The local government secretary of state, Hazel Blears, has announced a £50m package for councils to “promote cohesion and tackle community tensions”.

The boost follows the Commission on Integration and Cohesion led by Darra Singh.

And in a letter to the Ealing Chief Executive the secretary of state said, “I agree with your assessment that Britain is a place where the vast majority of people feel they belong, and are comfortable and confident about diversity.

“But we cannot rest on our laurels.  The benefits of globalisation are not always distributed equally among different communities and neighbourhoods.  At worst, this is being used by extremists seeking to drive a wedge between different groups.”

The Government has suggested the £50m be used in a variety of ways to promote cohesion.  These include:

• Specialist integration and cohesion teams
• A greater emphasis on learning English
• Information packs for new migrants
• Promotion of new Citizen Days
• Involving young people through volunteering and mentoring

The full letter to Darra Singh is available here

You can also read Darra Singh’s reply here