Council leaders have agreed to implement a string of recommendations aimed at bringing Birmingham’s communities closer together.
Plans for a Birmingham history week and a focus on neighbourhoods rather than ethnicity were accepted by the city council’s cabinet.
They were among 15 recommendations arising from the investigation commonly known as the What Makes a Brummie? inquiry.
Others included the creation of a welcome pack for new arrivals and a pledge to consider achieving City of Sanctuary status, which would see Birmingham recognised as a place of safety and welcome for those seeking refuge.
A number of similar proposals also emerged from a recent social inclusion white paper, led by Bishop of Birmingham David Urquhart.
The authority’s cabinet member for social cohesion Coun John Cotton (Lab, Shard End) said: “A strong sense of identity, shared values and commitment to reciprocal rights and responsibilities are essential to tackling inequality.
“This inquiry asks significant questions on the rights and responsibilities of citizens of Birmingham, in terms of what the city gives to its citizens and what it expects in return.
“The people of Birmingham have vision, and an abundance of ideas.
“In neighbourhoods across the city we have people doing fantastic, innovative things that raise hope and open doors to new opportunities.”
Coun Cotton said the council aimed to “create the environment in which these initiatives can continue to flourish”.
The report, formally called, Birmingham: Where the World Meets, will be debated at a city council meeting on Tuesday.
It was formed to find ways the council could foster a city-wide sense of identity and encourage closer cooperation between the residents from 187 countries who have made Birmingham their home.
The cross-party inquiry, led by Labour councillor Waseem Zaffar, also found that white working class communities in the city’s outer suburbs like Kingstanding, Shard End, Weoley Castle and Northfield, felt they received a worse deal than black and ethnic minority communities.
East Europeans, including recent arrivals from Poland, Latvia and Slovakia, also claimed they felt like ‘ghosts’ and had little encouragement to become engaged in their communities.
One recommendation was to end funding arrangements based on demographic, ethnic, religious or cultural factors and instead focus on projects which served everyone in a given neighbourhood or district.
Coun Zaffar (Lab, East Handsworth and Lozells), said: “Rather than concentrating on the things that make us different, why not concentrate on all the things we have in common?”
The local history week and greater teaching of Birmingham’s past in schools were also widely welcomed.
Historian Prof Carl Chinn said: “Without a past we cannot have a future. History is not just about what happened long ago, it is about now. Without it we have no sense of identity.”
Sociologist Liz Yardley, from Birmingham City University, suggested it should focus on key figures in local history.
“We need to look at historic individuals there are wide variety to choose from, so there is someone children can identify with.
“I personally identify with Kathleen Dayus, the writer from Hockley who wrote about growing up in working class Birmingham.”
