The word refugee entered the English language through the Huguenots fleeing France after the massacre. The rise of inward migration has roots in the asylum process. Bethnal Green was and still is seen as the epicentre of migration into the UK.

A challenge of multiculturalism can be met in a place like Bethnal Green. There is super or hyper diversity where there are up to 50 different people from as many countries living on the same street, housing estate and sharing the same public services.

Socio-economic issues play a part in housing, education, and gang violence. It is almost like the unreported hate crime within London with many young Somali boys being murdered and we are not hearing about these stories.

We need action based in reflexion.

There should be concern in the advent of the age of austerity, the potential community tension, and how the cuts will impact on sector funding. Individual migrants and migrant communities do make a significant contribution to UK civil society.

Civil society is made up of institutions/enterprises/associations which create and represent common association and inspire common allegiance. Civil society incorporates religious and community organisations, enterprises, institutions of law, civil liberties, marriage.

A radical social and economic agenda needs to counter the managerial style of the previous government, bring together the economic and social agenda, and shift responsibility from the state to the individual with the community thus rebalancing state/market/civil society.

Migrants are a hard working community with no expectation of state assistance, very entrepreneurial, possessing strong faith and values, seeking and valuing citizenship, develop new leadership providing voice for the community and progressing into civic leadership.

Some of the opportunities for migrant communities would be to produce their own solutions, independent of government. Bid for outsourced public services and the potential to negotiate a new space.

Some of the threats are the disproportionate impact on the poorest – increasing demand on services and increasing exploitation in jobs, housing and health.

Public expenditure cuts are permanent not temporary so there needs to be a permanent readjustment of the sector. Reduction in advice services, legal aid, English Language courses, entitlements to health care undermine the effective operation of a connected societal approach. Public spending cuts reduce some organisations to an extent they become no longer viable.

Can volunteering, community organising, social entrepreneurship and philanthropy overcome entrenched and persistent poverty and overcome differential disadvantage of refugee and migrant communities?