Community Relations Commission: Minutes and Papers 1-30

IDENTITY STATEMENT AREA

Reference code(s): CK 3

Title: Community Relations Commission: Minutes and Papers 1-30

Date(s): 1968 - 1977

Level of description: Series

Extent and medium of the unit of description: 205 files and volumes

CONTEXT AREA

Name of creator(s): Community Relations Commission,1968-1976

Administrative/Biographical history: 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.

Archival history:

Immediate source of acquisition or transfer:

CONTENT AND STRUCTURE AREA

Scope and content: This series comprises:

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)
• 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 which preceded the Community Relations Commission.

Appraisal, destruction and scheduling information:

Accruals:

System of arrangement:

CONDITIONS OF ACCESS AND USE AREA

Conditions governing access: Subject to 30 year closure

Conditions governing reproduction:

Language/scripts of material: English

Physical characteristics:

Finding aids: PRO Online catalogue (PROCAT)

ALLIED MATERIALS AREA

Existence and location of originals:

Existence and location of copies:

Related units of description: 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 PRO Online Catalogue (PROCAT), series: HO 230 and HO 231.
For files in the Racial Disadvantage (RDI) series see PROCATseries: HO 376. For Integration of Commonwealth Immigrants Department see PROCAT: Division within EW.

Publication note:

DESCRIPTION CONTROL AREA

Recorder's note:

Rules or conventions: Compiled in compliance with General International Standard Archival Description, ISAD(G), second edition, 2000; National Council on Archives Rules for the Construction of Personal, Place and Corporate Names, 1997.

Date(s) of descriptions: December 2001

Interest: Caribbean, Black, Asian

Specific group:

Subjects

Social welfare

Employment

Education

Race Relations Act 1968

Civil and political rights

Human rights

Immigration

Racial discrimination

Interethnic relations

Communities

Personal/Corporate names

National Advisory Committee for Commonwealth Immigrants

Community Relations Commission

Places