SPECIAL community action plans are to be drawn up for riot-hit towns in the wake of today's damning reports.

Home office Minister John Denham was asked to report on how to reduce the risks of repeated disorders and build stronger local communities, which were not dangerously separate.

Today Mr Denham announced that ''community cohesion action plans'' were to be drawn up for Oldham, Burnley and Bradford by next April.

''In many areas affected by disorder or community tensions, there is little interchange between members of different racial, cultural and religious communities,'' he said.

''The problems caused by this lack of dialogue are accentuated by weak local leadership. Our main proposal is to make community cohesion a central aim of government.''

Praising the work of Ted Cantle and his team, who visited Oldham, Mr Denham insisted that the reports published today must not be allowed to gather dust on the shelves of Whitehall.

''Reversing the processes which have led to communities becoming increasingly fractured and polarised will not be quick or easy.

''We must have the determination to see it through, so that five or 10 years from now we are not again asking ourselves why young people are so alienated that they wreak havoc in their own towns,'' added Mr Denham.

The minister's report called for a national debate on ''citizenship'' in a multi racial Britain, and said that all investments in schools, housing and community renewal should be based on ''cohesion''.

Mr Denham said the voices of young people must be heard and their concerns addressed.

He said the government has already allocated an extra £7m for summer activities for young people and recent announcements on asylum, police reform, housing and education had taken the question of community cohesion into account.

Tweet