http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... lives.html
Forget the Boston diatribe in the Daily Wail article; I was intrigued to see that Sutton Coldfield (technically the Ostrich's pasture) ranks as No. 2 in the Most Integrated table.
Those most integrated tended to be in the prosperous suburbs and small towns in the so-called 'grammar school belt' around London and Birmingham.
The researchers analysed data from the 2011 census, comparing 160 places with a population of more than 20,000, of whom at least 15 per cent were from an ethnic minority.
Among considerations were whether individuals held a UK passport, the ethnic mix of neighbourhoods and households and how people mixed with work colleagues ......
The data examines both ‘identity integration’ – how minorities living in English and Welsh towns feel – and ‘structural integration’ – how well minorities living in that area mix with other ethnic groups.
The most integrated places usually did not have a single large minority group. Also, the more integrated a place, the greater the share of ethnic minorities in higher-paid jobs.
Sutton Coldfield used to be known as the "posh" premier suburb of Birmingham but it's been fading rapidly in recent years (probably since we arrived ). If you want posh round 'ere, you now do what Mr and Mrs Aggers did and move to Solihull!!
What Sutton does have, however, which Solihull doesn't quite have yet is a "Millionaires' Mile" - the district of Little Aston to the north of Sutton which houses gated communities and very many second- or third-generation predominantly Indian businessmen made good. We have also had the phenomenon of "white flight" out of inner Birmingham that has in more recent years evolved to bring an influx of already-integrated Indians and better-off Afro-Caribbeans into Sutton after being displaced by Pakistanis, Somalis etc. in the inner city suburbs.
And they are not wrong to say it's the "grammar school" belt which is an attraction - most grammar schools around here are tutoring overwhelmingly kids from aspirational Indian families rather than white, because they value education.
So yes, I can understand this survey's results regarding Sutton Coldfield - but I would suggest that it's come about purely through circumstance. And I'm not quite sure how the gated communities aid integration ...