ABSTRACT
Government policy is a powerful determinant of peoples' lives. The black and Asian presence was ignored in policy making locally for example in housing, in education and in the provision of public services. The private sector was able to discriminate legally until 1976 and the local Authority operated a residence rule in the allocation of the housing stock under its control which made it hard for immigrants to get council housing. When African Caribbeans were able to qualify for council housing they were channelled into certain areas of the city. The development of a group of black immigrants to Leicester and their growth and construction as an ethnic community sheds light on this debate. Powerful notions of 'race' have ensured that African Caribbeans maintained a class identity which was then used in turn to justify a racialised identity as an ethnic minority.
