NO DISTINCTION MADE BETWEEN EDL AND UAF

This letter appears in today's Leicester Mercury:

No distinction made between EDL and UAF

It was with great sadness that I read Peter Soulsby's open letter to the people of Leicester ("Don't let protests tear our city apart", Mercury, February 4).

He seems quite unable to make any distinction between Leicester Unite Against Fascism and the English Defence League.

I was on the Leicester Unite Against Fascism demonstration which was, of course, completely peaceful and the vast majority of people were from Leicester, although a few friends came from Nottingham and Derby.

I am sure most of the people on our demonstration voted for Peter in the mayoral election and many had voted for him as our local MP.

Some of the people I recognised as long-time members of the Labour Party who, I am sure, had canvassed for Peter in the past.

There were even people who were personal friends of Peter's. All of us were united in our love for multicultural Leicester.

In contrast, the vast majority of the EDL were from outside Leicester and are full of hate for our multicultural city.

Is Peter not able to make any distinction between love and hate?

Andy Wynne, Daneshill

NO CHRISTMAS BREAK FOR "OCCUPATION" CAMPAIGN IN LEICESTER

This article is published in today's Leicester Mercury:

No Christmas break for "Occupation" campaign in Leicester

It started with just one tent – but five weeks on, more than 40 people are taking it in turns to camp in Leicester's High Street in protest against corporate greed.

Anti-capitalist protesters say the Occupy Leicester camp will get bigger as we approach Christmas and New Year.

The camp appeared in the city after similar protests in New York and London, which began in September and October respectively.

The Leicester camp is growing and its supporters don't plan to break off for Christmas.

Dane Smith, 23, from Leicester, has been part of the group since it started.

Dane, an unemployed film studies graduate, believes the movement so far has been "a terrific success".

He said: "This weekend will be five weeks since we came here which is a massive achievement.

"What we're looking at now is the future and how we can carry on."

Dane was reluctant to discuss future plans further, but said "new tactics" would allow more of its members to stay at the camp for a prolonged period of time.

About 40 people are now sleeping at the camp on a regular basis, with about a quarter of that number staying there most nights.

Dane said they also had big plans for a protest today, but would not give any more details.

He said: "We've got new tactics which are secret at the moment but should help us keep going."

Dane plans to spend just four or five hours with his family on Christmas Day before returning to the camp.

He said: "They're pretty used to my protesting and activism, so there's no real surprise."

The group has regular contact with similar movements in London and Nottingham.

One Nottingham member has transferred to spend most of their time in Leicester, while one from the London camp spends most weekends here.

Warehouse worker Mark Smith, from Leicester, joined the protest after its first week.

He sleeps at the High Street base and only leaves the camp to work his shifts.

Mark, 41, from Leicester, is unfazed by sleeping in the cold weather because, as a keen angler, he has already been doing it for 32 years.

He believes the camp's message is gaining momentum.

He said: "There are more people supporting us because they understand why we're here.

"We want to end Government corruption and force the banks to stop throwing our money away."

Away from the camp, Mark says he has received support from his 14-year-old son as well as a work colleague.

He said: "I've only mentioned it to one person at work and they were supportive of us.

"My son's been a couple of times but he's not going to sleep down here."

The group said most passers-by were friendly and happy to debate but they still encounter trouble with drunks on Friday and Saturday nights.

Mark said: "The police and council have been great with us."I'm just hoping it gets us as far as it can, because the longer we stay here the better chance we have of making a difference."

TAKING PUBLIC SERVICES FORWARD IN THE EAST MIDLANDS

To the Albert Hall Conference Centre, Nottingham, this afternoon for an event hosted by East Midlands Councils and the Local Government Group. Four of us from the Regional Equality and Diversity Partnership (REDP) are attending "Taking Public Services Forward in the East Midlands".

I've come through from Leicester with Iris Lightfoote (The Race Equality Centre), Dee Martin (Leicestershire Centre for Integraqted Living) and Kelly Jussab (Project Officer, REDP).

East Midlands Councils demonstrates how local councils in the region can work together on  issues such as housing, transport and the environment. It represents the interests of local councils to Government and national organisations. It supports the improvement and development of local councils and their workforce.

The six organisations of the Local Government Group work together to support, promote and improve local government:

• Local Government Association
• Local Government Employers
• Local Government Improvement and Development
• Local Government Leadership
• Local Government Regulation
• Local Partnerships

Core Partners of REDP (and members of its more extensive Core Reference Group) are here today to listen to a presentation on the Open Public Services White Paper by Alison Adams, Policy Manager, Local Intelligence Team, Office for Civil Society, Cabinet Office. We have the chance to discuss this presentation and to raise questions from the floor.

Equality Update Event: Nottingham

At Nottingham Voluntary Centre, Milton Street, this afternoon for the second in a series of Equality Update Events presented by the Regional Equality and Diversity Partnership (REDP). We have a good turnout, with eight VCS organisations represented, even if the basement room is a bit cramped. Kelly Jussab, REDP's Project Officer and I are presenting jointly and we give over the last so minutes of the two-hour session to Michelle Breslin, who speaks about the 2011 Census (which is now only two months away).

Find out more about REDP:
http://www.redp.org.uk/

Find out more about the 2011 Census:
http://2011.census.gov.uk/

Leicester Speaks again!

Leicester Adult Education College is the venue for the first planning meeting for Leicester Speaks 2011. I'm only able to get there for the second hour of a two-hour meeting and arrive just as John Coster (from Citizens' Eye) is leaving. John and I were co-chairs for the first Leicester Speaks event last year and Leicester Adult Skills and Learning Service, which sponsors the it, has asked us both to do the same again this year.

We're not sure of national dates for Local Democracy Week yet, but we're planning on running it in Leicester over two weeks: a pre-launch week (beginning Mon 10 Oct) concentrating on schools and colleges, then the week proper (beginning Mon 17 Oct). That second week is Half Term, which will hopefully allow us greater participation from young people.

We've all got our thinking caps on. What can we do for 2011 that will be new and innovative, that can build on what we achieved last year?

We'll probably extend the public launch event throughout the day, rather than run it for an hour or so, as we did last year. We might have (say) three sessions: morning, lunchtime and late afternoon, perhaps with themed groups taking part in certain slots.

We're also commissioning our own mobile Speakers' Corner, to replace the one we borrowed from Speakers' Corner Trust last year.

There's also the possibility of linking up with Birmingham and Nottingham, to give the week some stronger coverage across the Midlands. Leicester Council of Faiths might be able to do something in association with inter faith organisations in those cities.

A promotional event, introducing Leicester Speaks to potential new stakeholders, is being planned for next month. A six-page brochure (with DVD) will be published then, showcasing what was done last year and promoting what can be done later this year.

With withdrawal of funding for our role as Host Organiation from 31 March, this is one of the activities we may not be able to continue after that date. I've made that known to the group.

Find out what happened in Leicester Speaks 2010:
http://leicesterspeaks.wordpress.com/2010/11/04/thus-spake-leicester/

EAST MIDLANDS AMBULANCE SERVICE COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT: 1

To Nottingham this morning, to take part in a Community Engagment Strategy Working Group with East Midlands Ambulance Service. I'm here with Laura Horton, Project Manager of REDP. This is the first piece of work we've done together since the last of REDP's Involvement Events; that was only three weeks ago, but it was such an intensive period that, now it's all over, it feels like it was ages ago! We had a lot of support from EMAS for those events. Two members of EMAS's Community Relations Team - Gulnaz Katchi and Mick Rimmington - took it in turns to attend, so that we had one or the other at each and every one of those meetings across the region.

We're at EMAS's Nottinghamshire Divisional HQ, in Beechdale Road. There are 30-odd people in a fairly small room, mostly people working or volunteering for EMAS around the region. There's a lot of brainstorming and small group work around our tables, in which people are honest and open about how much they know and don't know concering the communities they serve and issues of equality and diversity that can affect their service. This would appear to be early steps on a long road!

HUGE HINDU FESTIVAL DRAWS 5,000 CROWD TO LEICESTER PARK

This article appears in today's Leicester Mercury:

Huge Hindu festival draws 5,000 crowd to Leicester park

A crowd of up to 5,000 people celebrated the Hindu festival of Holi by cooking coconuts and painting each other's faces.

People from across the city and beyond travelled to Spinney Hill Park, in Leicester, for the event on Sunday night, which included a giant bonfire.

Revellers brought coconuts to cook in the flames and decorated each other in red paint.

The night was organised by the committee at the Hindu Temple, in nearby St Barnabas Road.

Committee member and assistant treasurer Nishil Karia said: "We had a fantastic event. We built a big bonfire and cooked people's coconuts in the fire.

"It's always a very happy event and we were delighted with the turnout. There were nearly 5,000 people there and several of them said it was about the biggest Holi event we've had in the city.

"The local community really appreciates this event and we also had people from Nottingham and Coventry.

"People threw powdered paint around and some of the younger ones were splashing each other with liquid paint.''

The paint, which people traditionally decorate each other with before embracing three times, symbolises the colours and joys of spring.

Chhaganlal Joshi, a priest at the temple in St Barnabas Road, said: "The colours of the festival – the clothes and the paint – represent the coming of spring and the children becoming happier and healthier.

"It's the fourth-largest festival in the Hindu calendar and it has been celebrated for several thousand years," he added.

Among the guests of honour were the deputy Lord Mayor, Manjula Sood, and Chris Eyre, the Temporary Chief Constable of Leicestershire.

There are more than 40,000 Hindus in Leicestershire and they share the celebration, also known as the Festival of Colours, with Buddhists, Sikhs and Jains.

Indian populations around the world celebrate the festival and celebrations last up to 16 days.

Other Holi events were held at Stoughton Road playing fields, in Oadby, and at Cossington Recreation Ground, in Belgrave.

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

debrief

At Leicestershire Centre for Integrated Living (LCIL) this morning, to meet with Carolyn, Kelly and Laura to debrief on REDP's first two involvement events last week, in Nottingham and Oakham and to prepare for the next two this week, in Leasingham and Market Harborough. On the whole, we're happy with how it's going, though there's always room for improvement. We rejig timings of some parts of the day. Later on, the Market Harborough event is cancelled when we decide that those who have registered can be better distributed among some of the other dates and venues. We're breaking new ground with these meetings in many ways and thinking out of the box.

REDP INVOLVEMENT EVENT: NOTTINGHAM

To Nottingham, for the first in a series of "Involvement Events", launching the Regional Equality and Diversity Partnership (REDP) into the wider world.

Train from Leicester Station at 0725 with Dennis Bradley, Community Development Officer at Leicester's LGBT Centre. Dennis is part of the Amplified Leicester project. I'm not often given to envy, but each time I speak with someone who's doing that, I can't help but wish I was on it! At Nottingham Station we meet Ian Robson, Director of the LGBT Centre and share a taxi to the venue, East Midlands Conference Centre at Nottingham University (photo above).

I'm chairing this event, Ian is leading the presentation on behalf of the Core Partners, with support from Iris Lightfoote from The Race Equality Centre (TREC). We have engaged the services of Judith and Karen, BSL interpreters. We have about a dozen people signed up for this event from the VCS sector in Nottingham, representing Nottingham Council for Voluntary Services, The Deaf Society, Nottingham Trent University, Nottingham Refugee Council, and East Midlands Ambulance Service amongst others. Nice venue: food is good and plentiful but the room is really cold and seems resistant to all attempts to heat it. Even in the Gents, although the taps had that sign saying "Danger! Very Hot Water!" what came out was stone cold!

I'd like to keep to the schedule. After my general introduction and housekeeping announcements, Ian has half an hour to present a "beginners' guide" to REDP. He sprints through it and finishes in five minutes. Time to switch to decaf, Ian! We're not going to have 25 minutes of dead air, of course, and I'm not going to chuck out the timetable at this early point, so I fill - for 20 minutes. The attendees don't know that this isn't how we planned it, so as long as I can keep the ball rolling then all's well. We take a short break then go into the workshops on time. These include some very strong and positive contributions an take us through to lunchtime.

The afternoon session begins with our guest speaker: Rauf Mirza, one of some 200 ambassadors around the country promoting public appointments for the Government Equalities Office. For some little while now there's been a cross-departmental drive to increase the diversity of people sitting on boards of public bodies, with particular emphasis on women, members of ethnic minorities and disabled people. I found especially interesting the part of Rauf's talk when he focuses on the seven principles of public life as outlined by the Nolan Committee. These are: selflessness, integrity, objectivity, accountability, openness, honesty and leadership.

Carolyn Pascoe, REDP's Researcher, presents her Regional Profile, looking at the facts, figures and stats illustrating various equality strands in Nottingham, and in comparison with the rest of the region and the country. I give the final presentation, which is on the Equality Bill - and we finish on the very stroke of 4 o'clock.

In summing up at the end of the day, I said that if we were a theatrical company on tour, this would have felt like a public dress rehearsal. There's a few bugs need ironing out, and many of those attending have given us helpful notes.