PAPER E



RESOURCES SELECT COMMITTEE - 22 MAY 2003


RACE EQUALITY SCHEME


HEAD OF CORPORATE POLICY AND COMMUNICATIONS


REASON FOR SELECT COMMITTEE CONSIDERATION


The Race Equality Scheme (RES) was taken to the Executive Committee on 23rd April 2003. The purpose was to seek approval for consultation. Following that approval the RES is before this committee to give Members the opportunity to comment.


ACTION REQUIRED BY THE SELECT COMMITTEE


“Way Forward” - to consider and comment on the draft Race Equality Scheme before final approval in July 2003.

BACKGROUND


On April 2001, the Race Relations (Amendment) Act 200 placed a duty on public authorities to eliminate unlawful discrimination, promote equality of opportunity, and promote good relations between people of different racial groups. The duty included developing a Race Equality Scheme.


A draft RES was prepared and reported to the Executive Committee on the 23rd April 2003. The scheme is now subject to wider consultation with key organisations and agencies. As part of that consultative process the scheme is submitted to this Committee prior to adoption of the final scheme by the Council.


Implications :


Adoption of the RES will have a number of implications :

 

           1.        Service Planning :      The Service Planning process will need to be revised to take account of the monitoring requirements of the RES.

 

           2.        Resources :                Implementation of the RES will have resource implications. It is anticipated that additional funding will be required to support awareness raising and officer and member training. These implications will be determined and submitted together with the final scheme.


Benefits of the RES :

 

           1.        Allow synergy between the current GAGS initiative and the equalities agenda.

 

           2.        Compliance with the Commission for Race Equality.

 

           3.        Be locally and possibly nationally, a novel and ground breaking approach to delivering the e.government and equalities agenda.

With reference to 2 above the Council’s Equalities and Diversity Policy has set a target for achieving Level 5 of the Equality Standard for Local Government by 2009. The RES whilst being a discrete piece of work in its own right, also feeds into the wider equalities agenda and is a key component of the Council achieving its target level 5 of the Standard.


The RES is an essential element of the Equality and Diversity Strategy adopted by the Council in 2002. It compliments and enhances that strategic policy and features in the CPA Improvement Plan, which aims to improve the services and functions the Isle of Wight Council delivers across the Island and ensure that we move forward from the CPA score of fair to high performing. Within the Corporate Plan equalities has an important role to play with regard to the Council’s commitment to :

 

           •          Improving our community focus

 

           •          Organisational development


The Council is committed to the pursuit of equal opportunity and meeting the needs of excluded groups in our community. In the process of developing a customer-centred culture across the Council we will promote implementation of our Equality and Diversity Policy of which the RES forms an integral part.


The progress of the RES will be monitored in the annual service planning process and reported to the public on an annual basis.


RELEVANT PLANS, POLICIES, STRATEGIES AND PERFORMANCE INDICATORS


The RES links to the following strategic documents :

 

           •          Equality and Diversity Policy

 

           •          CPA Improvement Plan

 

           •          Corporate Plan

 

           •          Service Plans


The RES has it’s own nationally set performance indicators :

 

           •          BVPI 2 The level (if any) of the Equality Standard for Local Government to which the authority conforms (02/03)

 

           •          BVPI 2a The level of Equality Standard for Local Government to which the authority conforms (amended version to be used for 03/04)

 

           •          BVPI 2 b Does the Authority have a Race Equality Scheme (amended version to be used for 03/04)

 

           •          BVPI 174 The number of racial incidents recorded by the authority per 100,000 population

 

           •          BVPI 175 The percentage of racial incidents that resulted in further action


(Please note the levels referred to in both BVPI 2 and 2a above can be found in the Council’s Equality and Diversity Policy pages 9 – 18).



CONSULTATION PROCESS


The draft RES has had informal consultation with the Directors Group and managers at senior level. Formal support for wider consultation with key agencies and organisations has been obtained from the Executive Committee on April 23rd 2003. The organisations that have been sent the draft scheme are as follows :


Vectis Equality Project (formerly Integration In our Island), Commission for Race Equality, Health Sector, Police, CPS, HM Prison Service, Town & Parish Councils, Community Partnerships, Voluntary Sector, GOSE, Audit Commission, IWC Departments and Members, Tourism Agencies, Crime & Disorder Partnership, Religious Groups, IW College

The consultation period will be completed by the 6th June 2003. Comments will be noted and the scheme received accordingly.


The final document will be formerly adopted by July 2003.


FINANCIAL, LEGAL, CRIME AND DISORDER IMPLICATIONS


Under Section 17 of the Crime and Disorder Act 1998, the Race Equality Strategy should positively support and compliment the development of the third party reporting form for all racial aggravated offences on the Island, which will be launched in June 2003.


APPENDICES ATTACHED


Consultation Draft Race Equality Scheme (would all Members please refer to their copies previously circulated).


BACKGROUND PAPERS USED IN THE PREPARATION OF THIS REPORT


Commission for Race Equality Code of Practice


Contact Point : Rosie Barnard, Policy Officer ☎ 01983 823251 [email protected]




JOHN BENTLEY

Head of Corporate Policy and Communications