100 days on from the Middlesbrough riots - what has changed and what needs to change?

Tuesday November 12, marks 100 days from the Middlesbrough riots, which occurred on Sunday August 4.

The rioters caused much destruction across parts of the town. Cars were burnt out, windows were smashed, riot police were assaulted and there were “shocking” instances of racism during the disorder, which occurred in multiple towns across the North East, including Hartlepool and Sunderland over late July and early August.

The following day, Monday August 5, saw hundreds of residents and community leaders take to the streets to clean up the mess and damage from the previous day's violence.

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Leaders of political groupings in Middlesbrough Council were asked what has changed in the 100 days since the riots and what needs to change going forward in the town.

Leader of the Conservatives on Middlesbrough Council, Councillor David Coupe said: “The recent riots both in Middlesbrough and other parts of the country sadly highlighted differences in society which need to be amended. Many of our public services rely on people from abroad to work for the good of this country. This is especially true in our Health Service.

“I attended a meeting after the riots when a Health Service Employee was subject to their windows and doors being damaged with people trying to gain entry. They were in fear for their lives. The long term impact on these people who were subjected to these acts cannot be underestimated. This cannot be allowed to happen ever again.”

Middlesbrough Independent Councillors Association (MICA) Councillor Mick Saunders, who leads the largest opposition group at Middlesbrough Council, added: “We totally condemn acts of violence against people and properties - when you look at the day after, where people come together to clean the town up, that's the true face of Middlesbrough.”

Liberal Democrat leader on Middlesbrough Council, Tom Livingstone, said that the riots had been “shameful” and outlined that “there are both things which have changed for the better and issues which continue to cause concern”.

The Acklam councillor echoed MICA comments made regarding the clean up effort: “These people represent the real spirit of Middlesbrough. Unity and defiance in the face of violence and hatred”.

He added: “There is, however, still a lot of work to be done to ensure that these dreadful scenes are never repeated in our town, or anywhere else.”

He further commented that: “As a liberal I will always believe in the right of individuals to free speech - but politicians need to be absolutely clear that this can never and should never extend to smashing windows, damaging property, and threatening people.” Cllr Livingstone concluded that politicians should not pander to “racists and conspiracy theorists”.

Middlesbrough Mayor, Labour ’s Chris Cooke said: “In the last 100 days, there has been a serious recognition from central government that to foster improved community cohesion, we need adequate funding.” The mayor added that as a result, there will soon be a “pilot project” that will work with Middlesbrough’s young people to “bring our communities together”.

He also said: “Going forward, we need to look again at what led people to take the actions they took on that day, and harness a greater understanding of the pressures that people face in their day to day lives to ensure that never again do misinformation and hate win the day on our streets.”

Speaking to the Local Democracy Service in October, Labour Councillor John Kabuye commented that the riots had been “one of the negative highlights", during his time as a councillor. "The reason why I felt it so hard, because it happened in the ward, in Newport” as well as the Central ward. He pondered if he was a target of the violence, saying “are they trying to make a protest vote on me? I feel very bad about what happened.”

The Newport councillor explained that he has done a lot of work at the Ubuntu Multicultural Centre, “bringing communities together, and I understand that it’s not easy for people to fully integrate”. Reflecting on the riots, he continued: “I felt a good connection, good community cohesion, but for [the riots] to happen, I’ve taken a step back, thinking ‘are we doing the right thing?’ and I hope [the riots] don’t happen again. We are working to make sure that it doesn't happen again.”

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