Equality and Diversity
Race Equality Scheme Implementation Progress Report 2005/06
Introduction
The Race Relations Act (Amendment) 2000 places a general duty on all local
authorities, along with other public bodies, to promote race equality. Under
the general duty local authorities must take steps to:
- Eliminate unlawful racial discrimination
- Promote equality of opportunities; and
- Promote good relations between people of different racial groups.
The general duty applies to all functions carried out by the local authority
both in terms of service delivery and employment. To assist with the implementation
of the general duty, the government requires local authorities to produce an
action plan, setting out arrangements for meeting the general and specific duties
imposed by the Race Relations Act (Amendment) 2000. The action plan is termed
a “Race Equality Scheme”. The Race Relations Act (Amendment) 2000 requires all
Local Authorities to produce a Race Equality Scheme and to publish an annual
update on the progress made towards implementation. Every three years, the Race
Equality Scheme must be reviewed and a revised scheme published.
London Borough of Bexley Race Equality Scheme
Following the first Race Equality Scheme, which was published in May 2002,
the Council produced and published its second Race Equality Scheme in August
2005. The three-year timetabled strategy and action plan sets out the arrangements
the Council makes for
- Assessing, monitoring, consulting and publishing information about Council
services - this identifies all areas of work that have an impact on race equality
and shows how the services will be assessed
- Making sure that the public have access to information and services, and
- Training and monitoring existing staff and applicants for employment with
the Council to ensure that everyone has the same opportunities.
The second Race Equality Scheme builds on the first and contains a new three-year
programme of service reviews (Equality Impact Assessments) to ensure that none
of the Council's services has an adverse impact on black and minority ethnic
communities in the Borough. In the event that any adverse impact identified,
and is not justifiable, the Council is required to take steps to address it and
lessen or remove the adverse impact.
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Progress To Date
The second Race Equality Scheme sets out the Council’s arrangements
for meeting the general and specific duties. In particular, it addresses how
the Council consults with staff and the public, how the implementation of the
Scheme will be monitored, and published, measures to ensure equality in employment
and staff training and how the Council responds to complaints, before outlining
an action plan and timetable for the completion of Equality Impact Assessments.
Equality Impact Assessments
The Council set itself a new three-year timetable for completion of Equality
Impact Assessments under the second Race Equality Scheme. Since the implementation
of this requirement under the first scheme, to date, a total of fifty-one Equality
Impact Assessments have been completed. Progress continues to be made in improving
the impact of services on black and minority ethnic residents and service users,
following completion of Equality Impact Assessments under the Race Equality Scheme.
For example, Leisure services found there to be fewer black and minority ethnic
users of the Council’s
leisure facilities than would be expected from the borough’s population
figures. Following this assessment, measures have been considered to address
this disproportional use and participation and a Diversity & Inclusion Strategy
was launched in March 2006. The Strategy aims to increase physical activity in
Bexley and to help develop communities through sport.
Procurement
When a public authority has a contract or other agreement with a private
company or voluntary organisation to carry out any of its functions, and the
duty to promote race equality applies to those functions, the public authority
remains responsible for meeting the general duty and any specific duties that
apply to those functions. For this reason, the tender returns received by the
Council contain a section of information on Equalities and this is assessed by
the Policy team prior to contracts being let by the Council’s Procurement
team. A total of eight contracts have been assessed this year, as follows:
- Hedge fund managers
- Inspection, servicing & Maintenance of Air Conditioners, fans and Duct equipment
- Inspection, servicing & Maintenance of roller shutters
- Repair, maintenance & replacement of fencing
- Design, supply & installation of playground equipment phase 4
- Consultancy Services, Upton and Eastcote School
- Removals and Storage
- Consultancy Services, Crayford New School The template for assessment will be revised this
year to take account of new equalities legislation, i.e. to extend the assessment
from its current focus on race equality.
Corporate Equality Action Plan
The Corporate Equality Action Plan is produced annually and
has continued to be a key-working document used to deliver improvements in equality
in both service provision and employment. Progress in implementing the actions
on the Plan is reported regularly to the Council's Management Board and to Members
via Quarterly Monitoring Statements.
Officers will consider how to update the Corporate Equality
Action Plan in future to take account of the new equalities legislation.
In order to provide assistance to managers and also to develop
the Council's
responsibility to ensure the continual monitoring of local community cohesion
and social inclusion, the officer-led SICC (Social Inclusion & Community Cohesion)
steering group has been re-established. The group is made up of nominated officers
from each Directorate and works to assist managers and disseminate information
on progress in each Directorate.
Key recent achievements through the Corporate Equality Action
Plan include a 'Tackling Racism in Schools' project and strategy, the establishment
of greater links with a more diverse range of BME and faith communities, and
the extension and strengthening of the role of the Black Workers Group to become
a corporate group that is centrally involved in reviewing, developing and advising
on Council policy.
Equality training for staff
Equality Impact Assessment training has been delivered to 48
managers and officers by an external trainer. All staff have attended Valuing
Diversity training and all new staff attend the training as part of their induction.
In addition to this, an online interactive learning package is to be launched
in November focused on diversity and its supporting legislation. This will allow
staff to undertake learning on equalities issues in their own time, at their
desk, as and when required. The online package will focus on the new legislation
to ensure staff have access to up-to-date advice and information.
Employment
Current monitoring figures for employment show that 6% of the
Council's employees
are from black and minority ethnic backgrounds compared to 8.9% of local
population. There has been an incremental improvement in this figure this year.
Statutory employment monitoring information about the Council on number of staff
in post, leavers, training, performance management, recruitment, harassment &
grievances, disciplinary proceeding and staff in higher graded posts was published
in October as required.
Measures have been put in place (and are contained within the Corporate Equality
Action Plan) to promote further improvement in this figure.
Other Race Equality Initiatives
Multi Agency Work
London Borough of Bexley for Racial Equality (BCRE) has commenced work
to co-ordinate the borough's multi-agency response to instances of reported race
and hate crime. BCRE is working closely with both the Council and the Police
and other key partners to ensure that cases reported via the third party reporting
scheme and to the Police directly are resolved in partnership. The work is funded
by the Council - and
recognises good practice in dealing with race and hate crimes for the purposes
of the Comprehensive Performance Assessment. A multi-agency Race Hate Crime forum
will be established by BCRE to coordinate responses to race and hate crime.
Supporting Schools
A strategy for supporting schools and other education settings
in combating racism has been launched by the Children & Young People's Services
Directorate. This gives guidance in dealing with racist incidents in schools
to ensure that the response of schools is in line with best practice and allows
for reporting to be coordinated and formalised.
In support of the "Tackling Racism in Schools" strategy
agreed by Members two years ago, a theatre education project has been launched
in Bexley's
mainstream secondary schools - Raising the BAR (Bexley Against Racism). A participation
toolkit to support and evaluate this area of work has also been developed by
the Children and Young People'Ss Service Directorate.
Celebrating Cultural diversity
To recognise and celebrate cultural diversity, this year's Danson's
Festival witnessed participation from members of the Council's Equalities Forum
with support from Cultural Services. In addition, the policy team ensured that
events organised by other partner agencies to celebrate this year's Black History
Month were coordinated and a leaflet was produced highlighting the events taking
place.
Recruitment
The Human Resources Equalities Group (HREG) has developed close
working relationship with Jobcentre Plus to ensure that our vacancies reach a
wider spectrum of the community. HREG have also set up a Diversity sub group,
which provides a forum co-ordinating diversity events and initiatives across
the Council in order to share experiences and contact. Profiles of staff from
diverse ethnic backgrounds in various roles have been developed for the Recruitment
website and outreach work in order to help improve the representativeness of
applications received.
Staff network group
The role of the staff network group for black and minority ethnic
staff has been extended and strengthened so ensure the network group is fulfilling
a central, corporate consultative role in reviewing, developing and advising
on Council policy with respect to race and equality.
Research
A research project is currently being carried out by a consultant
from CEMVO (the Council for Ethnic Minority Voluntary Organisations) to review
the effectiveness of London Borough of Bexley for Racial Equality as a conduit for voluntary
organisations representing black and minority ethnic communities and to develop
alternative means of consulting with a cross-section of BME communities. The
work is funded by the Council's Neighbourhood Investment scheme. The results
of this work are still awaited.
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The Way Forward
The Council's Race Equality Scheme was revised in August 2005 and work will
continue to implement the scheme as required by the Race Relations Act
(Amendment) 2000.
Where possible, work undertaken to implement this scheme will also have regard
to the Council's requirements under new equalities legislation, to ensure that
the Council's statutory duties are carried out effectively and potential duplication
of effort is recognised and minimised.
If agreed, this progress report will be published on the Council's website,
to meet the Council's requirement to report progress annually and ensure that
residents have access to information on the Council'Ss actions with regard to
the Race Relations Act (Amendment) 2000.
Progress against the Race Equality Scheme will continue to be monitored and
a further report on the progress made in implementing the Scheme will be prepared
next year.
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