Community Relations Commission: Minutes and Papers

Minutes of meetings of the Community Relations Commission and its committees; files of its Development Division, Reference Division, Education Department, Employment Department and grant applications files.

Also preserved are all files from eight (of about 100) representative examples of local Community Relations Councils: one from the London area (Brent), one from Scotland (Glasgow), two from the South of England Region (Bristol and Slough), two from the Midlands (Birmingham and Nottingham), and two from the North of England Region (Manchester and Newcastle upon Tyne).

There are also a few papers of the National Advisory Committee for Commonwealth Immigrants and the National Committee for Commonwealth Immigrants which preceded the Community Relations Commission.

The records of the National Advisory Committee for Common Immigrants and the National Committee for Commonwealth Immigrants which preceded the Community Relations Commission are respectively in:

For Integration of Commonwealth Immigrants Dept: HO 230 HO 231

For files in the Racial Disadvantage (RDI) series HO 376

Topics

Labour

The Community Relations Commission was set up under the Race Relations Act 1968 to replace the National Committee for Commonwealth Immigrants. The first chairman was Frank Cousins, formerly General Secretary of the Transport and General Workers Union. In 1971 he was succeeded as chairman by Mark Bonham-Carter, who until then had been Chairman of the Race Relations Board. The Commission had twelve members, all appointed by the Home Secretary.

The task of the Commission was to co-ordinate national measures which would encourage the growth of harmonious community relations. There were departments and divisions dealing with, amongst other subjects, education, employment, housing, social services, and youth and community, and the Commission liaised with government departments, local authorities and voluntary associations concerned with the same matters. It provided advice to central government, local authorities and organisations, organised training and conferences, and appointed specialist committees to advise on particular problems.

Throughout the country in those areas where there was a large immigrant population, the voluntary liaison committees were replaced by Community Relations Councils and the liaison officers by Community Relations Officers. Money was also contributed to these voluntary bodies by the local authorities and other sources.

The Commission was abolished by the Race Relations Act 1976, which amalgamated it with the Race Relations Board to form the Commission for Racial Equality.