At the Leicester Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) Centre for the regular monthly meeting of the Equality and Diversity Partnership (EDP). Iris Lightfoote, from The Race Equlity Centre (TREC) and I come across from the REDP meeting just ended at LCIL, along with Laura Horton, Project Manager of REDP, here representing Leicestershire Centre for Integrated Living (LCIL). There are also representatives from Leicester City Council (Irene Kszyk, Corporate Equalities Manager), Leicestershire Constabulary (Lynne Woodward, Diversity Manager) and NHS Leicester City (Abida Hussain, Equality Officer).
Two major items on the agenda today: Leicester City Council's upcoming Equality Impact Assessment (EIA) on the effects of the Comprehensive Spending Review and Emergency Budget on the city; debriefing on the recent English Defence League (EDL) demonstration.
Showing posts with label Emergency Budget. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Emergency Budget. Show all posts
Tuesday, 16 November 2010
Monday, 8 November 2010
Comprehensive Spending Review: equality impact (2)
Second meeting in as many working days of members of the Equality and Diversity Partnership (EDP) at Leicestershire Centre for Integrated Living (LCIL), discussing the effects on Leicester of the Comprehensive Spending Review. EDP's role in this is to provide quality assurance, to affirm that Leicester City Council's Equality Officers' approach is sufficiently robust - that it's accurate enough to be used in an Equality Impact Assessment of the effects of the cuts on those covered by the various protected characteristics (i.e. age, disability, gender, race, religion or belief, sexual orientation, transgender). Leicester City Council wants our assistance to ensure that the second level of cuts that they'll be compelled to implement won't come as a double-whammy to those already hit by welfare and benefit cuts announced in the Emergency Budget in June.
Thursday, 4 November 2010
Comprehensive Spending Review: equality impact (1)
Meeting this morning of members of the Equality and Diversity Partnership (EDP) at Leicestershire Centre for Integrated Living (LCIL). We're focusing on the Comprehensive Spending Review and its likely impacts on those people who would be classed as belonging to the various protected characteristics (i.e. age, disability, gender, race, religion or belief, sexual orientation, transgender).
We're told that Leicester City Council is preparing to carry out a thorough Equality Impact Assessment of the effects of the CSR and Emergency Budget, drawing on reports and commentary by the Trades Union Congress, the Fawcett Society, Institute of Fiscal Studies amongst others to inform its approach.
The City Council will be taking as its baseline the economic impact on families in terms of poverty, then considering the proportionality of the people affected within the different protected characteristics. This has been made the priority of the council's Equality Officers, to be completed for presentation to Cabinet on 26 November.
Members of EDP from the Voluntary and Community Sector need to provide up-to-date information about which (and how many) groups, projects and so on within their respective protected characteristics are likely to be negatively affected. Of course, there are disabled people (for example) in the various faith communities, of different ages, sexual orientation etc, so there are cross-cutting issues to consider too. More proof that we're all in this together!
We're told that Leicester City Council is preparing to carry out a thorough Equality Impact Assessment of the effects of the CSR and Emergency Budget, drawing on reports and commentary by the Trades Union Congress, the Fawcett Society, Institute of Fiscal Studies amongst others to inform its approach.
The City Council will be taking as its baseline the economic impact on families in terms of poverty, then considering the proportionality of the people affected within the different protected characteristics. This has been made the priority of the council's Equality Officers, to be completed for presentation to Cabinet on 26 November.
Members of EDP from the Voluntary and Community Sector need to provide up-to-date information about which (and how many) groups, projects and so on within their respective protected characteristics are likely to be negatively affected. Of course, there are disabled people (for example) in the various faith communities, of different ages, sexual orientation etc, so there are cross-cutting issues to consider too. More proof that we're all in this together!
Tuesday, 22 June 2010
REDP delivery group (2)
At Leicestershire Centre for Integrated Living (LCIL) this morning, for the second weekly meeting of our delivery group for the Regional Equality and Diversity Partnership (REDP). Six of us are together here: REDP Chair Iris Lightfoote (The Race Equality Centre - TREC), Laura Horton (REDP Project manager), Liz Harrison (Equality Officer, LCIL/REDP), Kelly Jusab (REDP) and Carolyn Pasco (Researcher, REDP) and me. Today we focus on:
As we often do, we spend some time refining REDP's aims and objectives etc. We do this regularly, to keep abreast of the shifting political, economic and social landscape, while remaining true to the content of our original business plan. I do enjoy the cut'n'thrust of this kind of discussion, as we try to concentrate our various meanings and interpretations into the best form of words. I'm reminded today especially of 'Abdu'l-Bahá's statement that, "The shining spark of truth cometh forth only after the clash of differing opinions." (or, as we used to put it in Glasgow, "... only after the clash of differing heads"!)
expanding our use of Twitter, in particular increasing the number of other "twitterers" whom REDP is following. This will improve our facility to retweet relevant information to those who are following us.There are a number of events taking place in the East Midlands over the next few weeks in which we've been asked to be involved, so we're also talking about what we can do at those.
seeing how we could make as speedy as possible a response to provisions affecting our field of work in the Chancellor's Emergency budget, being announced today.
developing a one-page guide to the Equality Act 2010.
considering suitable areas of work in which to offer our distinctive services.
As we often do, we spend some time refining REDP's aims and objectives etc. We do this regularly, to keep abreast of the shifting political, economic and social landscape, while remaining true to the content of our original business plan. I do enjoy the cut'n'thrust of this kind of discussion, as we try to concentrate our various meanings and interpretations into the best form of words. I'm reminded today especially of 'Abdu'l-Bahá's statement that, "The shining spark of truth cometh forth only after the clash of differing opinions." (or, as we used to put it in Glasgow, "... only after the clash of differing heads"!)
Monday, 17 May 2010
Infrastructure Providers Group
At Voluntary Action Leicester this morning, for a meeting of the Infrastructure Providers Group. We don't get very much done today. Most of the conversation is on the threats to this kind of work represented by the forthcoming Emergency Budget. I leave the meeting half an hour early, a first for me.
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