INTERVIEWED BY/FOR THE SECULARIST

I'm interviewed over the phone by Harry Perry, of Leicester Secular Society, for the latest edition of their newsletter, The Secularist. The topic is cuts in funding by Leicester City Council and the effect on community cohesion. I don't snt this to be about faith communities work being funded by public money (a topic that I know especially exercises the Secular Socity) so I ask him to widen it out to include the cuts to and impact on agencies working across the "protected characteristics".

Originally, Harry was going to combine this with a story about the Near Neighbours fund which is to be administered in Leicester by St Philip's Centre for Study and Engagement in a Multi-Faith Society, but he's now written these up as separate stories.

Here's how Harry has written up his interview with me and (hopefully) how it will appear in the next edition of The Secularist:

Council's budget cuts hit equalities work

Leicester City Council has cut funding to a range of "equalities" work and organisations including funding for the Council of Faiths.  The Council of Faiths, among other things, is the "host organisation" that channels the views of religious groups into the Leicester Partnership.

The funding cuts stem from the government's austerity measures.  It has reduced its contribution to the income of the Council of Faiths by what amounts to 50% of that needed to support the post of the Equality and Diversity Officer there.  It has made similar cuts to other organisations in the city addressing equality issues (on age, disability, gender, race, sexual orientation).  The Council has not yet decided what to do about its funding for the Council of Faiths' more general "core service" to the city.

The rest of the Equality and Diversity Officer’s costs are funded by a "rag-bag" of contributions from other interested parties and these and others are currently being approached to see if more money can be made available after March.

George Ballentyne, current E&DO, is concerned that equalities work in the City will suffer as a result of the cuts.  There is even a worry that the Council may fall short of its obligations under the Public Sector Equality Duty in the 2010 Equalities Act.