Racism fears voiced by Portsmouth city councillor as figures reveal low levels of Black people using well-being service

During a recent health and overview scrutiny committee, Councillor Judith Smyth, a Independent representative for St Jude Ward, raised questions about the ethnic diversity of participants in projects set up by the council’s Independence and Well-being Team (IWT). The IWT helps people with disabilities stay independent and avoid social isolation through activities like Yoga in the Park, Paulsgrove Men’s Group, and the Community Allotment.

From April to October of this year, people of African, Caribbean, and other Black backgrounds represented just 0.6 per cent of IWT service users. In the 2021 Census, Portsmouth City Council said 2.6 per cent of people in Portsmouth said they were in the ‘Black, Black British, Black Welsh, Caribbean or African: African’ group where the number had nearly doubled since 2011.

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Cllr Smyth said she’s “very concerned” about this low level of representation.

She added: “If I was talking to you in the 70s and 80s when I used to teach equality of opportunity I would be saying that is a clear indication that we are either ignoring that community or indeed that our staff are being racist.

“There are more than 0.6 per cent of our population that are Black African, Black Caribbean and Black other and we know that the incidence of mental health in many areas is quite high among Black African and Black Caribbean people

“We know that many of those people would have experienced some trauma as refugees – those figures are incredible and I would be very concerned that somebody might interpret them as racist behaviour from our staff.”

She then requested Andy Biddle, the council’s director of adult social care, to come back with a detailed report looking into the issue, which was agreed to.

Responding to the concerns raised Mr Biddle said: “We are reaching out to diverse communities Portsmouth – I can’t comment on those figures specifically but it is part of our role within that particular service to reach out to different and diverse communities.

“I’d like to take a considered view of that and have a discussion with the service themselves and find out what’s behind that.”