The document summarizes the findings of a needs assessment conducted with Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) communities in Brighton and Hove. It found that BME residents face issues with housing, employment, and educational attainment. Specifically, BME residents were more likely to rent privately and less likely to own homes, and certain ethnic groups had unemployment rates twice the city average. BME children and young people also tended not to reach their full potential compared to their White British peers. The steering group conducting the assessment is prioritizing work on these issues of housing, employment, and education, and engaging the community for input.

1. The Brighton and Hove
Black and Minority Ethnic Needs Assessment

2. What is a Needs Assessment?

3. - Local Black and Minority Ethnic communities felt that the
council and other public agencies in the city didn’t fully
understand who the community were and what some of
the problems they were facing might be.
- The council and other agencies listened to this and
identified some funding to undertake some research.
- BMECP (the Black and Minority Ethnic Community
Partnership) worked with the community to set up a
steering group to over-see the project.
- The Steering Group includes representatives of BME
community groups in the city as well as the council, police
and NHS.
Why has this project happened?

4. BME Data ‘Snapshot’ – Key Findings

5. 23,494
10,408
11,278
4,188
2,184
1,799
Non UK/British White
Mixed / multiple ethnic
group
Asian / Asian British
Black/African/Caribbean/Bl
ack British
Arab
Any other ethnic group
220,018
53,351
English / Welsh / Scottish
/ Northern Irish / British
Black & Minority Ethnic
(BME)
20% or 53,351 B&H residents are
BME….
44% of BME residents are Non
UK/British White
Our BME population is increasing…

6. BME residents’ age profile is younger
0%
2%
4%
6%
8%
10%
12%
14%
16%
18%
20%
White UK/British (n=220,018) White Irish (n=3,772)
OtherWhite (n=19,524) Mixed/multiple ethnicgroup(n=10,408)
Asian/Asian British (n=11,278) Black/BlackBritish (n=4,188)
Arab (n=2,184) otherethnicgroup(n=1,799)
91.8%
8.1%
English / Welsh /
Scottish / Northern
Irish / British
Black & Minority
Ethnic (BME)
…just 8.1 per cent of over 65
year olds are from BME
backgrounds
…One fifth of
our children
and young
people are
from a BME
background.

7. A quarter of our households include people of different
ethnic backgrounds
24%
13% 13%
Brighton & Hove South East England

8. BME Children and Young People tend not to reach their
full potential, compared to White British
EAL attainment gaps 2012 at EYFS, Key Stages 1 and 2
% achieving good level of development
EYFS Brighton & Hove 16%
England 9%
% achieving expected Level 2
Reading Writing Maths
Key Stage 1 Brighton & Hove 11% 12% 4%
England 4% 4% 3%
% achieving expected Level 4
Key Stage 2 Brighton & Hove 6%
England 2%

9. This is particularly true for Black or Black British pupils
eligible for free school meals
All Brighton & Hove pupils not eligible for FSM
All Brighton & Hove pupils eligible for FSM
Black or Black British pupils not eligible for FSM
Black or Black British pupils eligible for FSM 16.7%
52.8%
Key Stage 4 attainment by eligibility for FSM and by ethnicity
% achieving 5 GCSEs (A*-C) incl Eng and Maths
61.2%
26.9%

10. Housing issues
highlighted in snapshot
report
Comparator Notable differences in
outcomes
40% BME
-46% Bangladeshi
12% BME
-33% Bangladeshi
-32% Gypsy & Irish Traveller
-5% Indian
45% BME
-56% Other White
-48% Black/Black British
-17% Bangladeshi
Private rented homes - %
living in private rented
accommodation
24% White UK/British
Home ownership-% living in
owned or part-owned
accommodation
59% White UK/ British
Social rented homes- % living
in social housing
15% White UK/British
BME residents are much more likely to rent from a
private landlord and less likely to own a home

11. All non-white ethnic groups had higher than average
unemployment rates; four groups had rates at least twice the
city average
7.3%
18.7%
16.9%
15.9%
15.3%
Average Black African White & Black African White & Black Caribbean Gypsy or Irish Traveller

12. What we have done and will do in the future.
• The Steering Group has prioritised working on issues related to
Housing, Employment and Education
• It has held events to ensure the views of BME people are fed into
the Council’s new Housing Strategy.
• Our Chair is now a member of the Council’s ‘Closing the Gap’
working group. This group is working on a number of projects to
reduce the gap between attainment levels of BME pupils and their
White British peers.
• It has presented the findings to the City Employment and Skills
Steering Group and they have agreed to have a focus on skills and
employment support for BME communities in their next action plans.
• We are now organising community events to feed into the schools
work and look at what services the BME community would like to
use and improve.

13. To help us with our work we would like to
ask you some questions.

14. 7%
9%
11%
2%
7%
27%
9%
29%
Q1 - Where do you (find it easiest) to get
information from ?
A. Word of mouth
B. Leaflets
C. Website
D. Social media
E. Schools
F. Community/voluntary groups
G. BMECP centre
H. Other community centres

15. 13%
28%
11%
13%
24%
4%
7%
Q2. How would you like (prefer) to be involved in /kept in
touch/contribute to the work of the BMENAG?
A. Survey – paper / online
B. Newsletter
C. Events
D. Regular meetings
E. Drop in
F. Direct contact with community groups
G. Internet / social media