This investigation set out to develop an understanding of the lived experiences and future needs of North Lanarkshire’s BAME communities in relation to: an ageing population; digital skills and inclusion; employment and skills; and community cohesion and integration.

To date, studies on the lived experiences of BAME communities in Scotland have been rather sparse (Ishaq et al., 2021).

As well as adding to the body of knowledge, this research builds on the phase 1 survey undertaken by NLC, the findings of which contributed towards informing the themes for this phase of the research. It is worth noting that the qualitative findings as highlighted in this report broadly support the quantitative data collected in phase 1. The evidence gathered leads to the conclusion that while BAME communities in general are positive about life in North Lanarkshire, there are areas where they face challenges and barriers that will require policy interventions and institutional support from the authorities and agencies at both local and national level.

While the challenges experienced by BAME groups reported in this research are broadly synonymous with those revealed elsewhere in the UK, the findings from this research are invaluable as they represent the voices of North Lanarkshire’s ethnic minority communities which up until this point have been largely neglected. The need to gauge the lived experiences of BAME groups was made more pertinent by the emergence of the Black Lives Matter movement over the past few years, which placed greater spotlight on the plight of BAME communities.

Furthermore, understanding the lived experiences of BAME groups in North Lanarkshire will allow lessons to be learned about the prospective needs of future immigrant and refugee communities arriving in the area as well as improving the present circumstances facing BAME communities.

Reflecting on the experiences reported in this research will support evidence-based decision making, and allow for better and more effective planning for the future to ensure that resources and infrastructure are in place to meet the future needs of both current and new communities.

A set of recommendations reported in the next section of this report could help in addressing the barriers that are preventing BAME groups from achieving positive outcomes in all aspects of their lives in North Lanarkshire and also allow NLC to achieve progress towards the equality outcomes it set out (NLC, 2021).

By providing a platform for ethnically diverse communities to articulate their views, this research represents a potentially significant development. In contemplating the findings, there is an opportunity for NLC and other agencies to work with BAME communities and allow them to be co-constructors of policy approaches that can help meet their future needs while at the same time instilling a sense of empowerment among those communities.

We know from research carried out by Collier (1998), the National Audit Office (2004) and Hussain and Ishaq (2008) that managing service delivery to ethnic minority communities and meeting their needs is both challenging and complex. It is hoped that this research can go some way in contributing to an improvement in the lived experience of BAME communities and allow NLC to successfully implement its plan for North Lanarkshire to be “the place for people to Live, Learn, Work, Invest and Visit” (NLC, 2019).