- Review will establish the facts and identify the underlying
causes of the unrest
- Recommendations to be made for improving community relations
and preventing similar events in the future
- Independent panel to be appointed, led by Lord (Ian) Austin
An independent review into the unrest that occurred in Leicester
last year has been commissioned by Secretary of State for
Communities .
In September 2022 community tensions led to a spate of vandalism,
assaults, and attacks on places of worship and other properties
in Leicester, in some cases highlighting divisions between
different groups across the city and beyond.
During the height of the unrest, the Government worked closely
with the local police force, Leicester City Council and other
local partners to bring calm to the situation and protect
communities from across the city.
Communities Secretary has now commissioned an
Independent Review into the disorder and has appointed Lord (Ian)
Austin as chair. Lord Austin is a former Minister for Housing and
Planning and former Minister for the West Midlands.
He will lead an independent panel of experts - which will be
appointed in due course – to work on understanding the origins of
the unrest and explore how similar events can be prevented in the
future, both in Leicester and elsewhere.
The panel will:
- establish the facts of what took place over the period of
unrest, and a sequence of events;
- present an analysis of the causes of the unrest
- make practical recommendations for how similar events that
may arise in future could be prevented; and
- set out proposals and ideas for strengthening social cohesion
locally
Secretary of State for Communities said:
Leicester has a proud history of community cohesion, which makes
last year’s disorder all the more shocking and upsetting.
This review will build a thorough understanding of the specific
events that took place and what can be learned from them.
I have spoken to both the Home Secretary and the Mayor of
Leicester to underline the importance of protecting all parts of
the community in Leicester and we will not tolerate attempts to
foster division or violence among people or between religious
groups.
Leicester City Mayor said:
I welcome the Government’s announcement. I hope the review
can move forward as swiftly as possible, whilst of course being
thorough and given the attention it deserves.
I would want Leicester and other cities to be able to learn from
its findings and to understand what needs to be done to ensure
that our community cohesion is never again threatened in this
way.
Lord Austin said:
Acceptance of each other’s background and beliefs is at the heart
of our national identity.
Communities living and working together have formed some of the
most vibrant societies across the country and cities such as
Leicester have proud histories of tolerance and diversity.
This makes the scenes we witnessed in Leicester last year all the
more worrying and it is therefore so important that we listen to
people in Leicester to get to the bottom of what happened and
why.
