WRITTEN EVIDENCE
SUBMITTED BY
ONE NORTH
WEST (LOCO 075)
1. ABOUT ONE
NORTH WEST
One North West is a partnership of BME voluntary
and community sector organisations from across the North West
that aims to improve race equality. This paper draws on work with
120 BME voluntary and community sector organisations in developing
a position about the Big Society and Localism through seven roundtable
discussions that included two women-only events and an online
survey.
2. THE BME VOLUNTARY
AND COMMUNITY
SECTOR IN
THE NORTH
WEST
There are currently an estimated 570,000 BME people
that live in the North West. The BME voluntary and community sector
plays a key role for communities; we believe that the BME sector
has an integral role to play in developing a fair, equal and "big"
society due to the sector's unique engagement with marginalised
communities, the promotion of underrepresented voices and with
the delivery of essential services.
3. LOCALISM AND
THE BIG
SOCIETY
3.1 We welcome decentralisation and the concept
of Big Society, including the empowerment of communities and the
recognition for the role of the voluntary and community sector
in delivering targeted and local services. Indeed, the BME voluntary
and community sector recognise the view that different communities
require alternative approaches as this is how the sector has developed
and largely operates.
3.2 For example, Pendle Pakistan Welfare Association
began in 1982, when Mr Aslam used to work night shifts in a factory
and then spent his days helping the Pakistani community in the
area from his front room. Or the Indian Community Centre in Tameside,
who raised their own funds from within the community to build
a community centre, which is sustainable and serves at the heart
of the community. There are many such examples of where local
solutions to community need have been developed by local BME organisations.
However, there are concerns with the Localism and Big Society
agenda, including that:
¾ There
needs to be greater focus on ensuring that there are measures
to ensure that the most vulnerable are included within local priorities;
¾ The
focus on neighbourhoods is problematic as they are not always
inclusive and many BME communities go beyond neighbourhoods;
¾ There
needs to be some standards of equalities that remains when power
is decentralised;
¾ The
BME and BME Women's Sector needs listening to and investing in.
These points are expanded upon below and followed
with key actions that we believe are necessary to ensure that
fairness is at the centre of Big Society and decentralisation.
4. POTENTIAL
IMPACTS ON
THE MOST
VULNERABLE COMMUNITIES
4.1 There needs to be greater focus on ensuring
that there are measures to protect and support the most vulnerable
within the Big Society and localism agenda. Research undertaken
by the Fawcett Society and the Institute for Fiscal Studies has
evidenced that the budget cuts will disproportionately impact
on the most vulnerable members of society, of which many BME communities
in the North West are included. For example, research undertaken
in March 2010 revealed that there is an employment gap of 29%
for BME women with the rest of the population.[27]
4.2 In the Spending Review Framework, the Government
aims to "limit as far as possible the impact of reductions
on the most vulnerable in society" and has committed to the
"principles of freedom, fairness and responsibility".
It is recognised that decisions made must not have a disproportionate
impact on our most vulnerable communities. However, many expressed
the view that that the impact of decentralisation and Big Society
will indeed have this effect and that we need to "reflect
on who the most marginalised in our communities are in order to
address inequality". (Kirit Patel, Oxfam Race and Poverty
Programme)
4.3 The continued existence of structural inequalities
based on race, gender and poverty undermines work towards achieving
a fair and just society and must be accounted for within the development
of the Big Society and plans to transfer power to local areas.
This inequality means that BME communities are underrepresented
in local decision making structures. Therefore, when priorities
are set locally, without any measures to ensure equality, the
needs of these communities will go underrepresented, as already,
"BME communities have very little input into local priorities"
(Cheshire Chinese Association) This will result in communities
that become more isolated and lack access to public services.
It was felt that when the "Big Society is rolled out, BME
communities will be last in the queue". (Preston Muslim Forum)
4.4 This will particularly impact on individuals
who experience multiple discrimination that is due to their intersectionality
and who will become "even further adrift down the margin
of invisibility" (Amina Lone, Women's Solidarity Forum).
For example, participants from a women-only event in Burnley were
concerned that specialist domestic abuse services and support
around forced marriages will not be a priority of the majority
of local people and such women, many of whom are unable to speak
English and do not have a voice in local decision-making, will
be left isolated from decisions that are taken.
4.5 The BME Women's Solidarity Forum is a coalition
of women who voluntarily come together because BME women's
voices are not heard within decision making and have developed
a women-only space in which they can come together to influence
and have developed a BME Women's Charter for Participation. Without
such projects, there is a real danger and concern that the most
vulnerable in society will be excluded and will experience disproportionate
disadvantage from decentralisation.
5. COMMUNITIES
GO BEYOND
NEIGHBOURHOODS
5.1 Neighbourhoods are seen as the "building
blocks of localism". However, there needs to be a broader
definition of "community" within the new agenda as for
many, communities go beyond neighbourhoods and are defined not
by spatial dimensions, but rather, identity and interest. If the
notion of community is tied solely to neighbourhood, then decentralisation
will mean many communities are excluded from an agenda that they
would otherwise participate and flourish in.
5.2 For example, The Congolese Association of
Merseyside was established in 2006 initially to work with members
of the Congolese community in Liverpool who were isolated upon
their arrival in the area and lived throughout the city (although
now the Association works with all communities that need support).
The Congolese Association operates from a shop front premise in
the Kensington area of Liverpool, where it provides courses and
also supports communities with education, employment, welfare,
health, immigration advice, legal matters, housing and more to
the community. Such organisations and the fact that communities
are not always defined by neighbourhood needs recognition within
the plans around decentralisation.
5.3 Neighbourhood groups are not always inclusive
and can marginalise minority communities, which would further
exclude BME communities from the emerging agenda. It was perceived
that this is not being acknowledged in the model that is being
advocated in the Government's "Big Society" plan and
that such recognition is vital. "The lack of support and
representation for some communities will mean that this will leave
some of the most marginalised without support as they fall beneath
the cracks". (Tony Durrant OBE, One North West)
5.4 Further issues that are brought about by
the narrow definition of "community" is potentially
not recognising the human right to private and family life for
the traveller communities of the North West. The decision to abolish
the Regional Spatial Strategies leaves open the distinct possibility
that local authorities will decide not to set aside land for traveller
sites. The evidence base behind the North West Regional Strategy
reinforced the importance of providing adequate accommodation
for Gypsy, Traveller and Travelling Showpeople, not only in terms
of human rights, but as a means of "spending to save"
not just to reduced public expenditure on maintenance, cleanup
and enforcement of unauthorised Gypsy and Traveller encampments,
but also to avoiding the social costs of tensions with the settled
community, and enabling greater economic contributions from these
sectors of society when they have better access to education and
healthcare.
6. UNEQUAL STANDARDS
OF ACCESS
AND OUTCOME
6.1 There are real concerns about where the accountability
is within the proposed new system and that there will be unequal
standards of access and outcome for the most marginalised communities.
With the abolition of the Comprehensive Area Assessments and local
inspections, there apparently seems to be no safeguards or monitoring
in place to ensure a minimum standard of access to protect the
most vulnerable individuals and ensure that fairness remains at
the heart of public services.
6.2 As service delivery organisations are given
greater freedom, they may place less emphasis on those communities
that are most excluded. This is of particular concern in light
of the budget cuts, which could mean that service providers focus
on those who successfully access their services, therefore excluding
the most marginalised members of our communities. For example,
in Cheshire, domestic violence posters are not translated into
community languages, which means isolated women unable to speak
English will suffer as a result. Without safeguards, there is
a high chance that the most vulnerable people in society will
become even more marginalised.
6.3 If there are no targets around race equality,
especially in areas where BME communities are in a small minority,
the most vulnerable people will become further excluded from public
services and life opportunities. In a written response from Cumbria,
it was stated that: "we know from the experience of Cumbria
that the localism agenda will have a random focus on race equality".
6.4 This is because without such safeguards,
the capacity and ability for these groups to influence and have
an impact on local priorities will be severely limited and lead
to widespread inequalities. For example, in Ellesmere Port where
a fifteen year old traveller boy, Johnny Delaney, was murdered
in a racist attack, it was reported that "race hate crime
was ignored because local people had not prioritised it".
6.5 BME communities in rural areas also experience
particular issues due to isolation from other BME communities
and specialist services. Also, cultural awareness of BME communities
in rural areas is not as developed as in urban areas and institutional
racism is more pronounced. These distinct challenges need to be
considered, otherwise there will be a disproportionately negative
effect on our vulnerable communities, which is against the principles
of "freedom, fairness and responsibility".
6.6 Awaz (Cumbria) provides work with BME communities
across the county to influence policy so that the planning and
delivery of services for Cumbria takes in the needs of BME communities.
For example, they have worked with the new and emerging Nepalese
community to link the community with employers and provide support
in identifying ways to overcome barriers in accessing education,
training, work experience, apprenticeships, jobs and volunteer
opportunities. Without such support, many BME communities will
be left out of the "Big Society".
7. POTENTIAL
EXCLUSION OF
BME WOMEN
7.1 Women from BME backgrounds have historically
experienced multiple discrimination that is based on their intersectionality;
inequality that is based on race and gender. The Fawcett society
have published a study about ethnic minority women's livelihoods
which reveals that ethnic minority women living in poverty will
be locked into their destitution for the foreseeable future and
that as a result of the budget cuts, even more ethnic minority
women will be made vulnerable to poverty.
7.2 There are concerns that the Big Society and
Localism agenda has not included a gendered perspective and will
put additional barriers up for women that do not appear to have
been considered. Women from BME backgrounds have historically
experienced multiple discrimination that is based on their intersectionality,
which needs to be taken into account; "Big Society and Localism
needs to be stronger on gender equality". (Derin Adefajo,
Tameside Third Sector Coalition)
7.3 As a result of this inequality, many BME
women do not have access to power, influence and opportunities
in order to be able to shape their communities and the wider environment.
This means that without specialist interventions and support,
there will be increased marginalisation as part of the Big Society
and Localism agenda. If priorities are set locally and we know
that only 0.8% of councillors are BME women and over 80% of Local
Strategic Partnerships do not even monitor women's representation,
then the needs of BME women within a decentralised system is likely
to be overlooked unless safeguards are in place.
7.4 In Manchester at a women-only discussion,
it was expressed that services for BME women are not on the agenda
and that this will become even more pronounced as priorities are
set locally and without any safeguards. This will also have implications
in terms of on the achievement of savings in the cost of local
public services and the effective targeting of cuts to those services
as the services that will be required will be more acute and cost
the Government and local authorities much more.
7.5 Burnley Women's Centre is a longstanding
support organisation for women. All of the service users come
from deprived wards and are from BME backgrounds. BWC offers training,
advice and signposting to the most marginalised women in Burnley
and beyond. The Centre's staff are supportive, friendly and helpful
and many are volunteers who are service users themselves. The
issues experiences by service users are mental health issues—depression
and anxiety, domestic abuse, forced marriage, immigration issues,
having no recourse to public funds, and poverty. Social activities
are very important for them and without the centre, women would
not leave the house. The centre offers women only provision as
their service users need to feel safe and comfortable and don't
want mixed spaces. With the organisation already struggling financially
and the upcoming budget cuts, the women's centre may not be a
priority for the majority of the area, but is for those most vulnerable
who do not have a strong voice or the power to be able to influence
the local agenda. It is this situation that highlights the dangers
inherent within localism.
8. ROLE OF
THE BME SECTOR
IN DELIVERING
SERVICES
8.1 We welcome opportunities for the BME voluntary
and community sector to play a greater role in public service
delivery. The BME sector has an integral role to play in developing
a fair, equal and big society due to the sector's unique engagement
with marginalised communities, the support and development of
underrepresented voices and with the delivery of tailored and
essential services. For example, Inspired Sisters, offer free
learning and self-development opportunities that help people into
employment, provides a route out of poverty for themselves, their
families and the community as a whole and specialise in helping
people facing difficult circumstances.
8.2 However, there are barriers that result in
a commissioning process that is not equitable for BME voluntary
and community sector organisations. Many BME organisations, such
as Wai Yin Chinese Women's Society (winner of the Social Enterprise
of the Year at the 2010 NW Ethnic Minority Business Forum Awards)
are able to compete and win contracts despite this disadvantage.
However, a significant amount of BME voluntary and community sector
organisations that deliver essential services are often excluded.
If the trend towards public service contracting and the mainstreaming
of services continues, BME organisations will be disproportiantely
disadvantaged and the communities they serve will suffer as a
result.
8.3 Without targeted support, the impact of the
public sector service cuts is likely to further reduce the ability
of the BME voluntary and community sector to be able to compete
for contracts. The BME Third Sector needs capacity building in
order to be able to acquire contracts for service delivery. This
will need support and development, which must also include a distinction
between private and voluntary sectors and a shift away from the
current procurement policy that favours efficiency over social
value. Otherwise, the Big Society agenda could exclude the BME
sector, which would have negative impacts on many communities
and on equality in a wider sense.
8.4 This shift towards contracting and away from
grant funding will have an impact that needs to be considered
within the plans for decentralisation. The BME voluntary and community
sector in the North West receives twelve percent of all grants
in the North West [28]
and grants remain important to the sector. The North West BME
Policy Forum recognise that grants bring innovation and also the
ability to survive at the beginning of an organisation's life,
enabling organisations to develop a specialist service and allowing
a quick response to community need. Furthermore, they are an important
means of developing capacity to become more sustainable and support
organisations before they can market a business model approach.
Indeed, some small BME organisations are best when they remain
small. Such organisations respond to what they see on the ground
and make a major impact at a local level, working in a value-driven
way. Therefore, the new model of public service delivery could
potentially have a negative impact on the sector and "Big
Society" that has to be considered.
9. FAIRNESS AT
THE HEART
OF LOCALISM
In light of the concerns above, Big Society and Localism
have the potential to disproportionately impact on disadvantaged
BME communities in the North West. There must be something within
Big Society for marginalised communities; otherwise, it is not
a Big Society, but an exclusive one that will widen inequalities
and undermine race equality. To make Big Society and localism
fair, we call for the following:
9.1 Consider the impacts of decisions and
policy on the most vulnerable
Equality is essential to the Big Society. To ensure
that Big Society is fair, we stress the importance of the Government
and local authorities in ensuring that they carry out and publish
thorough Equality Impact Assessments (including consulting with
BME communities), on all decisions that are being made, especially
proposed major policy changes and funding cuts. Intersectionality
and the recognition of multiple disadvantages must be considered
in order to ensure that the most vulnerable members of our society
are not excluded.
9.2 Listen, Value and Invest in the BME and
BME Women's Sector Voluntary and Community Sector
The BME voluntary and community sector has been delivering
"Big Society" for many years and can deliver on Government
and local priorities in an innovative and value-driven way to
the most marginalised communities, who are often dismissed as
"hard to reach". The role of the sector in promoting
the voice of underrepresented voices also needs support to ensure
that BME communities included in the Big Society.
Furthermore, the value and expertise of BME women's
organisations must be recognised both nationally and locally,
particularly as the budget cuts will impact the most on women.
BME Women's organisations have been proven to be good value for
money and it is crucial to improve investment in order to secure
both the short and long-term goals of saving money and ensuring
better futures for all women and girls, their families and the
wider community.
9.3 Ensure Minimum Standards of Access and
Outcomes
Government should explore ways of providing a strong
national steer on equality and human rights objectives whilst
allowing local authorities to be responsive. The access to a quality
service for all is fundamental to any fair society. There must
be some minimum standards of access and outcomes to ensure that
communities, within any area, are not further marginalised. It
is recommended that Government bring in a framework to local authorities
that considers the impact of their services on all communities
and ensures that there is a mechanism in which they can be held
to account. There still needs to be on-going monitoring and evaluation
around equality standards. This need not be about targets, but
of quality and standards and evidence for communities to monitor,
allowing more chance of the "Big Society" developing.
9.4 Ensure Equitable Commissioning
There should be a Common Standards for Equalities
in Procurement that embeds equality and diversity in procurement
practices of public authorities and also amongst private sector
contractors. Government and local authorities must ensure that
equality and Compact duties are an integral part of commissioning
and procurement. Additionally, the ability of BME Third Sector
organisations to significantly increase their role in delivering
services requires the process to recognise the added social value
that is brought by them and also to include more BME representation
on commissioning panels at all levels.
9.5 Recognise the Importance of Grants
Grants should be recognised as an essential part
of the funding mix and as a more suitable way of funding many
small, particularly grassroots organisations. By giving organisations
more autonomy and reducing the administrative workload grants
can provide value for money and an effective way to support communities.
Funding allocations should be developed around indicators of deprivation,
disadvantage and poverty and targeted when
there is a low level of access from particular communities.
October 2010
27 Experien, "Unlocking the Potential of the BME
Population" (March, 2010) Back
28
Centre for Local Economic Strategies "Demonstrating the local
economic and social value of grant-making with the Voluntary and
Community Sector" (2010) Back
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