Introduction

A widespread recognition of the diversity of the society in which we live has raised concerns, among politicians and professionals alike, that we are drifting towards becoming a divided nation. There are increasing anxieties surrounding ‘multicultural’ Britain (Cantle, 2001; Parekh and Commission on the Future of Multi-ethnic Britain, 2001; Blair, 2006). Such discussions and the concerns they raise are not new; nor is the exhortation to face problems ‘together as partners’ (Campbell, 1945, p 8; emphasis in original). Moreover, ethnic and gender-based inequalities within society continue to be documented (Macpherson, 1999; Morris et al, 2004). The neighbourhood is often seen as the place where diversity is experienced in everyday life (Amin, 2002). Given this, is neighbourhood governance a step in the right direction? This chapter asks if neighbourhood governance can be practised in a meaningful and potentially non-oppressive way. ‘How can governance draw upon the richness of knowledge and understanding available to people in different cultural worlds without oppressively omitting richness through the dominance of particular ideas and power relations?’ (Healey, 1997, p 49).

Insofar as governance is concerned, much of the current debate has focused on the necessity for underrepresented groups, including women and minority ethnic groups, to gain greater involvement. A key issue within neighbourhood governance is the sensitivity of institutional structures to the local population. The issues of representativeness and representation are a highly contested area in political theory (Young, 1990; Harvey, 1996; Parekh, 2000). However, there has been limited attention paid to how representation operates in practice. Understanding diversity is often seen to be a specialist area, with the interlocking but sometimes contradictory issues of gender, race and ethnicity grouped together. This chapter examines how ethnic difference and gender are addressed in governance and participatory structures within one New Deal for Communities (NDC) area.

Commitment to partnership working at local level is one of the key principles underpinning Labour's modernisation of local government (Sullivan and Skelcher, 2002; Stoker, 2004; Geddes, 2006).