Shared Future response - Another Wasted Opportunity

4.29.59pm UTC (GMT +0000) Wed 8th Nov 2006

" The Council's response to the Shared Future paper going to Executive next Tuesday is bureaucratic and destined to fail " said Cllr David Ward, chair of the Bradford North Area Committee

"The paper accepts the Shared Future analysis of needing to celebrate common values but this will not work until we have the courage to first of all debate the differences between cultures and their impact on social cohesion.

"At the grass roots level there are many worthwhile initiatives to help people from different backgrounds to come together but they barely scratch the surface and those engaged in these activities are being let down by weak political leadership.

" Where is the debate about the value of radical policies such as selective busing of school children, pressure on all mono-ethnic schools to link with other schools, or on the growth in the number of faith schools? Why is ' white flight ' occurring from certain areas? What about the impact on the credibility of the democratic process of the alleged widespread abuse of the postal vote system in many Asian areas?

" Bradford North Area Committee will be using its £50k Shared Future funding to tackle head on some of these questions but it is really for the Council Leader to take a lead."