"ANTI-GAY" BOOK PUTS GOVE AT CENTRE OF FAITH SCHOOL TEACHING ROW

This article appears on the website of the Guardian today:

"Anti-gay" book puts Gove at centre of faith school teaching row

Education secretary says Equality Act does not extend to school curriculum – allowing faith schools to use homophobic material

By Jamie Doward

Michael Gove, the education secretary, is at the centre of an escalating row over how faith schools discuss homosexuality in sex education classes.

The TUC has accused Gove of failing in his legal duties by insisting that equality laws, which prohibit discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation, do not extend to the school curriculum.

The TUC complains that the current situation sends mixed signals to the playground, because schools are legally obliged to condemn discrimination on sexual-orientation grounds but free to use religious materials that equality campaigners claim is homophobic.

Brendan Barber, the TUC's general secretary, wrote to Gove in December expressing alarm that a booklet containing "homophobic material" had been distributed by a US preacher after talks to pupils at Roman Catholic schools across the Lancashire region in 2010.

The booklet, "Pure Manhood: How to become the man God wants you to be", discusses a boy dealing with "homosexual attractions" which it suggested may "stem from an unhealthy relationship with his father, an inability to relate to other guys, or even sexual abuse".

The booklet, which claims that "scientifically speaking, safe sex is a joke", explains that "the homosexual act is disordered, much like contraceptive sex between heterosexuals. Both acts are directed against God's natural purpose for sex – babies and bonding."

Referring to the Equality Act 2010, which prohibits discrimination against individuals, Barber said: "Schools now have a legal duty to challenge all forms of prejudice. Such literature undermines this completely."

But Gove insists: "The education provisions of the Equality Act 2010which prohibit discrimination against individuals based on their protected characteristics (including their sexual orientation) do not extend to the content of the curriculum. Any materials used in sex and relationship education lessons, therefore, will not be subject to the discrimination provisions of the act."

Gove's response has triggered anger from the TUC. "Having written to the education secretary to express our worry about the distribution of homophobic literature in faith schools, his lack of concern is very alarming," Barber said.

A DfE spokesman insisted: "Any school engaging in the promotion of homophobic material would be acting unlawfully." But the row highlights a grey area over the teaching of sex education. A review intended to provide new guidelines on what was appropriate for schools to teach was kicked into the long grass when the last election was called.

"It would certainly be helpful if there was clarity as to what is appropriate for young people of all ages," said Ben Summerskill, chief executive of the gay rights group Stonewall. "The water could no longer be muddied by people pushing age-inappropriate sex material on the one hand and fundamentalist anti-gay religious materials on the other."

The row comes at the end of an extraordinary week in which the role of religion in society has come under acute scrutiny.

The chairman of the Equality and Human Rights Commission, Trevor Phillips, said religious rules should be left "at the door of the temple" and give way to the "public law" laid down by parliament. Phillips said: "Once you start to provide public services that have to be run under public rules – for example, child protection – then it has to go with public law." Phillips spoke out after Baroness Warsi, the Tory minister, warned Britain was under threat from a rising tide of "militant secularisation".

Lord Carey, the former archbishop of Canterbury, warned that Christianity was being marginalised. Days earlier, the high court ruled that councils had no statutory power to hold prayers in meetings, while the Christian owners of a bed-and-breakfast lost an appeal against a ruling that their policy of restricting double rooms to married couples discriminated against a gay couple.

Concerns that faith matters are being marginalised at school has prompted the creation of a new coalition of faith groups and politicians. The Religious Education Council of England and Wales is to back the creation of an all-party parliamentary group that will focus on protecting religious education in schools and stressing its value to young people.

COURT BANS PRAYERS AT FORMAL COUNCIL MEETINGS

This story appears today on the website of the Christian Institute:

Court bans prayers at formal council meetings

The saying of prayers as a ‘formal’ part of local council meetings has been ruled unlawful by the High Court today in an extraordinary judgment.

The judge, Mr Justice Ouseley, said there is no law that gives councils the power to do so.

But critics hit back, saying the ruling also means a council has no power to formally start its meetings with the national anthem.

In December the head of the Equality Commission, Trevor Phillips, said he ‘dropped his coffee’ when he heard the case was being taken to court, calling it “nonsense on stilts”.

Today’s ruling only affects the formal meetings of local government, and does not stop councils from holding prayers outside of that setting if they wish to do so.

And the court rejected claims that the saying of prayers discriminates against, or breaches the human rights of, secularists.

The practice of saying prayers at Bideford Town Council meetings is understood to date back to the days of Queen Elizabeth the First.

The Council has, recently, twice voted in support of continuing with the prayers.

Individual councillors were free to not take part in the prayers if they wished, and the register of attendance was not taken until after the prayers had finished.

Nevertheless, a court case was brought by the National Secular Society and a secularist former councillor, Mr Clive Bone, against Bideford Town Council.

The claimants’ legal case rested on three arguments: that the prayers were discriminatory against atheist councillors, the prayers were a breach of human rights laws, and that the council had no lawful authority to hold prayers as part of its formal meetings.

The judge rejected the first two arguments, but ruled: “The saying of prayers as part of the formal meeting of a Council is not lawful under s111 of the Local Government Act 1972, and there is no statutory power permitting the practice to continue.”

The Act does allow councils to do anything that “facilitates, or is conducive or is incidental” to a council’s functions, but Mr Justice Ouseley ruled that the saying of prayers at formal meetings does not fall within that provision.

If councillors are not compelled to pray, the judge reasoned, then prayers cannot be an essential part of a council’s functions and therefore should not be part of the formal council meeting.

The decision was criticised by The Christian Institute – a national charity that defends religious liberty and underwrote Bideford Council’s legal costs.

Institute spokesman Simon Calvert said: “We welcome the finding that the saying of prayers isn’t discriminatory, or a breach of equality laws, or human rights laws.

“But it is extraordinary to rule that councils have no lawful authority to choose, if they so wish, to start their formal meetings with prayers. That is simply wrong.

“The logic of the ruling is that councils would also be going beyond the law if they took a vote and decided to start each formal council meeting with the national anthem.

“There is no way that Parliament, when it passed the Local Government Act 40 years ago, intended it to be used to outlaw prayers.

“This case was brought by a campaign group that wants to drive Christianity out of public life, and the High Court has today given them great encouragement to take matters further.

“It is high time Parliament put a stop to this assault upon our national heritage. What’s next? Will prayers at the cenotaph end up in court?

“What about local councils that wish to formally mark the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee as part of their official meeting? Is that now unlawful too?”

HUMAN RIGHTS "POLICE" MUST GO

This article appears on the front page of today's Daily Express:

Human Rights "police" must go

Sense at last as money-wasting equality watchdog faces the axe

The watchdog set up to combat discrimination in the UK constantly talks Britain down and should be scrapped, a damning new report reveals today.

The Equality and Human Rights Commission peddles flawed philosophies and costs too much, the independent think-tank Civitas says.

And if it were disbanded, not only would taxpayers be saved millions but proper ways could be found to tackle unfairness.

The scathing report by academic Jon Gower Davies says the Commission looks at issues the wrong way. It blames British unfairness for differences in people’s lives that are beyond the Government’s control and too narrowly focuses on “rights” while ignoring responsibilities.

He also criticises pay and perks at the controversial organisation, which has been publicly rebuked by the official spending watchdog over its accounts.

The TaxPayers’ Alliance called on Home Secretary and Equalities Minister Theresa May last October to disband the body.

Last night its director, Matthew Sinclair, said: “The EHRC has mismanaged millions of pounds of taxpayers’ money too many times. It has shown that it can’t be trusted to use its budget properly and should be wound up.

“There are much better uses for the millions of pounds it spends every year than this politicised and wasteful quango.”

Conservative MP Dominic Raab said: “The EHRC is costly and counter-productive. Its fixation on positive discrimination and quotas is socially divisive, anti-meritocratic and out of touch with the aspirations of modern young Britons.”

Fellow Tory MP Priti Patel said: “I am not surprised by this report as I went through the EHRC annual reports and the waste is unbelievable. They add no value.”

The watchdog has continually been in the news for its controversial judgments. In March it was criticised after saying children should be asked from age 11 if they were gay, with records kept of any who were “questioning” their sexuality in case they fell victim to discrimination.

Football fans were furious when the quango backed Bath City club in offering Polish supporters an 80 per cent discount on match tickets.

It also warned full-body security scanners at British airports could be illegal and would be impossible to monitor if there were discrimination in the way passengers were selected for the checks.

The Coalition has already reduced funding for the EHRC, from £70 million in 2007 to £55 million in 2010-11 and plans further cuts to £26 million in 2014-15.

A spokesman for the Government Equalities Office said it would respond shortly to a consultation it launched in March on its plans to reform the body, which could lead to it being closed down. Dr Davies is a former head of Newcastle University’s Religious Studies department and a former Labour councillor in the city. He sets out detailed criticisms in his critique, Small Corroding Words: The Slighting of GreatBritain [by the EHRC].

The EHRC started work in 2007, merging the functions of the previous Equal Opportunities, Disability Rights and Racial Equality Commissions. Launching the report, a Civitas spokesman said: “The EHRC contributes very little to meaningful equality in Britain today and should be abolished.

“Ultimately, abolishing the EHRC itself would not just be a cost-saving exercise. It may well present an opportunity to channel resources into addressing the most pertinent issues holding back equality and fairness.’’

Dr Davies says the Commission’s goal of equality is impractical and it wrongly seeks to divorce outcomes such as health limitations and lifestyles. Focusing on the EHRC’s How Fair IsBritain? review he said: “It makes little attempt to establish what, if anything is responsible for these differences. Instead, when the differences appear to disadvantage some groups, it is assumed to be the result of Britain’s unfairness.”

Dr Davies told the Daily Express that the EHRC never puts the positive side of life in Britain: “Its review is a series of snivels and complaints. When you come from Pakistan or Bangladesh you are moving from not very good places to a much better one. Why not say that loud and clear?”

An EHRC spokeswoman insisted the review was only intended as a “snapshot” of Britain and had not set out to be an exhaustive comparison with other countries. Chief executive Mark Hammond said: “It’s our job to start a debate where we could see better outcomes for people suffering unfair disadvantages.”

In June the National Audit Office refused to sign off the body’s 2009-10 accounts in full after controversies that included spending millions without authorisation.

NATIONAL SECULAR SOCIETY WILL ADVISE IN RELIGIOUS VS GAY RIGHTS CASES

This has been posted today on the website of Pink News, Europe's largest gay news service.

National Secular Society will advise in religious vs gay rights cases

The National Secular Society has been granted permission to intervene in four religious rights cases due to come before the European Court of Human Rights. 

The body will submit legal arguments in four cases where plaintiffs are appealing against UK court decisions – two of which involve Christian employees who refused to provide services to gay people. 

The other two concern workers who were barred from wearing religious symbols. 

Keith Porteous Wood, the executive director of the NSS, said his organisation would focus on legal arguments, rather than expressing opinions on the cases. 

In the past, the NSS has praised judgements in the case of one of the plaintiffs, Islington registrar Lillian Ladele, who said her Christian faith meant she could not carry our civil partnerships.

Mr Porteous Wood said: “These four cases have a major bearing on the extent to which employees’ manifestation of their religion can impinge on others. We want to make sure that the European court considers all aspects of the relevant law. 

“The NSS submission will deal with the implications for equal treatment that would be raised by the granting of greater protection to actions motivated by religious belief than is granted to actions motivated by fundamental beliefs that happen to be non-religious in nature. 

“The NSS will further focus on the degree of protection which it is necessary under the convention to afford third parties who may be subjected to a detriment which is motivated by, or a manifestation of, a religious belief. 

We will also deal with the significance of a religiously neutral public space for the protection of the rights and freedoms of others. 

“Finally, we will address the nature of the limitations prescribed by law and necessary in a democratic society in the interests of the protection of public safety, for the protection of public order, health or morals, or for the protection of the rights and freedoms of others.” 

The Equality and Human Rights Commission has also applied to intervene in the four cases, which are likely to be heard together. 

The commission stated last month that it believes ‘reasonable adjustments’ could be made for such employees in the same way that disabled people are accommodated in the workplace. This could mean allowing anti-gay Christian workers to swap shifts to avoid gay people. 

After strong criticism from Stonewall, Peter Tatchell, trade unions and some MPs, the body appears to have decided not to argue for ‘reasonable adjustments’. 

Former Stonewall chief executive Angela Mason, who is the body’s only LGBT commissioner, said this week that the EHRC had come to a “preliminary view” on the matter. 

In response to emails from concerned PinkNews.co.uk readers, she wrote: “The commission has already decided not to put forward ‘reasonable adjustment’ arguments if we do continue with our intervention.”

Christian MP sets up inquiry into religious discrimination

An interesting piece published today on the website of The Guardian:

Christian MP sets up inquiry into religious discrimination

Amid General Synod discussions on religious freedom, Gary Streeter calls on colleagues to examine hate crime and equality

By Riazat Butt, Religious Affairs Correspondent

A select committee-style inquiry on Christianity is to be held in order to clarify how the law affects believers, amid increasing claims of religious discrimination and persecution.

The public hearings, scheduled to last for about three months this autumn, will invite peers and politicians to examine legislation on hate crime and equality and evaluate whether changes are needed.

The inquiry is the idea of Gary Streeter MP, a Christian who chairs the cross-party group Christians in Parliament. He said that, while there was religious freedom in Britain, some groups were "whipping up an alternative view and generating fear" where there did not need to be any. He said: "That fear is growing, that voice is growing. There is a particular problem. In the last 12 months, we have had legal cases that provoked concern. These now need to be tackled."

Christian Legal Centre, which is at the forefront of representing those who feel they are being discriminated against in the workplace because of their beliefs, said earlier this year it had about 50 cases on its books and received up to five calls a day from Christians seeking to take action against employers for failing to respect their faith.

Their clients have included Colin Atkinson, an electrician who wanted to display a crucifix in his van, and Owen and Eunice Johns, who refused to tell foster children in their care that homosexuality was acceptable.

Streeter said the panel would invite submissions from legal professionals, businesses, individuals and social policy groups from faith and non-faith backgrounds.

"The outcome of our inquiry might be that the law needs to be nudged back in certain areas and we won't shy away from saying so," he said.

"The public at large don't care what we do but, in the Christian community, there is a measure of concern about the issue. They will be pleased to see Christian parliamentarians doing something. They will be pleased to receive some reassurance that the fear whipped up is not necessary.

"It's only people of the Christian faith running up into the law; secularists aren't doing that. We are not putting one group of people above one another."

The MP's move came as the Church of England grappled with the issue of religious freedom at this weekend's General Synod meeting in York.

The chair of its public affairs council, Dr Phillip Giddings, told the legislative arm of the Church of England that some employers had "interpreted the law in ways which seem to assume that reasonable respectful expressions of faith, are, almost by definition, offensive".

He said: "This is a cause of great concern. We shall continue to monitor the emerging case law on how far employers can lawfully limit the ability of Christians to manifest their faith in the workplace."

Synod member Alison Ruoff asked if he was aware of an increasing marginalisation of Christians, leading to persecution. Giddings replied: "I am well aware that many Christians believe that to be the case. We are reflecting those views in our dealings with government."

The bishop of Bradford, Nick Baines, welcomed the inquiry: "It will be a good thing to have people in parliament doing this kind of thing. They can nail down some of the myths.

"I don't believe Christians are being persecuted. Having said that, I do think there is still a degree of religious illiteracy which is prejudiced against Christians in some circumstances. To say we're being persecuted is nonsense."

Trevor Phillips, who chairs the Equality and Human Rights Commission, claimed last month that the person most likely to "feel slighted" because of their religion was an evangelical Christian.

In an interview with the Sunday Telegraph, he said there were a lot of Christian activist voices who appeared "bent on stressing the kind of persecution that I don't think really exists in this country".

focus group for Durham University

Phone call around 1530, asking if I could help out with an event at St Philip's Centre early this evening. Some kind of focus group, from which a couple of people have unexpectedly dropped out; can I help fill those spaces? The event starts in just two hours. A bit short notice to pull in anyone else, but I offer to go myself.

I'm not awfully sure what this is, or what I'm supposed to do to help; I think that my mild confusion might come across when I arrive at the St Philip's Centre. But it doesn't take long to catch on. This is part of a research project being carried out, in various sites around the country, by the University of Durham. The purpose of the research is to find out what sort of effect "anti-terror" legislation has had on the public image (and our private perception) of the Muslim community. This meeting in Leicester this evening is the only focus groups which are not exclusively Muslim. There are six of us in the meeting room; another group of the same size is ushered into the library. Our 90-minute (digitally recorded) discussion is facilitated by Sugra Ahmed, research fellow at the Islamic Foundation. Do my ears deceive me, or does she really greet me with "Hello Georgie" as she arrives?

Here are some of the questions that Sughra asks us (starting with some general ones about our feelings on crime and disorder, before moving on to ones more related to anti-terror legislation and its effects):

"What are your main concerns about crime and disorder in your neighbourhood?"

"How likely are you to report a crime to the police?"

"Have any of you reported a crime in the past year?"

"How much of a threat do you feel there is to the country at the moment from terrorism?"

"Do you think that any particular legislation or policy has had an impact on your neighbourhood or on you personally?"

"Does this kind of 'anti-terror' legislation make you feel differently about other people in your neighbourhood or city?"

"How do you feel about other people in your neighbourhood or city in the light of this kind of legislation?"

"How do you feel about people in your own community (however you want to define that) in the light of this kind of legislation?"

"Are there any changes that you'd like to see in this kind of legislation or policy?"

Equality Act 2010 event

REDP's event at Walkers Stadium. Great attendance, good contributions, positive and supportive atmosphere. For the first time in REDP's public events this year, I take a back seat. I facilitate on tables in the two afternoon workshops, but otherwise get a fairly quiet time of it today - which means that I get lunch this time, unlike the last day REDP hosted at this venue!

My particular function today, though, is to keep feeding REDP's twitterstream throughout the event. Our twitter name, for those who would like to follow us, is @REDPartnership.

Here's how we've described the event, for publication in the local media:

City takes lead on new Equality Act

Leicester City’s Walkers Stadium was the venue for a high-profile regional conference promoting the new Equality Act.

The Act, which became law just before Parliament was dissolved for the General Election, protects people from discrimination on grounds of age, disability, gender and gender identity, race, religion or belief, and sexual orientation.

Around a hundred people attended the conference, drawn mostly from the Voluntary and Community Sector and the Public Sector from right across the East Midlands.

The event was hosted by the Regional Equality and Diversity Partnership, which works across the East Midlands to strengthen the voice of the Voluntary Sector on these important issues. REDP has grown out of a successful collaboration of a number of Leicester-based organisations that have worked together in a variety of combinations over the past decade.

Sheila Lock, Chief Executive of Leicester City Council, officially opened the day, welcoming delegates to the event and to the city. She said that it was right for the conference to be happening in Leicester as the city is widely celebrated for its diversity and has a history of speaking up for equality. Sheila further said, “The Third Sector has been instrumental in bringing about improvements in equalities. … colleagues [in the public sector] have much to learn from the experiences of colleagues in the voluntary sector when it comes to challenging established systems and practices. I welcome that challenge, it is what helps people improve.”

A trio of nationally prominent speakers addressed the morning session , each one speaking about one important aspect of the new Act: Alison Pritchard (Head of Strategy at the Government Equalities Office), Amanda Ariss (Chief Executive at the Equality and Diversity Forum) and Anthony Robinson (Director of Casework and Litigation at the Equality and Human Rights Commission). The speakers also took part in panel discussions; workshop sessions in the afternoon helped attendees focus on major issues that affect them now and that will arise in the future.

Iris Lightfoote, Chair of the Regional Equality and Diversity Partnership, said, “The number of people that felt this event was important enough to attend demonstrates the continuing significance of work to bring about equality of outcomes across the East Midlands. The profile of the contributors demonstrated the support that REDP is able to bring to this work and, hosting it in Leicester shows how much the voluntary sector’s contribution to this work should be valued.”

Sad to report though that the Leicester Mercury didn't publish anything about this event.

Find out more about the Equality Act 2010:
http://www.equalities.gov.uk/equality_act_2010.aspx

Find out more about the Equality & Diversity Forum:
http://www.edf.org.uk/

Find out more about the Equality and Human Rights Commission:
http://www.equalityhumanrights.com/

Find out more about the Government Equalities Office:
http://www.equalities.gov.uk/

Find oput more about the Regional Equality and Diversity Partnership:
http://www.redp.org.uk/

EQUALITY & DIVERSITY FORUM: HOW TO USE THE EQUALITY ACT 2010

In Birmingham today, for an event sponsored by the Equality and Diversity Forum (EDF), entitled "How to Use the Equality Act 2010". The Equality and Diversity Forum is a network of national organisations committed to equal opportunities, social justice, good community relations and respect for human rights. Its objectives are:

• To promote equality and in particular the elimination of discrimination on the grounds of age, disability, gender, gender identity, race, religion or belief, sexual orientation or any combination thereof;
• To promote Human Rights;
• To promote for the public benefit the efficiency and effectiveness of Voluntary Sector Providers working in the areas of age, disability, gender, gender identity, race, religion or belief, sexual orientation and Human Rights or any combination thereof;
• The advancement of conflict resolution or reconciliation between competing strands of equality and diversity.

This event sports some high level speakers:

• Jonathan Rees, Director General of the Government Equalities Office: "Key Features of the 2010 Equality Act"
• Amanda Ariss, CEO of the Equality and Diversity Forum, "How NGOs might use the Equality Act in Their Work"
• Peter Reading, Acting Director of Legal Policy at the Equality and Human Rights Commission, "EHRC's Role in Implementing the Act"

 
After lunch, I take part in two workshops. the first of these is "Equality Impact Assessments" (presented by Janine Garel, Citizens Advice), the second, "The Public Sector Equality Duty" (presented by Ali Harris, Citizens Advice and Ewan Kennedy, ROTA).

The venue for this event, Maple House on Corporation Street is very good. Central, close to Birmingham New Street rail station, with friendly staff and good food. But what I like most about it are the names of the meeting rooms. They're called "Accelerate!", "Forward!", "Hasten!", "Proceed!" and "Propel!". They sound like team names from The Apprentice. All they're missing is an exclamation mark at the end of each one - so I've added them here for good measure!

IDAHO DAY IN TOWN HALL SQUARE

Today is Idaho Day: International Day Against Homophobia, an occasion given the imprimatur of the United Nations. All day, the Rainbow Flag is being flown at Leicester Town Hall (photo above) and at County Hall, seat of Leicestershire County Council. At 1300, a two-minute silence is observed in Town Hall Square, with representatives and guests of Leicester LGBT Centre and Trade Sexual Health in memory of Matthew Shepard and all victims of homophobia and transphobia. Dennis Bradley (Community Development Officer at the LGBT Centre) welcomes us and speaks about the significance of the day, before the Town Hall clock strikes one and starts the silent observance.

To mark this day, the Equality and Human Rights Commission has written to Chief Constables and the Chairs of Local Criminal Justice Boards, Community Safety Partnerships and Primary Care Trusts, providing them with guidance on how they can play their part in tackling homophobic crimes and abuse. The Commission’s letters call on those responsible for tackling abuse to:

• increase the reporting and recording of homophobic hate crimes
• take concerted action to monitor and increase the arrest, prosecution and conviction rates and reduce reoffending rates of homophobic hate crime
• provide better support to victims and
• ensure frontline staff treat lesbian, gay and bisexual people with dignity and respect.

The Equality Act 2010, which recently received Royal Assent, will place a new obligation on public sector organisations to promote equality, eliminate harassment and foster good relations on the ground of sexual orientation. The Commission will continue to support public bodies in meeting these duties.

equality & diversity in focus

To the NSPCC National Training Centre, Beaumont Leys, for a free interactive one-day seminar for local authority practitioners entitled, "Equality & Diversity in Focus". This is sponsored by the East Midlands Improvement & Efficiency Partnership (EMIEP).

Improvement and Efficiency Partnerships were set up in each of the nine English regions, following the publication of the National Improvement and Efficiency Strategy in December 2008 by the Department for Communities and Local Government (CLG). The East Midlands Improvement & Efficiency Partnership (EMIEP) exists to bring lasting improvements to the East Midlands area and has a budget of c. £34 million (2008/11) to do exactly that. The EMIEP involves 46 councils and 5 fire and rescue authorities from the region and aims to:

• Promote the achievements of East Midlands authorities;
• Identify and share best practice from other Improvement and Efficiency Partnerships;
• Commission and provide tools, training and development;
• Address individual and collective improvement priorities;
• Stimulate and promote innovation and new ways of working;
• Share opportunities to support improvement and efficiency and;
• Offer help to councils and services in difficulty.

As usual, this one of those events that I'm attending both for the Regional Equality and Diversity Partnership (REDP) and the Council of Faiths. There are more than 30 delegates from across the East Midlands and beyond (from Borough, City and County Councils in Blaby, Charnwood, Derbyshire, East Northamprtonshire, Gedling, Harborough, High Peak, Leicester, Leicestershire, Northamptonshire, Nottinghamshire, South Northamptonshire, Wellingborough). The following sessions are being offered today:

• "Equalities Law", an expert presentation by Sarah Michaels (Partner, Employment Department) a leading solicitor from Bevan Brittan LLP, covering recent equality case law updates and a brief overview of the Equalities Bill.
• "Accessing and Presenting Equalities and Diversity Data", a specialist presentation by Raja Farooq (Account Manager, Local Government) from Experian Public Sector on how to resource and present equalities and diversity data.
• "Equality and Human Rights" (by Jay Vyas, Regional Manager, and Patrick Devine, Regional Adviser, Equality and Human Rights Commission), an update presentation on the Equality and Human Rights Commission’s national and regional priorities for 2010-2011.
• "Case study presentations", a carousel-style session with examples highlighting areas of good practice from the region, presented by Dave Bennett Equalities & Diversity Policy Officer, High Peak Borough Council; Marie Chapman Community Support Officer, Derbyshire Fire & Rescue Service; and Sheila Brelivet, Data Analyst, Northamptonshire Area Procurement Service.
• "Interactive workshop session on Equality Impact Assessments" facilitated by Irene Kszyk (Head of Equalities, Leicester City Council) and Lynne Woodward (Head of Diversity, Leicestershire Constabulary).

I have to say that, sitting round the table in our group, working on the task regarding Equality Impact Assessments, I had something of a lightbulb moment. This was the first time I've discussed this topic along with other practitioners and many things became clear to me that had been rather hazy and indistinct before. If I had to identify one thing I gained form attending today, this would be it: a clearer understanding of the purpose and use of Equality Impact Assessments.

In the spirit of Amplifed Leicester, I spent much of today tweeting the session titles and main points - from my personal twitter account (@GeorgeMB) then retweeting them from Leicester Council of Faiths' twitter account (@counciloffaiths), linked to updates on my Facebook. Having tweeted all day on equality, diversity and human rights with no response from anyone out there, I tweeted "coffee break!" mid-afternoon and one person posted that they liked this!

Find out more about the East Midlands Improvement and Efficiency Partnership:

http://www.eastmidlandsiep.gov.uk/

wheels of change

Have spent most of today proofreading and copy-editing a 74-page long report entitled, "Wheels of Change" - the write-up of a survey on barriers faced by disabled Gypsies and travellers when accessing the Social Care system. This project was commissioned by the Equality and Human Rights Commission and jointly carried out by Leicestershire Centre for Integrated Living (LCIL) and Derbyshire Gypsy Liaison Group (DGLG). I'm doing this as part of my work with the Regional Equality and Diversity Partnership (REDP). What an excellent piece of work this is. It's a good example of the kind of project that can lead to something that will improve the lives of a neglected and put-upon minority group.

HATE INCIDENT ACTION PROJECT

At the Ramada Hotel, Loughborough, this evening, for the launch of the Hate Incident Action Project. This is hosted by Human Rights & Equalities Charnwood, which has obtained funding from the Equality and Human Rights Commission for this significant initiative. This new project will extend support to victims of hate crime across all the equality strands (age, disability, faith or belief, gender, race, sexual orientation). It will provide training for those involved with victims of hate crime (including visiting reporting centres, helping them extend their activities to all equality strands).

Among several interesting presentations, PC Pete Bumpus of Leicestershire Constabulary offers a look at the definition, history and current status of "hate crime". Leicestershire Constabulary deals with a total of 362,000 incidents per year. Of these,

• 24,000 involved domestic abuse
• 122 involved same sex domestic abuse
• 2,400 involved people with mental health issues
• 1,500 were race-related
• 220 involved religion or belief
• 200 were homophobic in nature
• 13 were disability-related

By far the majority of these were cases of verbal abuse (although that does not diminish their significance for the victims). I've asked Pete for a copy of his presentation, so I can lift some of the content for the blog.

This is one of those frequent occasions on which I'm speaking up for both Leicester Council of Faiths and the Regional Equality and Diversity Partnership. Laura Horton's here, Ian Robson (Director of the LGBT Centre) and Jai Parmar (from LCIL). That's them in the photo above (then Laura and me in the photo below). We have an REDP display as well as one for the Council of Faiths.

working with the Local Strategic Partnership

Meeting in the Welcome Centre this evening with Dr Rachel Chapman, Senior Lecturer in the Department of Social Sciences at the University of Northumbria (in Newcastle-Upon-Tyne). Rachel is involved in a research project commissioned by the Equality and Human Rights Commission, looking at how Local Strategic Partnerships (LSPs) have been promoting equalities and how they have been engaging with locally-based equalities groups. She's considering case studies, identifying good practice and seeing how much of that good practice could be shared. She's interested in asking us what we've learned from our experience of working with our LSP and how much of what we've learned could be transferred elsewhere.

The main experience that Leicester Council of Faiths has of working with our Local Strategic Partnership is, of course, in our capacity as the Host Organisation for Communities of Interest in relation to religion and belief.

There are seven of us gathered round the table: Julie-Anne Heath, Alan Race, Resham Singh Sandhu and his wife Surinder (who, while not a member of the Council of Faiths, can speak for the Sikh Welfare and Cultural Society), Manjula Sood (our Chair, who arrives after an hour or so) and Gursharan Thandi. Gursharan is the focus for most of Rachel's questions, as she is one of the two representatives on Leicester Partnership for Communities of Interest in relation to religion and belief. The meeting lasts just over two hours (Julie-Ann and Gursharan have brought food and drink). I think we respond in interesting and varied ways to Rachel's questions. She's treating us as a focus group, recording our conversation on a small digital device. She's going to write up a report, anonymising our comments. She may be back in the future to do some follow-up work with us.

To read the published report ("The role of Local Strategic Partnerships and Local Area Agreements in promoting equalities") click on the link below:

http://www.equalityhumanrights.com/uploaded_files/research/63_role_of_lsps_laas_in_promoting_equality.pdf

national inter faith week 2010

The Inter Faith Network UK has announced that there will be a National Inter Faith Week later this year. National Inter Faith Week in November 2009 was the first of its kind in England and Wales (a similar event has been running in Scotland for the past six years). When the 2009 event was announced and then held, it had not been decided whether it would be a one-off. Those organisations that took part in it were asked to recommend whether they would like to see it run again. We at Leicester Council of Faiths said that we would. Here's the text of the letter from the Inter Faith Network UK:

An Inter Faith Week will take place across England and Wales from Sunday 21 to Saturday 27 November 2010. The aims of the Week are:

• to strengthen good inter faith relations at all levels;
• to increase awareness of the different and distinct faith communities in the UK, in particular celebrating and building on the contribution which their members make to their neighbourhoods and to wider society;
• and to increase understanding between people of religious and non-religious belief.

This will be the second time that such a Week has taken place in England and Wales. It builds on the very successful pattern of events held last November which ranged from social action events, to discussions and dialogues, inter faith football matches, meals, inter faith walks and pilgrimages, festivals and celebrations, tree plantings, exhibitions, concerts, film festivals, activities in schools and in FE and HE and other institutions.

Minister for Cohesion Shahid Malik said "The 2009 Week was a big success. It raised the profile of faith communities and their contribution to society, increased inter faith engagement and understanding and helped people of religious and nonreligious beliefs get into dialogue. I am delighted that there will be a similar Week in 2010.”

Co-Chairs of the Inter Faith Network for the UK, Rt Revd Dr Alastair Redfern and Dr Girdari Lal Bhan, said “Inter Faith Week offers a tremendous opportunity for shared learning, making new connections and deepening inter faith understanding.” It is hoped that faith communities across the country will take part, alongside schools, colleges, universities, local authorities, health care organisations, and many others.

The Week is being led by the Inter Faith Network for the UK, working with its member bodies, in consultation with the Department for Communities and Local Government and also with the Department for Children, Schools and Families, the Local Government Association and the Equality and Human Rights Commission. Regional Faith Forums in England will again play a key role in supporting and making known the pattern of events in their regions.

The Inter Faith Network for the UK was founded in 1987 to "advance public knowledge and mutual understanding of the teachings, traditions and practices of the different faith communities in Britain" and to promote good relations between people of different faiths in the UK. IFN links over 170 member bodies including: national representative bodies of the Bahá'í, Buddhist, Christian, Hindu, Jain, Jewish, Muslim, Sikh, and Zoroastrian faiths; national, regional, local and other inter faith bodies; and academic institutions and educational bodies concerned with inter faith issues.

The Inter Faith Week website will be further developed across the coming weeks to provide additional resources (including a report on last year’s Week) and event and project ideas.

Find out more about the Inter Faith Network UK:

http://www.interfaith.org.uk/

Find out more about National Inter Faith Week:

http://www.interfaithweek.org.uk/

REDP INVOLVEMENT EVENT: NORTHAMPTON

To Northampton, for the seventh in the series of "Involvement Events" hosted across the East Midlands by the Regional Equality and Diversity Partnership. Dee (from LCIL) drives Taherah (from TREC), Dennis (from Leicester LGBT Centre) and me down from Leicester. We're getting on familiar terms with Dee's SatNav and now all talk back to it.


The meeting is held in the King's Park Centre. When we arrive, a group is setting up in the smaller room next to ours. Before long, they start singing - in tongues. First time we've encountered anything like that on one of our days out and about.


It takes a while for our attendees to begin showing up and there are a few moments of anxiety about our support today. One East Midlands is running a health equality event in Northampton today, which has drawn away some of the people who'd said they'd be joining us. REDP has a good working relationship with One East Midlands and we'd normally have been able to avoid this sort of clash, but it was the health sector which set the date, time and place.


I chair the first part, Dee does the "Beginner's Guide to REDP". She describes the current lineup of REDP as being a "catalyst". Nice analogy, but only partly true. A catalyst promotes change, but remains unchanged itself in the process: the four core partners are certainly changing and learning as we go along.


On the floor, there's general assent that the reason why previous attempts to establish a regional partnership on equalities have come to grief is because they have been "top down" operations rather than "bottom up".


Guest speakers this afternoon are Patrick Devine and Jagdish Singh Shemare, from the Equality and Human Rights Commission. They're both Regional Advisers for EHRC - Patrick for the East Midlands, Jagdish for the West. They give a deep and knowledgeable presentation about the Equality Bill and the Non-Statutory Guidance that will accompany it (as you'd expect). The photo at the top of this entry was taken during their joint presentation.


I have the last half hour or so to present Carolyn's statistical profile of Northampton and Northamptonshire. I haveen't done this before, but have seen Carolyn do it at the six previous events. Mind you, that's a bit like having been to the circus half a dozen times and thinking you can have a go on the flying trapeze. I seem to carry it off alright - with a smattering of trapeze-themed jokes as I go along.

equality bill non-statutory guidance consultation

To Nottingham (again!) for this consultation on the Non Statutory Guidance that will accompany the Equality Bill. The meeting is hosted by the Equality and Human Rights Commission, at the Nottingham Hilton Hotel (photo above). A good event in a nice venue with warm and courteous staff, good range of food at lunchtime with decent vegetarian, vegan and halal options.

I'm here representing REDP, but also on behalf of Leicester Council of Faiths - my badge has both on it. Also on hand from REDP is core partner Ian (from the LGBT Centre) and staffer Kelly. There are two delegates from Leicester City Council and I spot at least two people who attended our Involvement Event in Derby yesterday and one from the Retford event last week. On my table is one person whom I first met at our Involvement Event in Leasingham.

Today we're looking at this guidance, seeing if it's fit for purpose, helping get the language right. It's not the time to look at the Equality Bill itself, but to concentrate on the Non Statutory Guidance. There will be changes in gthe Bill as it proceeds toward being signed into law; the final version of the Non Statutory Guidance will reflect that.

The Codes of Practice that go with the Bill are legal documents. They take a ling time to prepare beacuse they have to be legally watertight and they have to take into account the case law that has built up in relevant areas. Non Statutory Guidance is a bit quicker in the making. They mirror the Codes of Practice, but are more in the nature of being practical "how to" guides, aspiring to be simple and easy to follow, user-focused and tailored to their identified audience. They will inform employers, businesses, service providers, clubs and associations of all kinds what they can and can't do, how they should and should not behave toward individuals and groups. Non Statutory Guidance will advise us how we should expect to be treated as individuals an/or as members of groups in society. NSG is written for people who are not HR specialists or legal experts, often working in (or receiving services from) smaller organisations. The NSG has to reflect the language, needs and aspiration of those whom it directly affects. Two versions of the documents are being produced, in print and online: one for service providers and the like, the other for recipients of the services etc. It will also provide examples of good practice and will incorporate a short, straightforward "What's New" guide that will be helpful to newcomers as well as those already familiar with equality legislation.

The four people round our table are asked to consider two scenarios: the first, in the morning, has to do with making reasonable adjustments in order to make public buildings accessible to as wide a variety of users as possible; in the afternoon, we look at the theory and practice of Positive Action as included in the new Bill.

Interesting article in today's Guardian: "Voluntary sector is key to a 'good society' says Etherington". Stuart Etherington is Chief Executive of the National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO). His article can be read at: http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/joepublic/2010/feb/17/future-voluntary-sector-role

LGA Equality & Diversity conference

After dropping in at our exhibition in Highcross for an hour or so first thing this morning, I take the train to Melton, to attend the Equality and Diversity Conference of the Local Government Association at PERA (photo above). I’m going there as one of the partner members of the Regional Equality and Diversity Partnership (REDP) along with Laura Horton, Project Manager for our Mainstreaming Equality Project. The conference covers the main equality strands: age, disability, gender, race, religion or belief, and sexual orientation. There are contributions from ACAS and the Equality and Human Rights Commission among others. The conference considers how provisions in the Equality Bill will affect the duties of local government at all levels of engagement with those who are recipients of their services, and reflects on how it might change employment law.