'Poverty' key to town's problems

Up to 200 whites and Asians were involved in the Burnley riots

Overcoming poverty is the key to better relations between whites and Asians in a Lancashire town which suffered race disturbances, MPs have heard.

Burnley Council's chief executive Steve Rumbelow made the declaration after a government committee visited the town while investigating community harmony.

In June 2001 up to 200 white and Asian youths clashed there during a night of violence and attacks on buildings.

The committee is visiting various towns in the UK touched by racial issues.

Mr Rumbelow told the cross-party parliamentary select committee that people in Burnley still lived "parallel lives" in segregated communities but that increased economic prosperity would help break down such barriers.

Racial tension

He said: "The real issue is fixing the economy and making sure we have opportunities for all the communities. That will deal better with cohesion issues.

"The biggest problem is deprivation. The most urgent need is to turn the economy around. It is not the total answer but is the biggest part of the answer."

He added that economic development would help people crawl out of poverty and move away from poor areas which would in turn help them to integrate better with other communities.

Shufqat Razaq, Chair of Burnley Action Partnership, also told the committee the historic matter of the distribution of regeneration funds was a main source of tension in the town

He added that the knock-on effects of violent acts committed by Muslim extremists and the town's economic downturn were other reasons.

Economic boost

He said: "When you speak to my parents, things did not start out bad. They were made welcome.

"There were racial tensions in the late 60s and 70s but it was not bad. There were plenty of jobs in the factories.

"When the decline started the jobs disappeared. There is a correlation between the tensions building up between the communities."

The committee is expected to reports its findings and recommendations to Hazel Blears, Minister for Communities and Local Government, next month.