A GROUNDBREAKING survey is set to be carried out in East Lancashire in a bid to make sure the right sort of housing is provided for people from ethnic minority communities.

Twin Valley Homes and three other housing associations are launching the survey, which is believed to the biggest of its kind ever in the North West, across Blackburn and Darwen.

More than 1,000 face-to-face interviews will be held across Blackburn and Darwen with people from the black and minority ethnic community.

It is hoped the survey will provide the local housing associations with enough information to ensure that, in the future, they are meeting the need of minority groups.

Earlier this year, fears were expressed at a council overview and scrutiny committee that there were not enough large houses in the social housing sector.

Asian families, the meeting was told, traditionally need larger homes because more members of the family were likely to live together.

Phil Richards, chief executive of Twin Valley Homes, said: "That is the case at the moment but we need to see what is going to change in the future.

"People who have grown up in this country may not want to live in the same house but still live nearby. We need to see what is said in the survey."

Twin Valley Homes is organising the survey supported by three other housing associations, Ashiana Housing Association, North British Housing, and Space.

Six council departments -- Direct Services, Education, Housing, Leisure and Culture, Regeneration, and Social Services -- are all involved.

Mr Richards added: "Working together to support the survey will overcome the possibility of multiple, uncoordinated research programmes and will enable the agencies involved to share the results."

People will be asked questions relating to a wide range of topics.

The views of those questioned will be sought on housing, employment, the environment, consultation, education, leisure and cultural provision.

Once the information is gathered, all the agencies involved will be able to look at different ways to improve services to the community.

Interviews will be carried out over six weeks, starting on Saturday. The survey will be conducted by BMG, a Birmingham based research company, who have specialist expertise in dual language interviews.

Blackburn with Darwen is a multi-cultural borough with a significant ethnic minority community.

The different ethnic groups within in the borough are: white 84.6 per cent, Asian 13.8 per cent, black 0.4 per cent and other 1.2 per cent.