Equality Impact Assessment / Equality Analysis

Title of service or policy 
	Neighbourhood Services  – Plan for 2013/14 Services and Staff Consultation	

Name of directorate and service
	Place Directorate_Environmental Services_Neighbourhood Services	

Name and role of officers completing the EIA
	John Crowther	

Date of assessment 
	
20 September 2012	

Equality Impact Assessment (or ‘Equality Analysis’) is a process of systematically analysing a new or existing policy or service to identify what impact or likely impact it will have on different groups within the community.  The primary concern is to identify any discriminatory or negative consequences for a particular group or sector of the community.  Equality impact Assessments (EIAs) can be carried out in relation to service delivery as well as employment policies and strategies.
This toolkit has been developed to use as a framework when carrying out an Equality Impact Assessment (EIA) or Equality Analysis on a policy, service or function.   It is intended that this is used as a working document throughout the process, with a final version including the action plan section being published on the Council’s and NHS Bath and North East Somerset’s websites.    

1. 	
Identify the aims of the policy or service and how it is implemented.
	
	Key questions	Answers / Notes	
1.1	Briefly describe purpose of the service/policy including
•	How the service/policy is delivered and by whom

•	If responsibility for its implementation is shared with other departments or organisations

•	Intended outcomes 	The plan provides a guide to which services are provided by teams within Neighbourhood Services. It contains information about key functions and how the teams are structured to deliver high quality and value for money services across the Bath and North East Somerset area. It promotes a cleaner, healthier, fairer and safer environment in local communities throughout the district and supports and promotes a thriving economy in which to live, work, learn and visit. 

The Neighbourhoods Service is delivered by a number of teams who work to improve the condition, safety and health of the environment for residents, visitors, businesses and people learning within Bath and North East Somerset. There are some 150 fte. staff within the Neighbourhoods Service and between them they are responsible for environmental protection and maintenance across the public realm, parks and the wider environment, including the bereavement service, throughout Bath and North East Somerset. This work includes policy, operational delivery, education, prevention, investigation and enforcement activities across a range of local environmental management areas and services. These include neighbourhood operational roles for cleansing and parks and grounds maintenance, as well as environmental protection, education and enforcement including noise nuisance, contaminated land, pest control and dog warden services. 

The intended outcomes of the plan and policy are to focus on the local and national priorities for Neighbourhood Environmental and Operational Services as suggested by Government through DCLG, DEFRA and agencies such as Keep Britain Tidy, Design Council (CABE), Natural England along with the local priorities agreed and adopted by Bath and North East Somerset Council.	
1.2	Provide brief details of the scope of the policy or service being reviewed, for example:
•	Is it a new service/policy or review of an existing one?  
•	Is it a national requirement?).
•	How much room for review is there?	

It is a revised plan, recorded in a new style format to encompass the teams across the service.

It is a National Requirement

There is room for yearly review when each new plan is written.	
1.3	Do the aims of this policy link to or conflict with any other policies of the Council?	The scheme is in line with the Council’s adopted vision and priorities.

2. Consideration of available data, research and information

Monitoring data and other information should be used to help you analyse whether you are delivering a fair and equal service.  Please consider the availability of the following as potential sources: 

•	Demographic data and other statistics, including census findings
•	Recent research findings (local and national)
•	Results from consultation or engagement you have undertaken 
•	Service user monitoring data (including ethnicity, gender, disability, religion/belief, sexual orientation and age) 
•	Information from relevant groups or agencies, for example trade unions and voluntary/community organisations
•	Analysis of records of enquiries about your service, or complaints or compliments about them 
•	Recommendations of external inspections or audit reports

Key questions
	
Data, research and information that you can refer to 	
2.1	What is the equalities profile of the team delivering the service/policy? 	There are 150 staff within the Neighbourhood Services teams, comprised predominantly of males with 15 females, age ranges from teens through to early and mid-sixties, The majority are White British. 
	
2.2	What equalities training have staff received?	Staff from Neighbourhood Services have attended various Corporate Equalities Courses. In addition, a  programme of Tailored Equalities Courses for Neighbourhood Services has been developed with the Council‘s Equalities team during 2011 and continues to be rolled out to staff within the service.	
2.3	What is the equalities profile of service users?  	We know from our service usage questionnaires that there are a wide range of ethnic groups and ages who access the services, including some with hidden disabilities (e.g. literacy, dyslexia) and a balance of females and males. 
	
2.4 	What other data do you have in terms of service users or staff? (e.g results of customer satisfaction surveys, consultation findings). Are there any gaps? 	Each service area has local knowledge of the equality profiles of service users.  Customer surveys results are also retained.	
2.5	What engagement or consultation has been undertaken as part of this EIA and with whom?

What were the results?	Staff consultation over knowledge of service users. Consultation with Elected Member and local Town and Parish Councils where proposed service changes could impact upon local communities.  Specific consultation with residents groups, communities of interest and place and other stakeholders. 

Greater community involvement, co-operation, improved understanding and more effective uses of resources.	
2.6	If you are planning to undertake any consultation in the future regarding this service or policy, how will you include equalities considerations within this? 	Equalities considerations for future service plans and proposed savings within the service areas will be included prior to writing the revised plan.	

3. Assessment of impact: ‘Equality analysis’
	
	Based upon any data you have considered, or the results of consultation or research, use the spaces below to demonstrate you have analysed how the service or policy:
•	Meets any particular needs of equalities groups or helps promote equality in some way.  
•	Could have a negative or adverse impact for any of the equalities groups  	

Examples of what the service has done to promote equality
	Examples of actual or potential negative or adverse impact and what steps have been or could be taken to address this	

3.1	
Gender – identify the impact/potential impact of the policy on women and men.  (Are there any issues regarding pregnancy and maternity?)	
Environmental Health Team - has had involvement with the recently introduced A-boards policy which aims to limit the impact that A –boards pose as obstructions on pavements.  

Traders are advised of their responsibilities etc. and given assistance to help them comply. Repeated offending is dealt with by way of statutory notice and fixed penalty notice.
	
If A-Boards are too big, in excessive numbers and not suitably located then people with visual impairment and people with wheelchairs and pushchairs/child’s buggies may have difficulty getting around. 

The Council needs to ensure that the A-boards are the correct size, not in excessive numbers and are suitably located.	
3.2	Transgender – identify the impact/potential impact of the policy on transgender people
	The Council has raised staff awareness of the impact of transgender issues when out in the field. This has been done through example scenarios used in the Tailored Neighbourhood Services training about equalities, set up in 2011.	Through raising awareness amongst staff of the impact of transgender issues the potential for unintentional discrimination or offence is reduced.	

3.3	
Disability - identify the impact/potential impact of the policy on disabled people (ensure consideration of a range of impairments including both physical and mental impairments)
 	
Environmental Health Team – Operation Sunset and A-boards Policy (as in 3.1). This is to prevent obstructions on pavements for those with impaired vision. 

Parks & Estates Team – Allotments maintenance and accessibility

Park & Estates Team and Operations Team – £35k saving in Parks and  Grounds Management 

Pest Control service - £35k saving by reducing scale of service offer	
If A-Boards are too big, in excessive numbers and not suitably located those that are visually impaired may have difficulty in getting around. Council needs to ensure that the A-boards are the correct size, there are not excessive numbers and they are suitably located.

The Council has made provision to ensure that people with disabilities are able to access plots, such as at Monkspath and Lower Common Allotments sites. Further provision is being considered within the current More Plots for Bath project.

Need to ensure that proposed savings do not impact upon safety of users of parks and grounds.

Need to ensure vulnerable and disadvantaged groups are able to access an affordable service.
	
3.4	Age  – identify the impact/potential impact of the policy on different age groups
	Park & Estates Team and Operations Team 
	Impact of proposed savings on maintenance standards and appearance of parks and potential impact on young people using play areas within Bath and North East Somerset.	
3.5	Race – identify the impact/potential impact on different black and minority ethnic groups 
	Environmental Health Team – Gypsy and Traveller’s Sites.	Awareness of human rights issues for staff when visiting and assessing site conditions on Gypsy and Traveller’s Sites.	
3.6	Sexual orientation - identify the impact/potential impact of the policy on 
lesbians, gay, bisexual & heterosexual people
 	There is no evidence to suggest that there are issues with regard to sexual orientation.
	
None.	

3.7	

Religion/belief – identify the impact/potential impact of the policy on people of different religious/faith groups and also upon those with no religion.

There is no evidence to suggest that there are issues with regard to religion/belief.	

However, if there were cultural sensitivities around, for example, when certain ethnic festivals fall then environmental health officers may choose to carry out their visits at alternative times.

3.8	Socio-economically disadvantaged – identify the impact on people who are disadvantaged due to factors like family background, educational attainment, neighbourhood, employment status can influence life chances
	A revised and reduced Pest Control service is proposed from 2013 onwards however, rather than simply cease the service due to the need to achieve savings, the service is proposing to achieve a £35k saving and retain a service which will allow people who are in poverty to access the service, subject to appropriate means testing.

Parks and Estates – Appearance and condition of parks and grounds. Proposed changes to management and service maintenance standards may impact upon the appearance and condition of parks, grounds and play areas which could affect the attractiveness and appearance of these areas to people from socio-economically disadvantaged areas as these services are free and readily available to access.	If people disadvantaged through poverty could not access a Pest Control service at reasonable cost the result could be a negative impact on public health as the cost of a commercial treatment could be prohibitive and could result in an outbreak of vermin and/or pests. Through this approach the Council can ensure that people who are disadvantaged through poverty can still access a Pest Control service at an 
affordable cost, thereby helping to ensure that public health is maintained. 

Bench mark service standards and review potential impact of reduced maintenance standards annually. Ensure management is organised in the most efficient and effective way and in the correct proportion to the on-ground operations.	

3.9	

Rural communities – identify the impact / potential impact on people living in rural communities

The Council is aware that there may be issues arising from the impact of proposed savings on maintenance standards of grass verges and floral provision within some rural areas.  

Neighbourhoods Services teams continue to be aware of the need to meet the needs of people living, working and visiting rural areas within Bath and North East Somerset.  	

Officers will continue to work with Parish Councils, elected Members and local communities to ensure that the most effective and coordinated ways of delivering maintenance standards are implemented and to minimise any potential impact upon people living, working and visiting rural areas within Bath and North East Somerset.  	

4. Bath and North East Somerset Council & NHS B&NES
Equality Impact Assessment Improvement Plan

Please list actions that you plan to take as a result of this assessment.  These actions should be based upon the analysis of data and engagement, any gaps in the data you have identified, and any steps you will be taking to address any negative impacts or remove barriers. The actions need to be built into your service planning framework.  Actions/targets should be measurable, achievable, realistic and time framed.

Issues identified	Actions required	Progress milestones	Officer responsible	By when	
To ensure that the issues arising from proposed savings within the service areas (principally parks, pest control and Royal Victoria Park Nursery in 2013/14/15) are identified and monitored for their potential impact upon people accessing and using the services.

	To ensure that the planned activities, intended achievements, Council objectives and corporate improvement priorities of Neighbourhood Services, as part of the Environmental Services Division of the Council, are met by April 2013 and annually thereafter.
	Annual review of Service Plan and MTRSP.

Annual review of impact of delivering service savings targets within the service area.

The service has achieved Customer Service Excellence Award and Investors in People accreditation and will continue evaluating and liaising with service users to assess the effectiveness of services delivered and response to customer needs.	John Crowther	April 2013 and annually thereafter.	

5. Sign off and publishing

Once you have completed this form, it needs to be approved by your Divisional Director or their nominated officer.  Following this sign off, send a copy to the Equalities Team (equality@bathnes.gov.uk), who will publish it on the Council’s and/or NHS B&NES’ website.  Keep a copy for your own records.

Signed off by:		John Crowther, Service Manager: Neighbourhood Services
				Matthew Smith, Divisional Director for Environmental Services

Date:				20 September 2012