Top 10 least-integrated places in England and Wales uncovered by Policy Exchange

The least-integrated places in England and Wales have apparently been revealed just over a week after David Cameron made a controversial speech on the subject. The Lincolnshire town of Boston came bottom of Policy Exchange's so called "Integration Index", while the thinktank found Amersham in Buckinghamshire is the most integrated place in England and Wales.

The research, drawn from the 2011 Census data, coincides with the launch of Policy Exchange's new "Demography, Immigration and Integration" unit. David Goodhart, of Policy Exchange, said: "Ethnic minority integration has shot up the political agenda as a result of both persistently high immigration levels and the rise of Islamist extremism.

"The integration picture is a mixed one but in some places people, of all backgrounds, fear that society is changing too fast and that too many people are living parallel lives. We know that people of similar backgrounds tend to cluster together but we also know that a good society needs a sense of trust and mutual regard that crosses social and ethnic boundaries."

"It is critical that this country remains its values of freedom of expression, tolerance and respect for both the rule of law and the individual. It is for that reason why the government should prioritise promoting mixed communities."

Don't brand all Muslim women as traditionally submissive – there is a difference between cultures

The research, an inaugural analysis into 160 places across England and Wales with a minimum population of 20,000 people, comes after the prime minister announced £20m ($28.6m) funding to provide English lessons to Muslim women in England in a bid to boost integration.

"It is time to change our approach. We will never truly build One Nation unless we are more assertive about our liberal values, more clear about the expectations we place on those who come to live here and build our country together and more creative and generous in the work we do to break down barriers," the Conservative leader wrote in The Times.

But the comments proved controversial and some British female Muslims took to social media site Twitter to ridicule the prime minister. They used the "traditionally submissive" hashtag to highlight stories of success and empowerment.