Ethnic baby boom 'crisis'

RACE trouble is being predicted because of an ethnic baby boom in one of Britain’s major cities.

Young mothers with their children Young mothers with their children

A third of babies being born in Sheffield are to ethnic minority families, an official report has revealed.

This is creating a major population shift in the South Yorkshire city, raising concern among community leaders that simmering tensions could erupt in riots similar to those that have blighted Bradford and Oldham.

Council chiefs fear that unless drastic action is taken, ethnic communities could become increasingly isolated, with Far-Right parties like the BNP becoming increasingly attractive to the city’s disaffected whites.

The latest figures show that 13 per cent of Sheffield’s population of 527,000 is now made up of minorities from all races and backgrounds – including a recent influx of thousands of migrants from new EU countries such as Poland and Romania.

While the city’s white population has declined, the number of migrants has more than doubled in the past 15 years and shows no signs of abating, according to the latest predictions.

A report to be presented to Sheffield City Council’s Cabinet next week warns that action needs to be taken to address the potential strain on community relations this could create. It says that other issues which need to be addressed include segregated suburbs and schools, fair access to housing and more integrated workplaces.

In the past the city has taken a low profile approach to community relations, dealing with individual issues as they arise.

But the report recommends the city should abandon that strategy and introduce concrete plans to tackle possible problems, including “twinning” arrangements between schools in different areas.

Moves are also urged to combat high levels of unemployment suffered by some ethnic groups.

The minority Labour council   also wants a broader debate on what it means to be a Sheffielder in the 21st century – identifying responsibilities and shared values.

These could include a pledge that parents should take an active interest in their children’s education and a promise that all citizens should be able to speak and write English well.

The report believes Sheffield has a head start in moves to promote better community cohesion. It says: “Sheffield has an incredibly strong identity and many people across all communities do feel a real sense of place and pride.

“There is already a very strong sense of shared values amongst all communities.”

Pupils are currently packing out primary schools in parts of the city where there are large immigrant populations, such as Fir Vale and Burngreave.

The situation is so serious that education chiefs are planning to spend £14million on new buildings and extensions.

Sheffield has had well-established ethnic groups for decades – from the Caribbean, India and Pakistan and from smaller countries like Somalia and the Yemen.

But in recent years people have also arrived from Poland, Albania, Iran, Iraq, Algeria and the Congo.

Mixed race youngsters are the city’s fastest-growing minority group.

From 2001 to 2005, Sheffield’s population was boosted by 4,750 people from a variety of ethnic minorities – from Irish to African and from Chinese to Bangladeshi.

But during the same period the white British population around the city fell by 2,750.

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