Policy Updates & Briefing

Tackling Race Inequalities an invitation to send in views and comments

The Government has produced a discussion document, ‘Tackling Race Inequalities’ to seek views and comments on its priorities for tackling race inequalities. Government has said that the views and comments received will enable it determine where to concentrate resources. Comments are being sought from charities, voluntary organisations, community groups, local authorities, businesses, schools, universities and more.

The discussion document and its responses will enable government look afresh at its strategy for tackling race inequality however it is not intended to identify a single approach to tackling race inequality. Government hopes to start up a wide ranging discussion about the ways in which it’s approach to race equality might develop.

The discussion document aims to investigate the following:
What should a government race equality strategy look like?
How does tackling inequality fit with a broader equality and fairness agenda?
And how to strengthen the society to tackle race inequalities?
The discussion document states that the impact of the economic downturn holds challenges for particular ethnic groups as a result of their specific circumstances. The Government wants to take action to address this situation to ensure that these communities are not excluded from any recovery.

Some of the questions which government seeks views on include:
• How to make race equality maintain a distinct profile within a wider
programme of work to address multiple disadvantages?
• Which are the priority areas for government action on race equality?
• What practical measures should be taken to address disadvantage experienced
by different Black, Asian and minority ethnic groups?
• What role does the voluntary and community sector play in prioritising race
equality at a local level?

The discussion document available at http://my.dotmailer.com/CmpDoc/2008/697/1616_discussion-document.pdf?dm_i=JD,QQ9,52G1J,1MLF,1
The document will be closed for comments on 18 May 2009


‘Duty to Involve’
From 1st April this year, Local Authorities will have a duty to involve representatives of local people in decisions and functions that affect them. The Duty to Involve is contained in the Community Empowerment White Paper 2008(but before that in the Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Bill) and government has now produced the accompanying guidance. See: http://www.communities.gov.uk/publications/localgovernment/strongsafeprosperous
With the ‘Duty to involve,’ Government aims to mainstream and embed community empowerment in all the functions of the authority and involve, ‘representatives of local persons’ meaning those likely to be affected by, or interested in the given issue in the authority. This group will include, those that work, study or live in the area, businesses, voluntary and community groups. In addition, Local Authorities are expected to actively seek the engagement of groups that are typically excluded from mainstream empowerment activity which includes BAMER communities.
Local Authorities are also expected to consider the most appropriate way of involving ‘representatives of local persons’ and to actively engage these by providing information, consulting and involving in other ways.
The Guidance recommends that authorities consider directly involving communities in:
• influencing or directly participating in decision making
• providing feedback on decisions, services, policies and outcomes
• co-designing/working with the authority in designing policies and
services (for instance they can be involved in the commissioning of services)
• co-producing/carring out some aspects of services for themselves
• working with the authority in assessing services

BAMER communities have historically experienced exclusion from decision making and the ‘Duty to Involve’ places a responsibility on Local Councils to actively seek to engage them. The ‘Duty to Involve’ also means that more avenues for representation and engagement have opened up for BAMER communities to engage in local decision making.

A case is also being put forward for councils and their Local Strategic Partners (LSPs) to put together Comprehensive Community Engagement Strategies as a means of streamlining and co-ordinating and 'joining up' the range of engagement practices undertaken by different partners and services in the local area. More information about Comprehensive Community Engagement Strategies can be found at http://www.urbanforum.org.uk/handy-guides/a-practical-guide-to-developing-your-comprehensive-community-engagement-strategy

Involve which is a not-for-profit public participation specialist organisation are offering free mentoring sessions across England and Wales to help identify key issues around involvement, and help build the best possible involvement strategy. If you would like to register for a session please contact: duty2involve@involve.org.uk.
In addition and to further support the case for Local Authorities working actively, to seek involvement from the diverse communities within their local area, research by the National Programme for Third Sector Commissioning has shown that involving communities more in the design and delivery of public services achieves better value for money.

See more information at http://www.idea.gov.uk/idk/core/page.do?pageId=6583598#contents-1e

The London Assembly has produced a response to the Mayor's draft Equalities Framework

The response is intended to offer a constructive contribution to the development and implementation of the framework. Overall the response welcomes the production of the draft equalities framework and supports many of the aspirations for instance to increase purchasing from smaller organisations led by people from under-represented groups. In addition the response contains 12 recommendations, including:

• that the next draft of the framework usefully identify the evidence on what
has been achieved to date and what the key priorities and opportunities are
for further interventions.
• that GLA should direct its resources and efforts to those areas where it has
the potential to make a real difference, and that the draft framework should
be focused and targeted towards those areas.
• that final version of the framework should categorise the desired outcomes
into short, medium and long term outcomes, which could then inform plans for
short, medium and long term interventions and initiatives.
• equalities impact assessments for draft mayoral strategies be published
alongside the strategies.
• the framework should set out clearly the actions to be taken and the targets
to be achieved by each organisation within the GLA group.
• the information showing the representation of minority groups within the GLA
and functional bodies be included in the quarterly monitoring information
provided to the Budget and Performance Committee.
• the final version of the draft framework should set out who the key external
partners are in the delivery of the Mayor’s vision, and what the
arrangements will be for them to be fully involved in the implementation of
the framework.

See the full response at: http://www.london.gov.uk/assembly/reports/general/bmac-equalities-response.pdf

London Development Agency (LDA) Investment Strategy
In line with Government requirements, the LDA is producing an Investment Strategy and Business Plan. This Investment Strategy will outline the LDA’s goals from April 2009 to March 2013. The public consultation for the Investment Strategy and Business Plan has now closed (on 26th January 2009) and a full consultation report will be produced and made publicly available in Spring 2009.

However London Voluntary Service Council (LVSC) is doing around Investment Strategy, LVSC would like to hear from organisations working on employment and skills issues. This will enable LVSC in their strategic work in this area – both in relation to LDA commissioning itself, and also in relation to strategic policy work.

BAMER organisations working within the employment and skills area can use this opportunity to inform LVSC of their priorities and the issues for their communities and as LVSC already works in partnership with the LDA and the London Skills and Employment Board, these ideas will be fed into both of these strategic bodies.
If you would like to be involved in this, please e-mail policy@lvsc.org.uk.