Race experts have challenged the report by the Commission on Integration and Cohesion as ‘rushed and under-resourced'. A stakeholder group organised by the Hay Group, including senior advisers in a think-tank and the Commission for Racial Equality, challenged the report, led by Ealing LBC chief executive, Darra Singh, published last month. Jonathan Baume, general secretary of the First Division Association, claimed the commission's findings were a missed opportunity: ‘Why is cohesion not about assimilation? The report doesn't address the concerns of the indigenous population. The key question is, why should the majority change?' he asked. And Nick Johnson, director of policy and public sector at the Commission for Racial Equality, said: ‘It was rushed and under-resourced. ‘Cohesion raises fundamental issues at both policy and local level.' Danny Sriskandarajah, director of research strategy at the Institute for Public Policy Research, defended the report: ‘It's not bad. Mr Singh makes the point that we are dealing with complex issues and shouldn't drift into simplification.'
