Girls are substantially less likely than boys to consider taking Science, technology, engineering and mathematics subjects at A Level

Integrated Communities Action Plan sets out next steps to promote better integration amongst communities.

Better integrated communities and a stronger society based on the common themes that bind people and places together are the driving force in the Integrated Communities Action Plan, published today (9 February 2019).

Communities Secretary, Rt Hon James Brokenshire MP, has today outlined the government’s next steps to deliver the vision of the Integrated Communities Strategy green paper.

This will create stronger, more confident and integrated communities, where people, whatever their background, can live, work, learn and socialise together, based on shared rights, responsibilities and opportunities.

Creating confident and well-integrated communities is particularly important as we move towards Brexit and in the years that follow.

The government will be taking 70 actions, including:

• Improving the opportunities for those wishing to learn English by developing a new national strategy for English language.

• Helping new migrants integrate into their communities, by trialling a package of practical information to help them meet, mix and build social connections with neighbours and the wider community.

• Publishing a new Community Guide to Action ensuring that communities across the country, whatever their local interest, have access to the information and advice to enable them to improve their local area. This could include taking much loved local assets into community ownership.

• Working in partnership with 5 Integration Areas to develop bespoke local integration strategies, trying new bold and innovative approaches including helping more marginalised women into work.

• Collaborating with civil society to support refugees to rebuild their lives and integrate in the UK, by taking forward actions that focus on English language, employment, mental health and information for refugees.

• Reaffirming our support for faith communities and empowering faith leaders with the confidence and knowledge to meet the changing needs of their congregations. This would include helping them to identify issues like mental health concerns, as well educating them on UK marriage law.

The Action Plan will build the capability of our leaders, boost English language skills and give people the know-how and support they need to thrive.

It is backed by £50 million of funding from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government and additional funding from other government departments as they develop and implement their own commitments to build integrated communities.

Communities Secretary, Rt Hon James Brokenshire MP, said:

We are a successful, diverse democracy – open, tolerant and welcoming. These characteristics are as British as queuing and talking about the weather.

However, we cannot ignore the fact that too many places across the country have divides, the benefits and opportunities our great country offers are not always felt by everyone equally.

Our new action plan charts a course for how we will engage and work with communities to bring people together in recognition that there is more that binds than divides us.

And as we embark on a new future outside the European Union, we need to ensure that everyone, whatever their background, has access to the same opportunities.

Recognising that integration challenges are not uniform throughout the country the government has also been working in partnership with 5 Integration Areas (Blackburn with Darwen; Bradford; Peterborough; Walsall and Waltham Forest) to develop local integration plans.

This approach is making good progress supporting partners like local authorities, voluntary organisations, local employers, schools and faith organisations to identify their priorities and the most effective ways to address them.

Through this place-based programme, the government is focused on testing what works in practice to promote integration and on putting processes in place for sharing learning more widely.

This Action Plan is for England. Government departments aim to deliver the commitments in this Action Plan by the end of this Parliament.

The Integrated Communities Strategy green paper was published on 14 March 2018. Over 3,400 responses from individuals and organisations were received to the consultation. These organisations spanned a wide range of sectors including, faith, education, local authority, social and academic.

It also includes the House of Lords Select Committee on Citizenship and Civic Engagement, whose report of their recent inquiry formed their response to the consultation.

The government response to the Integrated Communities Strategy green paper was published today (9 February 2019).

Each of the 5 Integration Areas has set up a Local Integration Partnership to bring local partners together, including businesses and the social and faith sectors. Through engagement and consultation with local people, each Local Integration Partnership has identified its local priorities and the most effective ways to address them.

Blackburn with Darwen launched its strategy, Our Community Our Future, on 6 December 2018 and Walsall launched its strategy, Walsall for All on 31 January 2019.

The remaining local strategies will be launched in the coming months.

The new flood scheme will protect 1,600 homes and 400 businesses in Ipswich over the next century.

The Environment Agency’s new tidal flood defence barrier for Ipswich has been officially opened by Floods Minister, Dr Thérèse Coffey, ensuring more than 1,600 homes and 400 businesses are better protected from flooding and the impacts of climate change over the course of the next century.

Costing almost £70 million, the new flood defences centrepiece is a 200-tonne rotating barrier which can be raised in minutes, helping to keep the town safe from tidal surges during storms.

The flood gate has a design similar to that of the Thames Barrier and is so large that it is coated with 6 tonnes of protective paint. The flood gate rotates upwards out of the sea floor into the closed position, holding back dangerous tidal surges that could flood the town. The defence also includes 1,100 metres of new and refurbished flood walls and a series of flood gates on the banks of the River Orwell.

Now finished, the scheme will better protect homes and businesses in Ipswich over the next 100 years from the increased flood risks associated with climate change. The new defences will provide a much higher level of protection from the type of tidal surge which threatened the town in 2007 and 2013, both of which were close to spilling over the existing defences.

The government’s most recent climate change projections predict that sea levels could rise by up to 1.15 metres, increasing the risk of tidal surges affecting those living on the coast. This project will see Ipswich better protected not only for today’s flood risk but also for that faced by generations to come. Aside from the reduced flood risk benefits, Ipswich’s new flood defence scheme has the added advantage of helping to boost the local economy through freeing up hectares of land for regeneration.

Today, Dr Thérèse Coffey MP, Floods Minister at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, and neighbouring MP for Suffolk Coastal, cut the ribbon to mark the official opening of the barrier at the eye-catching new control building on the waterfront.

Floods Minister Thérèse Coffey said:

This important new flood scheme, which has received nearly £55 million of government funding, over 80% of the total cost, will better protect over 1,600 homes in Ipswich from tidal flooding over the next 100 years.

The scheme will also secure the future of hundreds of local businesses whilst creating 4,000 jobs to boost the town’s economy. I am delighted the Government is investing so significantly in the county town of Suffolk and its future prosperity.

The Environment Agency’s Chair, Emma Howard Boyd, said

Climate change means increasing storms and rising sea levels all over the world. This flood scheme will help people and businesses prosper in a more resilient Ipswich over the course of the next century.

The Environment Agency worked closely with the local community, the council and businesses to design and build a scheme that provides a greater level of protection for the town. It’s an important step forwards for our six year, £2.6 billion flood investment across the whole country.

The opening event was attended by a number of representatives from project partners, including Ipswich Borough Council who helped to fund the scheme, the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, the Haven Gateway Partnership, and the New Anglia Local Enterprise Partnership.

Ipswich Borough Council leader David Ellesmere said:

It is good to see this major Ipswich project completed. The money Ipswich Borough Council provided towards this project was a significant investment by the council. I’m glad to see this very impressive piece of engineering is now doing its job of providing peace of mind for residents and businesses in Ipswich.

Minister for Local Growth, Jake Berry MP, said:

This government is committed to boosting economic growth across the whole of the UK and building a Britain fit for the future.

The Growing Places Fund continues to support key infrastructure projects designed to unlock wider economic growth, create jobs and support building new homes across England. I’m delighted that this £6.6m investment has supported the new tidal barrier in Ipswich, which is part of a significant package of works to upgrade flood defences along the River Orwell.

This scheme will help protect homes and businesses in Ipswich from the devastating effects of tidal flooding.

The flood defence scheme, which will reduce the risk of flooding to 1,608 homes and 422 businesses as well as key infrastructure, has been partnership funded by the Environment Agency (£54.6 million), Ipswich Borough Council through the Haven Gateway Partnership (£3.4 million) and the New Anglia Local Enterprise Partnership (£6.6 million), the Regional Flood and Coastal Committee (£1.7 million) and UK Power Networks (£1.1 million).

The scheme is a major step forwards for the borough council’s Core Development Strategy for Ipswich and will release land for development helping to create an estimated 4,000 jobs.