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Public invited to spy on public sector attempts to tackle inequality
Members of the public will be able to see exactly what public sector organisations are doing to tackle inequality under new plans to put taxpayers in control of holding public bodies to account.
Members of the public will be able to see exactly what public sector organisations are doing to tackle inequality under new plans to put taxpayers in control of holding public bodies to account.
The plans were announced by Equalities Minister, Lynne Featherstone who said the move marked an end to ‘box ticking bureaucracy’: “Equality is central to delivering the fair and more efficient public services that support a fairer society. However, in the past equality has too often become a byword for box-ticking and bureaucracy, with public bodies focusing on red tape rather than results.”
Featherstone added that the new ‘Equality Duty’ would empower the public by giving them the information they needed to hold organisations to account.
“Citizens will be able to see for themselves how a public body is performing on equality, because what really matters is delivering improved, more equal services, not following complicated and expensive procedures.
“To really make this work we need to know what you think, so please visit the Government Equalities Office website and have your say on the proposals,” said Featherstone.
The public sector Equality Duty will replace three separate duties that require government departments, local authorities and other public bodies to take into account gender, race and disability equality both as employers and when making policy decisions and delivering services. The duty simplifies this requirement and also extends it to fully cover, religion and belief, sexual orientation and gender reassignment.
The consultation is the latest stage in the Government’s equalities programme, which so far has included enacting new rules to help tackle the gender pay gap and provide greater protection for the rights of disabled people, as well as work to improve equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people.
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