http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/8954/Ethnic+baby+boom+%27crisis%27



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

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.