DIVERSITY not division is key to the district, claims Bradford Council's leader.

Councillor Susan Hinchcliffe was responding to a new national report which claims measures are needed to tackle growing levels of “ethnic segregation” in some areas of the UK.

Earlier this year, a report by the think-tank Policy Exchange named Keighley and Bradford as amongst the most segregated places in the country.

Keighley was ranked ninth, four places behind Bradford.

In the latest report, produced following a year-long study, Dame Louise Casey said she found there were areas struggling to cope with the pace and scale of changes faced as a result of immigration, highlighting large social and economic gaps between different ethnic groups.

One of the findings of the review, which was commissioned by former Prime Minister David Cameron amid concerns hundreds of radicalised young Britons were joining Islamic State, was that children should be taught “British values” of tolerance, democracy and respect to help bind communities together.

In response, Councillor Hinchcliffe says: “In Bradford there can be underlying tensions between some members of different communities, particularly in a climate of austerity where they perceive themselves to be competing for scarce resources, services or opportunities. International events can be played out on our streets.

“Free speech, British values, and perceptions of fairness, identity and integration are open to very different interpretations and sometimes contested.

“We support dialogue across our communities and tackle conflict. Addressing inequality and delivering truly inclusive economic growth offering opportunities to everyone is critical. This means investing in social as well as physical infrastructure. Diverse but not divided, Bradford is a young, growing, and modern district with all the complexities and opportunities that brings."

Dr Mohammed Iqbal – founder of Bradford Matters, a culturally diverse lobbying group set up to make the district more successful – said a focus on integration rather than counter-extremism was “welcome”.

He said: “Previous strategies have focused on extremism and this has disengaged and alienated a lot of people.

“More important is community cohesion, and we need to be brave and honest about how we go forward together.

“We are beginning to address these issues proactively and while Bradford has challenges we are better placed than many cities in many respects."

Last month, council chief executive Kersten England fiercely criticised the Policy Exchange report.

She said Bradford was a district which “celebrates, commemorates, works and plays together”.

The Policy Exchange said it had examined 160 towns and cities with minority populations of at least 15 per cent, examining how well minorities living in that area mixed with other ethnic groups and how white British people living in that area felt.