Budget Screening EIA Template

Budget Equality Impact Assessment Template 2023/24 – Service-Users

Note: for guidance see the end notes in this document or the accompanying document

For further help please contact Emma McDermott, Head of Communities, Equality and Third Sector (E: emma.mcdermott@brighton-hove.gov.uk)

1. Service Area[i]	City Environment – City Parks – Parking at Parks			2. Proposal No.[ii]
3. Head of Service[iii]	Rachel Chasseaud, Assistant Director – City Environment
4. Budget Proposal[iv]	What is the proposal? Use the savings proposal wording and more detail if needed
	Increase existing parking charges in some car parks in parks and introduce parking charges in parks’ car parks across the city. This will save £100k. The proposal is to: · Increase the fees relating to the Preston Park car park to mirror those of on-street parking. (It is currently free at weekends causing displacement of parking, making it difficult for park users to use the car park) · Introduce car parking fees in other parks’ car parks across the city The proposal to introduce costs to generate a surplus to reinvest in services.
5. Summary of impacts[v]	Highlight the most significant disproportionate impacts on groups
	There will likely be impacts on all Groups of people. The most disproportionately impacted groups will be: · Age · Disability · People on lower incomes
6. Assess level of impact[vi]	It is difficult to determine the level of impact as it is not known how many park users travel to the city’s parks by car, nor how long they park for.
7. Key actions to reduce negative impacts[vii]	What actions are planned to reduce/avoid negative impacts and increase positive impacts?
	There is good coverage of the city by our public transport network, so there are alternatives for people wanting to access parks where car parking charges will be introduced. Active modes of travel to and from the city’s parks will also be encouraged.
8. Identify disproportionate impacts[viii]
Different Groups to be included in assessment	Possible disproportionate impact on group/s? YES/NO	Describe potential impact (positive effects and negative impacts or potential barriers)	Action/s (including details of a full EIA to be completed if required/relevant) Note: Actions should directly relate to the potential impacts identified.
Age (people of all ages)	Yes	People of all ages on low incomes may be disproportionately impacted by the proposals, particularly the elderly and young, working families who might be on lower incomes and not able to afford the parking charges.	Promote active modes of travel to the city’s parks and use of public transport
Disability (a physical or mental impairment which has a substantial and long-term adverse effect on ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities)	Yes	Disabled people may have a lower income than other working age adults and so be disadvantaged in terms of the charges for parking. Disabled people are significantly more likely to be unemployed or in low-waged work than non-disabled people[1].	Promote active modes of travel to the city’s parks and use of public transport

Ethnicity/Race (ethnic or national origins, colour or nationality, including refugees & migrants; and Gypsies & Travellers)	No
Gender (men and women, girls and boys)	No
Gender reassignment (a person who proposes to, starts or has completed a process to change gender.)	No
Religion or Belief (any religion or philosophical belief with a clear structure and belief system, or lack of religion or belief.)	No
Sexual Orientation (bisexual, gay, heterosexual and lesbian people)	No
Child Poverty (Children and young people in families living on less than 60% of national median income before housing costs. In B&H around 22% of all children.)	No
Other groups relevant to this proposal (Specific and relevant to the service, including but not only: carers, people experiencing domestic or sexual violence, looked after children, homeless people…)	Yes	People on low incomes may be disproportionately impacted by the proposals. They may not be able to afford car parking charges.	Promote active modes of travel to the city’s parks and use of public transport

9. Full EIA?[ix]	No
10. Monitoring and Evaluation	How will you monitor the impact of this proposal and the success of your mitigating actions on these groups over the coming year (or more)?
10. Monitoring and Evaluation	Budgets will be monitored. The number of complaints about charging for parking in the city’s parks will be monitored along with the demographic of complainants. Where possible, data will be collected on park visitors’ length of stay in the car park, the number of visitors using the car park and their demographic to ascertain if there is under usage by any particular groups.
11. Cumulative impacts[x] (proposed changes elsewhere which might worsen impacts identified above)	Might related proposals from other service areas (or other changes) worsen or mitigate impacts from your proposal? Please explain these impacts.
	N/A

The Budget EIA process is a legal duty supporting good financial decision-making. It assesses how proposals may impact on specific groups differently (and whether/how negative impacts can be reduced or avoided) so that these consequences are explicitly considered. Decisions must be informed by accurate, well-informed assessment of likely impacts so that they are fair, transparent and accountable. Budget EIAs provide a record of this assessment and consideration.

[i] Service Area – Give the Directorate and Division/Team/Service

[ii] Proposal No. – Each budget proposal will be allocated a number by Finance and the EIA uses the same one.

[iii] Head of Service – Name of the senior officer responsible for the service.

[iv] Budget Proposal – Use the savings proposal wording. Add more detail so that a member of the public can understand it. You might summarise proposed budget changes (‘a 10% reduction’), a change in venue (‘from X building to Y’), or a change in the way that a service is delivered (’instead of X universal sessions a week, we propose to offer Y’).

[v] Summary of impacts – Fill in this section after you have completed all parts of section 7 and 8. Explain the most significant impacts (largest numbers or biggest impacts) and barriers identified during the EIA, including which group(s) they will affect specifically.

[vi] Assess level of impact - consider the impacts overall and on specific groups and rate these between 1 and 5: 1 = minimal impacts on small

numbers of people – 5 = significant impacts on large numbers of people or on very vulnerable people

[vii] Key actions to reduce negative impacts – Fill in this section after you have completed all parts of section 7 and 8. The actions should directly respond to the negative impacts identified and be possible and realistic. Also highlight positive opportunities to increase benefits for groups and say if no mitigation is possible. Details of actions will be defined after Budget decisions.

[viii] Identify disproportionate impacts - In the first column indicate whether or not there is likely to be a disproportionate impact. If so, complete the other two columns.

· Potential impact: how will the proposed change affect people in the group identified? Also consider differences within groups (eg: different impacts on different ethnic groups); and multiple identities (eg: women of different ages may be impacted differently).

· Actions: what do you propose to do to remove, avoid or reduce the negative impact? The actions should relate directly to the identified impact. If unlawful discrimination is identified then that must be removed or the proposal withdrawn.

If there will not be an impact for a group, briefly explain why. Absence of data does not mean there will not be an impact. Briefly state where data is from (with a link to it, if appropriate) and what it tells you (eg: ‘Service-user monitoring shows that XX% are…’ or ‘BME groups said…’) Highlight gaps in engagement so you can gather views before final EIAs are due (in January). Focus on what is proportionate: big impacts on small numbers of people and/or impacts on a large number of people are important.

[ix] Full EIA – Given the proposal and its likely effects on service-users, please note whether a full EIA will be completed in addition to this work, whether one is planned or whether further assessment is not needed.

[x] Cumulative impacts - Describe the impacts of other proposals in your service area and, where known, of proposals elsewhere which might worsen impacts identified in section 7. Explain what joint actions are needed to remove, reduce or minimise negative impacts.