Local government equality standard

Report: 10
Date: 05 February 2004
By: Clerk

Summary

The report provides an update on the work that will be required by the Authority to achieve its target for achieving Levels 1 – 3 of the Local Government Equality Standard.

A. Recommendations

That members

1. Comment on the issues highlighted in paragraphs 2 and 3;
2. Note the challenge that will be placed on the Authority, and the potential resource implications in progressing to Level 2 of the Standard;
3. Approve the process outlined for contracting further consultants to assist with this project; and
4. Confirm that Kirsten Hearn be the lead member for progressing this work.

B. Supporting information

1. Members previously considered a report outlining the requirements of achieving the 5 levels of the Local Government Equality Standard and agreed that the original timescale proposed in the Best Value Review of Equalities to achieve this by 2005 be maintained. Officers were tasked to progress the work and a good deal has been done to set clear timescales for progressing through each of the levels of the Standard.

2. An internal project management group, comprising the Clerk, Head of Race and Diversity and the Level 5 Project Assistant meets regularly to map the progress of the project and an officer group has been established which comprises of the key Policy and Senior Management Team leads within the MPA (including Internal Audit).

Timeframe for achieving Levels 1 – 3

3. Officers have agreed timescales for the achievement of Level 3 and are working to the following plan:

• Achieve Level 1, April 2004
• Achieve Level 2, September 2004
• Achieve Level 3, December 2004

A good deal of groundwork is already well under way for achieving these timescales, however there may be the need to review these as the project progresses.

Challenge for achieving corporate equality performance

4. The Equality Standard is primarily concerned with the development of continuous improvement in equality. This means that the MPA will need to have systems and processes in place that will enable it to continue to develop and maintain equal opportunities practices and performance.

5. It is becoming increasingly evident that even some of the best performing local authorities (such as Birmingham City Council and Coventry City Council) that have a history of mainstreaming equalities performance over a sustained periods are assessing themselves at no more than Level 1 and 2.

6. Discussions with the Head of Programme at Dialogue (The Employers Organisation) which provides support and advice to all Authorities in England and Wales on progressing the Standard, indicated that on the basis of the information that is emerging from the self assessments carried out by local authorities, that very few are likely to achieve Level 5 by the timescale that the MPA (and the GLA Group) have given themselves.

7. Although the MPA has achieved significant pockets of good equalities practice, it is debatable whether the Authority will be able to demonstrate that it has had well developed systems and processes that have resulted in the organisational mainstreaming of equalities performance. Until very recently (January 2004) the MPA has not had the resource base within the secretariat to enable it to progress and achieve the mainstreaming of equalities that it has aspired to. Given the fact that achieving the standard is more about affecting organisational culture performance at a corporate (Authority, Senior Management) level rather than achieving ‘one-off’ equality successes; the MPA will need to make considerable progress in embedding equalities performance, in a very tight timescale, if it is to achieve the timeframe that it has given itself.

GLA Group Equalities Network

8. The challenge for achieving the rapid organisational progress that is fundamental to achieving the Standard will not be unique to the MPA. At the most recent meeting of the GLA Group Equalities Network the organisations represented (with the exception of the Greater London Authority (GLA)) undertook to bring this matter to the attention of the relevant committee and their Chief Executives so that, if necessary, appropriate decisions and actions could be considered to address the issue, and if necessary, to propose amendments to the original timescale.

External Professional Support

9. The Clerk and officers have met to assess the proposals received from consultants with experience in this field of work who will be able to assist the Authority in this work. An oral report of the outcome of this process will be made to the EODB meeting.

10. The successful consultant/organisation will only be contracted to progress the work required for Levels 1 and 2 of the Standard. A separate process will be put in place for seeking expressions of interest for Levels 3 and 4 and Level 5. This is to ensure that there is flexibility on the choice of consultancy organisation used, bearing in mind that different types and levels of expertise will be required for the different Levels of the Standard.

11. The consultant contracted will contribute to achieving the key outputs for Levels 1 and 2 levels which include:

• development of a comprehensive equality policy
• development of a corporate Equalities Plan (CEP) for Level 1
• establishment of the corporate mechanisms for assessing development of service level equality targets and
• development of a community strategy

Assessment

12. Self-assessment is a core procedure for the Equality Standard. It is the basis for measuring the Authority achievement against requirements of the Standards and the objectives of the Framework. Linked to the self-assessment are two further assessment processes associated with the Standard. These are:

1. Impact/need/Requirement Assessment, and
2. Monitoring.

13. The GLA Equalities Network have agreed, in principle, and subject to Members approval that the peer assessment for levels 1 and 2 should involve the equalities leads from each of the group, with an external equalities ‘expert’ (where relevant) to join the peer assessment panel. Discussions are also underway with Dialogue at the Employers Organisation to explore ways in which the MPA can utilise their expertise in this process.

Internal staff and members briefing

14. A series of briefing sessions have been arranged to inform and update all MPA staff and Members’ about the requirements of the standard, the legislative basis for the project and the work that will be required by each policy lead to achieve the objectives required to successful assessment at each level.

15. Special information packs and additional briefings will be developed to assist policy leads and those responsible for progressing specific aspects of the framework document.

Relationship between the LGES and the Audit Commission's Initial Performance Assessment of the MPA

16. The Audit Commission will be conducting the Initial Performance Assessment of the MPA in May 2004. The evidence gathering and assessment methodology used will be similar to the process that will be applied to the Equality Standards process. Officers are working closely to ensure that information and good practice is shared between both projects.

The MPS and Level 5

17. The Authority is currently somewhat more advanced than the Service in its planning. MPA and MPS officers will be meeting to see how the process that will be put in place for achieving the standards could inform the MPS. The sheer size of the MPS is likely to present specific challenges to its ability to achieve the standard, however, work is already underway to look into how this can be achieved. Further reports will be brought to this Board.

C. Equality and diversity implications

A detailed Equalities Impact Assessment will be carried out on the Authority’s decision to implement the LGES and it is anticipated that the implementation of the Standard will have a positive impact on the all aspects of the performance of the and enhance its ability to scrutinise the MPS in its performance of delivering an effective and efficient policing service to Londoners.

D. Financial implications

The expenditure will be contained within existing estimates.

E. Background papers

• The Local Government Equality Standards

F. Contact details

Report author: Julia Smith, MPA.

For more information contact:

MPA general: 020 7202 0202
Media enquiries: 020 7202 0217/18

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