Sustainable Community Strategy - Coventry Partnership

9. Equality of opportunity and involved, cohesive communities and
neighbourhoods
A more equal Coventry with cohesive communities and neighbourhoods
9.1 This is the first of the two underpinning themes
of the Sustainable Community Strategy. It is
fundamental to the success of the overall strategy
which aims to ensure that future growth is used to
transform the city and benefit local people by
improving quality of life, raising aspirations and
narrowing the gap in the city.
9.2 Better equality of opportunity in Coventry will be
achieved by meeting local people's needs through
all the other themes, ensuring that these focus on
specific actions to meet the needs of all Coventry's
communities and removing the barriers that
Coventry people face which prevent them from
achieving their full potential.
9.3 This theme aims to ensure that Coventry
becomes a more cohesive city, a place where:
• There is a sense of belonging and involvement
for all Coventryʼs communities
• The diversity of Coventry peopleʼs backgrounds
and circumstances is appreciated and positively
valued
• People from different backgrounds have similar
life opportunities
• There are strong and positive relationships
between people from different backgrounds.
9.4 The theme also focuses on ensuring that
Coventry's diverse communities and
neighbourhoods are vibrant and successful with
local people and communities involved with the way
that local needs are met and in their future
development.
Where are we now?
9.5 Coventry is ethnically diverse, with some 22% of
its inhabitants coming from minority ethnic
communities compared to 13% for England as a
whole. About a quarter of the children in Coventry's
schools are from minority ethnic backgrounds. Asian
and Asian British communities together make up
11.3% of the city's population of whom 8.0% have
an Indian background. The next largest minority
group is made up of people with a White Irish
background who make up 3.5% of the population.
Coventry's population with a Black or Black British
background is 1.8% - slightly lower than the English
average of 2.3%.
9.6 There are over 100 languages spoken in
Coventry and a variety of faith communities - these
include 65% who identify themselves as Christian,
4.6% Sikh, 3.9% Muslim and 2.6% Hindu. More
than15% of Coventry's population say that they
follow no religion.
9.7 Newer communities that have settled in
Coventry in the last ten years include Somalian,
Kurdish, Afghani and Iraqi groups. Like other areas
of the UK, Coventry has recently been experiencing
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higher levels of migration from within the European
Union with a higher level of “population churn” with
people moving into the city for short periods of time.
This short-term movement is difficult to measure
using traditional demographic statistical data and
like many cities, Coventry is undertaking further
research to understand better the impact that
population churn is having upon the city and the
provision of services.
9.8 Levels of household income are rising in
Coventry. The gap between the average household
income in the city and the UK average is closing, as
is the gap between the average income levels
between priority neighbourhoods and the rest of the
city. However, there is a significant contrast in the
distribution of incomes across the city, with
households in the poorest small area (output area)
in Coventry receiving under £14,639 pa compared
with households in the richest small area earning
over £78,575. A quarter of households within the city
have incomes below £16,836 and a quarter of
households have income above £41,047.
9.9 The gender pay gap for people who live in
Coventry and work full time reflects the national
picture with the average wage for women being
three quarters (76%) of that of men. However the
gender pay gap for all people who work in the city is
wider with women working full time only earning two
thirds (67%) of that men. This may reflect the nature
of jobs in the city.
9.10 Unemployment rates vary across the city from
0.6% in Wainbody to 7.1% in Foleshill (Job Seekers
Allowance measure February 2008). Worklessness
rates (people of working age who are not in work
and are claiming benefits) have been rising since
2004 with the rate of people claiming Job Seekers
Allowance accounting for most of this increase. The
number of people claiming Job Seekers Allowance
is now starting to fall sharply as the city undergoes a
high rate of economic churning. In addition to this
employment has increased across the whole city
and there are fewer people in households with noone
in paid work.
9.11 Life expectancy in the city for women is
increasing slowly but has fallen for men and the
difference in life expectancy between the most
affluent and disadvantaged remains high, with an
overall gap in life expectancy of 5.1 years for men
and 5.9 years for women between priority
neighbourhoods and the rest of city.
9.12 There are a range of communities in Coventry
that may experience disadvantages that do not
necessarily have a geographical focus – these
communities of interest include ex-offenders,
homeless people, looked-after children and young
people. Also older people experiencing isolation and
poverty, people experiencing mental ill health,
people from the most disadvantaged black and