. Figures for the whole council workforce (excluding teachers) are generally in line with this. At June 2002 there were 417 BME employees out of a total workforce of 30,191, or 1.4%, up from 360 in 2001/02. In 2001 the Council commissioned research on how to improve its performance in recruiting and retaining black and ethnic minority staff. The research report s 11

12 recommendations are being implemented. Following the adoption in 2000/01 of the City Council s Anti-Racist Action Plan, research has been conducted to investigate barriers to recruitment of BME employees. As a result of this study, core strategies were recommended: Building on existing links with the BME community Developing a marketing strategy to raise awareness of the Council as an employer Reviewing the graduate placement programme Training and development Internal communications strategy Employment targets. On 27 March 2002, the Council s Policy and Resources Sub Committee approved the setting of specific recruitment targets for black and ethnic minorities within each Service. Targets are to be set by March/April City Housing Services will set targets in respect of that part of the workforce to be retained following the transfer of stock to the Glasgow Housing Association, and will commence this operation in November 2002, when the staff transfer and retention lists become available. 10. THE GLASGOW HOUSING ASSOCIATION Following the transfer of council housing, the GHA will become by far the largest social landlord in Glasgow. The GHA is founded on a policy of community ownership of social rented housing, and management of the stock is devolved to 78 Local Housing Organisations. These bodies are responsible for race relations and equal opportunities policies in their respective areas. The GHA has adopted an equal opportunities policy based on the aspiration to be a model employer and service provider, and on the capacity to take action to secure equal treatment. The GHA requires LHOs to have equal opportunities policies that reflect the terms of the GHA s policy. These policies are mainstreamed ; that is, the GHA strives to act in a manner that promotes equality of opportunity in every relationship and activity. Currently an extensive training programme for members of management committees of the LHOs is taking place. The GHA has established a BME Tenant Participation Group and seeks to recruit BME members for LHO management teams, to ensure that service delivery meets the needs of the BME community. Allocation, repairs and other policies have been equality checked. Many LHOs operate in areas where there are few if any BME residents. Such LHOs should be proactive in ensuring that BME are represented and their needs well catered for by allocating the appropriate resources, and ensuring fairness and equal treatment of all tenants. This is especially important in view of the post-transfer improvement and rebuilding programme. Until BME residents are confident that they can live happily outside the core areas of residence, they will not gain equal access to improved housing in many parts of the city. The GHA will operate an equal access policy in the field of procurement and will encourage applications to tender from all parts of the community. The GHA measures its performance against targets laid down in its Equality Action Plan. Appropriate arrangements are being developed to monitor the progress of LHOs in promoting equality. 12

13 11. OPTIONS AND PROPOSALS A Local Housing Strategy Options Appraisal Seminar on 30 October 2002 considered options for improving outcomes for the BME communities. It was attended by stakeholders, including representatives of agencies concerned in BME housing issues. A number of options were suggested for inclusion in the Local Housing Strategy. The first four, in order of priority, were: 1. All agencies which own or manage social rented housing should ensure that all staff undertake racial awareness training as part of these agencies Equality Action Plans. 2. Citywide social landlords should set appropriate targets for each area of the city, to increase BME residence. 3. BME-targeted budgets should be ring fenced within development funding programmes. 4. GCC should support the establishment of a BME-led housing association, to act either as a landlord, a service provider for other social landlords, or in both capacities. Other options proposed at the appraisal seminar were: Development funding should be available not only for construction and improvement of housing, but also for guidance, training and research relevant to BME issues. Targeted and positive action to increase BME employment should be undertaken by public agencies and social landlords. Equality-proofing of allocation policies should be strengthened, for example by ensuring that offers are made in appropriate areas, and that BME applicants are not penalised for refusing offers of housing in areas where they would not feel secure. A BME outreach team should be established to recruit and train potential BME management committee members for social housing providers. The Council s Refugee Support Team should be better funded, to reflect the fact that a large number of Asylum Seekers in Glasgow achieve refugee status, and that very many of them remain in the city. As indicated in this list of proposals, the participants in the seminar attached most importance to awareness by housing providers of BME issues, and the targeting of resources to meet BME housing need. They did not suggest specific targets for each area of the city to increase BME residence, because no single target-setting procedure would be appropriate, given the diversity of the areas. However, they felt that every housing provider (even in areas where there are few if any BME residents) should set an appropriate, measurable and achievable target to ensure that as far as possible BME communities will have equal access to improved or new build housing. Giving assistance to these housing providers would be one of the aims of the proposed BME-led housing association. 13

14 REFERENCES 1. Communities Scotland s Race Equality Regional Action Plan , Housing Scotland s Black and Ethnic Minorities Communities Scotland, Glasgow & N Clyde Region. 2. Assessing the Market for New Owner-occupied Housing among Glasgow s Black and Minority Ethnic Communities, Communities Scotland, July Below Tolerable Standard Housing and Ethnicity in Glasgow, Scottish Homes/WESRA,

15 TABLES TABLE CENSUS: OVERCROWDING BY ETHNIC GROUP Total White All BME Pakistani Indian Residents in 653, ,541 21,175 11,103 3,496 Households persons per room 67,173 61,419 5,754 3, Over 1.5 persons per 18,990 15,528 3,462 2, room % Over 1.5 ppr 2.9% 2.5% 16.3% 22.4% 11.3% TABLE CENSUS: HOUSEHOLDS IN GLASGOW; TENURE BY ETHNIC GROUP White BME Total Tenure No. % No. % No. % Owner Occupied 104, % 3, % 107, % Private Rented 14, % % 15, % GCC 125, % % 125, % Other Social Rented 37, % % 37, % Total 281, % 5, % 287, % TABLE 3. CENSUS 1991: LOCALITIES IN GLASGOW WITH ABOVE AVERAGE PERCENTAGE OF BME RESIDENTS Area Total White BME BME % Pollokshields 15,048 10,665 4, % Anderston/Woodside 16,535 13,364 3, % Cowcaddens 3,425 2, % Cessnock/Kinning 5,775 4, % Park Govanhill/Crosshill 14,593 12,599 1, % Dumbreck 1,629 1, % Kelvindale 7,160 6, % Shawlands 17,185 16,090 1, % Sighthill 4,510 4, % Partick/Hillhead 25,521 24,186 1, % Townhead/Ladywell 4,971 4, % Mansewood/Hillpark 5,585 5, % Red Road 1,553 1, % Darnley 4,700 4, % Cathcart 22,671 21, % Tormusk 2,105 2, % Jordanhill 4,786 4, % Craighead 5,340 5, % South Maryhill 15,369 14, % Temple 3,142 3, % Total 181, ,248 17, % All Other Areas 481, ,072 4, % City Total 662, ,320 21, % 15

16 TABLE 4. ETHNIC MINORITY GCC TENANT HOUSEHOLDS (IDENTIFIED BY NAME) AT JUNE 2000 Sub Area MSF Ten. Deck Other Total Total Stock May 2001 % Eth Min 1991 Eth Min Populatio n (%) Sighthill , Anderston/Woodside , Royston , Townhead/Ladywell , Red Road , Pollokshields Gorbals , Pollokshaws , Govanhill/Crosshill Cowcaddens Maryhill S , All Other Areas Total , Percent

17 TABLE 5. REGISTERED SOCIAL LANDLORDS IN GLASGOW: BLACK AND ETHNIC MINORITY TENANTS AND APPLICANTS Tenants 2000/2001 Known Ethnic Minority All Tenants % Known Ethnic Minority Charing Cross HA Ltd % Govanhill HA Ltd 105 1, % Queen's Cross HA Ltd 84 2, % Southside HA Ltd % Yorkhill HA (1988) Ltd % Partick HA Ltd 19 1, % Cube HA Ltd 15 3, % All Housing , % Associations Applicants 1998/1999 Known Ethnic Minority All Applicants % Known Ethnic Minority Southside HA Ltd % Queen's Cross HA Ltd % Charing Cross HA Ltd % Govanhill HA Ltd % West of Scotland HA 39 1, % Ltd Glasgow West HA Ltd % All Housing , % Associations Applicants 2000/2001 Known Ethnic Minority All Applicants % Known Ethnic Minority Charing Cross HA Ltd % Govanhill HA Ltd % West of Scotland HA 56 1, % Ltd New Gorbals HA Ltd 52 1, % Queen's Cross HA Ltd % Southside HA Ltd % Grand Total , % 17

18 TABLE 6. ETHNIC MINORITY APPLICANTS ON GCC GENERAL LIST SUB AREAS OF RESIDENCE AND FIRST CHOICE MAY 2002 Main Areas of Residence Total Main Areas of First Choice Total Anderston/Woodside 142 Anderston/Woodside 151 Pollokshields 132 Govanhill 148 Govanhill 118 Pollokshields 103 Cathcart 43 Shawlands 54 Sighthill 36 Pollokshaws 50 Shawlands 32 S Maryhill 38 Cessnock/Kinning Park 25 Sighthill 38 S Maryhill 22 Townhead/Ladywell 35 Partick 22 Cathcart 27 Pollokshaws 21 Partick 23 Townhead/Ladywell 16 Gorbals 15 Cowcaddens 14 Cowcaddens 14 Dennistoun 14 N Maryhill 13 East Renfrewshire 14 Manswood 12 Gorbals 13 Anniesland 11 Other Scotland * 13 Cessnock/Kinning Park 11 Red Road 13 Parkhead 10 * Local authority not within Glasgow Housing Market Area Ethnic Minority 877 All General List 29,800 % Ethnic Minority 2.9% TABLE 7. ETHNIC MINORITY APPLICANTS ON GCC TRANSFER LIST SUB AREAS OF RESIDENCE AND FIRST CHOICE MAY 2002 Main Areas of Residence Total Main Areas of First Total Choice Anderston/Woodside 28 Anderston/Woodside 36 Sighthill 15 Pollokshields 11 Pollokshields 12 Townhead/Ladywell 10 Gorbals 11 Govanhill 9 Pollokshaws 9 Cowcaddens 7 Govanhill 6 Shawlands 7 S Maryhill 5 Partick 5 Total Ethnic Minority 122 All Transfer List 13,71 0 Ethnic Minority % 0.2% 18

19 TABLE 8. GCC LETS TO BLACK AND ETHNIC MINORITY TENANTS Sub Area 2000/01 Sub Area 2001/02 Sighthill 59 Sighthill 14 Pollokshields 12 Gorbals 10 Anderston/Woodside 10 Royston 7 Royston 10 Pollokshields 7 Govanhill/Crosshill 8 Pollokshaws 5 Cathcart 4 Whiteinch 3 Yoker 4 Townhead/Ladywell 3 Gorbals 4 Scotstoun 3 Pollokshaws 3 Red Road 3 Townhead/Ladywell 3 Mid Knightswood 3 South Maryhill 3 Govanhill/Crosshill 3 Anniesland 2 Anderston/Woodside 3 Red Road 2 South Maryhill 2 Carnwadric 2 Ibrox 2 Cowcaddens 2 Cessnock/Kinning Pk 2 Scotstoun 2 Whiteinch 2 Cessnock/Kinning Pk 2 Other Areas (1 each) 4 10 Lets to other RSLs 3 2 Total All lets 6,904 6,176 % BME Lets 2.0% 1.3% TABLE 9. GCC STOCK IN AREAS OF HIGHEST BME DEMAND AUGUST 2002 Core Area House Type No. of apartments Total Anderston/Woodside Deck Access Multi-Storey Sheltered Tenement Anderston/Woodside Total ,770 Pollokshields Deck Access Multi-Storey Tenement Terraced Pollokshields Total Govanhill 4 in Block Older Persons' Flat 7 7 Sheltered Tenement Terraced Govanhill Total Total Core Area Stock 201 1,22 1 1, ,061 19

20 TABLE 10. LETS OF COUNCIL HOUSING IN AREAS OF HIGHEST BME DEMAND 2001/02 Anderston/Woodsid House Type e Size MSF Deck Sheltered Tenement Total Total Pollokshields House Type Size MSF Deck Tenement House Total Total Govanhill/Crosshill House Type Size Sheltered Tenement House Total Total Total Above Areas Size Total

21 TABLE 11. IMPROVEMENTS IN HOUSING ACTION AREAS 1981 TO 2001 Year Kelvin Anders Wood Pollokshields Govanhill Strathb BME Core City grove ton lands East ungo Area Total Total 1, ,907 9,367 TABLE 12. BTS ETHNIC MINORITY PROGRAMME 2002/3 Allison Street 36 Govanhill Street 8 Willowbank Street 24 Total 68 21

22 TABLE 13. INCIDENTS OF RACIAL HARASSMENT Mainstream Neighbourhhoods Nos. Apr-June 2001 Anderston/West End 1 Easterhouse Central 1 Gorbals 1 Govan 1 July-Sept 2001 Blairdardie/Anniesland 1 Sighthill/City Centre 2 Oct-Dec 2001 Pollok 1 Sighthill/City Centre 1 Jan-Mar 2002 Nitshill/Carnwadric 1 Sighthill/City Centre 1 Total 11 Asylum Seekers Neighbourhhoods Nos. Apr - June 2001 Sighthill/City Centre 14 Knightswood 7 Govan 6 Drumchapel 3 Maryhill Nth 3 Pollok 2 Gorbals 1 Red Road 1 July-Sept 2001 Sighthill/City Centre 21 Govan 3 Red Road 2 Knightswood 2 Royston 1 Pollokshaws 1 Mosspark 1 Govanhill/Cathcart 1 Oct-Dec 2001 Govan 5 Sighthill/City Centre 5 Govanhill/Cathcart 3 Red Road 1 Jan-Mar 2002 Sighthill/City Centre 4 Clydeside 2 Govan 2 Milton 2 Gorbals 1 Maryhill Nth 1 Royston 1 Total 96 22

23 TABLE 14. CITY HOUSING SERVICES WORKFORCE AT MARCH 2002 Sector/Salary Point BME All Employees % BME Manual & Craft % Non-Manual Up to 15, % 15,815 to 20, % 21,536 to 27, % 28, % Total 30 2, % PRDG/CB/