GUEST POST: Equality-proofing public policy in Labour’s fourth term

Neil Coyle is a Young Fabian member and works for Disabilty Alliance. He writes in a personal capacity.

13 years into Labour Government ‘equality’ is still seen as a peripheral issue by policy-makers at national and local level – an addendum for certain sections of society rather than a mainstream concern. This ‘bolt-on’ attitude is disturbing to analysts who acknowledge that mainstreaming is the solution to delivering genuinely inclusive policies. Policy done right means all citizens can contribute, but – got wrong – means inequality is heightened and barriers to participation erected.

Labour has attempted to ensure better analysis of the potential impact of proposals by introducing measures including ‘Equality Impact Assessments’ (EIAs). EIAs are published alongside consultations/legislative plans and are supposed to highlight risks/benefits of initiatives and how they affect disadvantaged groups.
But the experience of EIAs in practice is variable – even in areas wholly relevant to disadvantaged groups. The Department of Health recently consulted on introducing free personal care. Older people, disabled people and carers (who are mostly women, making gender equality integral) are all relevant to the proposals.

However, the associated EIA suggested consultation respondents should highlight relevant equality issues. This was hardly the upfront analysis intended by EIAs of the needs of the groups this reform could affect. Nor does this approach safely estimate the risks of the intended approach. Dangers include councils tightening access to services they are obliged to provide free – or cutting support to people with lower needs (forcing carers to provide more support, work less and experience greater poverty and fewer opportunities).

Coupled with poor EIA implementation – perhaps causal to it – is little enforcement of how EIAs are undertaken or analysis of implementation outcomes – i.e. whether EIA predictions were correct. Fully centralising equality to policy development requires far greater emphasis on EIAs upfront, as well as monitoring and inspection of outcomes (lead by the Equality and Human Rights Commission) to ensure disadvantaged groups fully benefit from Labour’s fourth term.

Healey says Young Fabians ‘Labour’s future’

Our new members’ reception last night followed some work at Labour HQ ringing first time voters ahead of the – now very near – general election.

Guest speaker was Rt Hon John Healey MP, Cabinet minister for housing and planning. After taking his turn trying to sell fundraising raffle tickets, Healey highlighted the Young Fabians’ span of appeal and the ‘fresh energy’ we bring with our ‘combination of organisation and ideology’.

His view that it’s not what Labour has done but ‘why we’ve done it’ that matters is sound. So we’re about more than just managing Britain through global recession: we’re about a focus on people – their lives, their jobs, their homes, and their families. Which is how, despite a deeper recession, we’ve seen half the business failures experienced in the previous recession during the last Tory government.

He ended with a question, perhaps a challenge. It came from a constituent of his in a supermarket in his south Yorkshire seat: “Mr Healey, Mr Healey – what are you doing to keep the Tories out?”

This is about taking responsibility and doing something. We win the trust, respect and support of people by – as Healey said – combining our ideas and our action. Labour can play to the strengths of its leadership here. It’s not polished presentation that is craved but it is principled action that people see missing elsewhere. As one first time voter, a 20-year-old female studying an FE course, told me on the phone tonight, “Get off my telly, Cameron – why as an MP aren’t you doing something for the country?”

Listen to a podcast of John Healey’s speech plus comments from Young Fabian members at tonight’s reception here.