An Open City: The Role of Migration in Cardiff Paul Keeping Head of Diversity Cardiff Council

The City of Cardiff Capital City for Wales Driver of the Welsh economy Population of 320,000 people Modern and vibrant European city

1950s Economic Boom

1970s Major Economic Decline

Tradition of Openness “New City” – 200 years of growth Netherlands Ireland England Somalia Norway Yemen

Tradition of Openness “New City” – 200 years of growth Italy Spain China

Tradition of Openness “New City” – 200 years of growth Indian sub-continent Caribbean Japan Korea

Tradition of Openness “New City” – 200 years of growth Africa Middle East Phillipines Kerelan Eastern Europe

Cardiff’s Migrant Population Today 30,000+ born outside the UK Around 10% of the Cardiff population 111 different nationalities registered for National Insurance purposes Growing migrant population The absence of statistics for planning: e.g., migrant workers, Somalis.

Cardiff’s Migrant Population Today Migrant populations are concentrated in what is known in Cardiff as the Great Southern Arc of deprivation. This is centred on the old Cardiff docks and fans out from there to the north and west where the more affluent populations are to be found. Migrant settlement maps closely onto the highest indicators of deprivation in the city.

International Division of over 50 staff 3,000 international students at Cardiff University, representing over 100 countries. International Foundation Programme, a one-year programme to provide the academic and language skills needed for a degree at Cardiff. International Division of over 50 staff 6000 staff overall, inc 820 international staff from 78 countries. The University of Wales Institute Cardiff has over 800 international students from 120 different countries. The International Office has two English Language and Study Skills Support Tutors who help with additional language or study skills support for international students. The International Student Welfare Office provide advice on visas, accommodation and other practices or procedures in the UK. Cardiff University is one of the major employers in Cardiff with over 6000 staff, and 25,000 students. It and other educational institutions bring skills from around the world into Cardiff and ensure that Cardiff is networked into the global educational context.

Migration and Social Cohesion in South-East Wales (funded by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation) Research in seven ‘communities’ in Cardiff in 2005-6: Two “National” communities - Somali and Chinese Cross-ethnic Arabic speaking communities A deprived valleys community Two increasingly diverse but originally white working class communities A predominantly middle-class and partially Welsh speaking area A group of “Administrators” who implement policy, including 4 media professionals

Methodology 108 interviews, and 52 focus groups across seven communities/sites. January 2005 - August 2006. Participant observations. Interviews with community leaders Focus groups with community members. 8 researchers, three speaking community languages

the legal status of new immigrants; national and local media representations of immigration, asylum and migrant workers; the legal status of new immigrants; the success of local agencies and groups in mediating between established and incoming populations. This is true in both deprived and middle class areas. What follows this slide is a series of research findings which question the policy context with which we began - and which also question the new focus - since 2004/5 on ‘community’ or ‘’social cohesion’ - at the expense of dealing with the economic issues which actually underpin people’s ability to belong in new places.

Findings: Work and Acceptance There is a strong connection between community acceptance of new migrants and the ability of those migrants to work. E.g., the way diverse groups live and work side by side in relatively deprived areas. In the more deprived areas of Cardiff all new migrants tend to be identified as ‘asylum seekers’ but are accepted once known to be ‘migrant workers’. The acceptance of Chinese restaurant staff in middle class Llandaff because they work. This is an important finding because of the UK level policy on asylum which does not allow asylum seekers to work.

Recognising the Role of Social Class Middle class ethnic community leaders and members with a level of education and experience which allows them to mix and negotiate with middle class ‘administrators’ make a huge, unrecognised, contribution to the local and national economy in their support of new migrants. The same can be said of middle class ‘host’‘administrators’ and community members who work toward inclusion.

Lack of Communication There is evidence of a lack of communication between those who try to support incomers and the grassroots. Examples include the perceptions and realities of the Communities First Agenda in STAR, or misunderstandings about council initiatives to support Portugese migrant workers in Merthyr In STAR no-one seemed to know the communities First agenda existed. In Merthyr - the example of the council workers - lots of good practice - but the Portugese migrant workers did not know they had a ‘community champion’ . Th IT/ESOL service in the local library for the Portugese - upset the locals who believed the Portugese had invaded their space.

Approach to Governance and Diversity Community Strategy Vision: “To ensure that Cardiff is a world class European capital city with an exceptional “quality of life” and at the heart of a competitive city region.”

Mainstreaming Equality and Diversity Seven Equality Strands Age Disability Gender Language Race Religious Belief Sexual Orientation

Mainstreaming into existing structures Key Initiatives Generic Approach Impact Assessment Involvement Equality Monitoring Accessible Communication Training Mainstreaming into existing structures

Specific projects to support migrants Casework Employment Advice Centre Banking sessions Information Days for Migrant Workers and Refugees English for work and services Health workshops for women Welsh Heritage and culture, integration and cohesion Central and Eastern European Association of Cardiff Application filling facility Multi-Agency Migrants Seminar Welcome to Cardiff pack for migrants and refugees Diversity Forum Employment Initiatives Further Research