Throughout this form, ‘activity’ is used to refer to many different types of proposals being assessed.
Read the EIA toolkit for more information.
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Name of activity or proposal being assessed: |
Food Strategy Action Plan 2025-2030 |
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Directorate: |
City Services |
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Service: |
Food Policy/Economic Development |
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Team: |
Economic Development |
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Is this a new or existing activity? |
New |
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Are there related EIAs that could help inform this EIA? Yes or No (If Yes, please use this to inform this assessment) |
No, there are research reports & consultation findings |
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Responsible Lead Officer: |
Angela Blair, Food Policy Coordinator |
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Accountable Manager: |
Peter Sharp, Economic Development Manager |
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Additional stakeholders collaborating or contributing to this assessment: |
Brighton and Hove Food Partnership are the lead organisation with support from the council and other partners |
Briefly describe the purpose of the activity being assessed:
The Food Strategy Action Plan 2025-2030 has been developed following a recent review and refresh. The process of refreshing the city’s food strategy action plan is led by Brighton and Hove Food Partnership and overseen by the Food Strategy Expert Panel – a group of experts represented by business, academia, local government, NHS, and the voluntary and community sector. Feedback included the desire to include less but more focused actions with metrics that can be systematically monitored and reported by action leads.
What are the desired outcomes of the activity?
The Food Strategy and Action Plan outlines how collectively as a city we can achieve a healthy, sustainable and fair food system for Brighton & Hove, from production and distribution to consumption and waste management. Brighton and Hove are unique in capturing this level of data. The whole action plan has been developed to reduce inequalities and be led by data to enable fair access to healthy, sustainable food for all residents.
Which key groups of people do you think are likely to be affected by the activity?
All groups are likely to be affected as this is a city-wide strategy, but there are specific groups that may be particularly impacted. Priority groups identified in the Food Insecurity Groups Terms of Reference include:
• Adults with a disability or long-term health condition including learning difficulties
• Residents in temporary or emergency accommodation
• Vulnerable Council tenants
• Private sector households with vulnerable people not in receipt of council services
• Minoritised ethnic residents
• Refugees and Asylum seekers
• Households with:
• Children in poverty
• Children in need/with care plan
• Children with disabilities or health needs
• Looked after children
Work commissioned by the council and undertaken by Bridging Change outlined that ‘There are particular access barriers for racially minoritised groups, refugees, migrants and asylum seekers such as lack of awareness of emergency food providers, language barriers, lack of availability of culturally appropriate food, lack of access to cooking facilities and the high cost of transport’. Bridging Change are a relatively new organisation with extensive experience working within Black and Racially Minoritised communities including within refugee and asylum- seeking communities. This experience involves tackling wide ranging issues including health, employment and mental health inequalities.
Specific examples of Equality Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) understanding of the protected and further characteristics and activities by Brighton and Hove Food Partnership includes:
‘’We have a close working relationship with the Clare Project with them hiring our kitchen on a regular basis. Over time as members of the trans/non-binary community have learnt that this is a safe and welcoming space we have seen an increase in trans/non-binary people attending our regular community spaces – the groups we run that bring together people from different backgrounds are an important part of our work in creating inclusive intersectional spaces around food.
Part of our proposal involves providing training for emergency food providers in issues of access and equality including acting on recommendations from the Bridging Change report and working with specialist providers such as Black and Minority Ethnic Community Partnership (BMECP) Food Bank and the Village Food Bank, (an initiative supporting LGBTQI+ people to access food and essentials in an affirming environment) to offer peer-to-peer learning’’.
What consultations or engagement activities have already happened that you can use to inform this assessment?
· For example, relevant stakeholders, groups, people from within the council and externally consulted and engaged on this assessment. If no consultation has been done or it is not enough or in process – state this and describe your plans to address any gaps.
Groups listed below as part of the refresh of the Food Strategy Action Plan ongoing work:
Members of the public were consulted through the following city-wide events:
· BHFP & Free University Brighton’s course ‘From Farm to Fork: An introduction to food systems’, Jan-March 2024
· Climate Change: BH public event: ‘How to reduce the climate change impact of food in Brighton and Hove’. 29 February 2024.
· Secondary school students from Dorothy Stringer & Hove Park (consultation on school meals). 19 June 2024.
· FoodSEqual research: Food Policy brief; Surveying members of the public on their access to and consumption of fruit and vegetables 29 June 2024.
· Good Food Procurement Group. 17 July 2024
· Brighton and Hove Food Partnership AGM – 1 Oct 2024
In terms of groups with
protected characteristics, while most of the above events were open to anyone
in the city, the FoodSEqual research is being conducted with people who use
affordable food schemes and have lived experience of food poverty/ food
insecurity. This includes a higher proportion of people with other protected
characteristics including people from Black and Racially Minoritised
communities, migrant communities, those with disabilities, and vulnerably
housed etc.
The action plan was also informed by recent research which
involved in-depth consultations with residents about access to food support:
Emergency
food access research project: Food
access needs of Black and Racially Minoritised communities and Refugee and Asylum
seekers.
Food
Systems Equality -
Co-developing new products, new supply chains and new policy frameworks that
deliver an affordable, attractive, healthy and sustainable diet (consultations
with people who use affordable food schemes).
Green
Wellbeing Alliance evaluation
report (feedback from service users experiencing poor mental health)
NHS Health Inequalities Project - Understanding the experiences of people living with long term health conditions and disabilities in their ability to access they food they need to be well.
The following experts / organisations were consulted:
· BHCC Public Health team
· Brighton and Hove’s Healthy Weight Programme Board
· BHCC Food Policy Officer
· BHCC Senior Planning Officer
· NHS Sussex Integrated Care Board
· Brighton and Hove’s Surplus Food Network
· Brighton and Hove’s Emergency Food Network
· BHCC’s Holiday Activity and Food Programme
· Restaurants Brighton
· B&H Economic Plan stakeholder consultation
· Good Food Procurement Group members (network of city caterers),
· Fork & Dig It Community Supported Agriculture
· The Compost Club
· Brighton & Sussex University Food Network (BSUFN)
· Brighton and Hove Allotment Federation (BHAF)
· Brighton and Hove Allotment Service
· BHCC Cityclean
· Food Matters
· Community Works
· Trust for Developing Communities
· Brighton and Hove Energy Services Cooperative (BHESCo)
· Brighton Metropolitan College Teaching & Learning Lead – Hospitality & Catering
· The Living Coast UNESCO Biosphere
There will be ongoing engagement through the National Lottery funded Food Use Places project involving 16 community organisations in Brighton and East Sussex. The focus is on engaging people that are currently under-represented in climate action, and it is a 4-year funded project. The groups involved already engage with diverse communities, including demographics traditionally underrepresented in climate action. By involving people across age, ethnicity, and social backgrounds, the project aspires to cultivate a culture of environmental stewardship for generations to come.
People living in temporary accommodation have been identified as a consultation gap that needs better understanding and potentially action. A key contact for temporary and supported accommodation now attends the Food Insecurity Group and is aware of both the Food Strategy Action Plan refresh and the Bridging Change report recommendations.
Do you currently collect and analyse the following data to enable monitoring of the impact of this activity? Consider all possible intersections.
(State Yes, No, Not Applicable as appropriate)
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Age |
Yes through the Emergency Food Annual Survey |
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Disability and inclusive adjustments, coverage under equality act and not |
Yes through the Emergency Food Annual Survey |
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Ethnicity, ‘Race’, ethnic heritage (including Gypsy, Roma, Travellers) |
Yes through the Emergency Food Annual Survey
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Religion, Belief, Spirituality, Faith, or Atheism |
No |
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Gender Identity and Sex (including non-binary and Intersex people) |
No |
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Gender Reassignment |
No |
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Sexual Orientation |
Yes through the Emergency Food Annual Survey |
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Marriage and Civil Partnership |
No |
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Pregnant people, Maternity, Paternity, Adoption, Menopause, (In)fertility (across the gender spectrum) |
Yes Healthy Start data is available but there have been problems with the national database. |
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Armed Forces Personnel, their families, and Veterans |
No |
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Expatriates, Migrants, Asylum Seekers, and Refugees |
Yes through the Emergency Food Annual Survey
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Carers |
No |
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Looked after children, Care Leavers, Care and fostering experienced people |
No |
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Domestic and/or Sexual Abuse and Violence Survivors, and people in vulnerable situations (All aspects and intersections) |
Yes through the Emergency Food Annual Survey
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Socio-economic Disadvantage |
Yes through the Emergency Food Annual Survey
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Homelessness and associated risk and vulnerability |
Yes through the Emergency Food Annual Survey
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Human Rights |
No |
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Another relevant group (please specify here and add additional rows as needed) |
Yes offenders/ex-offenders, people with substance misuse issues, unemployed people, and older people, through the Emergency Food Annual Survey |
If you answered “NO” to any of the above, how will you gather this data to enable improved monitoring of impact for this activity?
The BHCC Equalities monitoring standards questions can be used to check where there are appropriate opportunities to gather data to align with bronze, silver or gold standard.
Rationale for not gathering data on e.g.:
· Religion, Belief, Spirituality, Faith, or Atheism
· Gender Identity and Sex (including non-binary and Intersex people)
· Gender Reassignment
Research shows that people who use community food support, food banks and other types of food support are experiencing trauma. The inability to provide food for yourself or your family has an impact on mental health, sense of wellbeing and physical health, causing feelings of emotional distress and guilt, while also affecting people’s sense of identity and status. Some monitoring questions will not be appropriate at the emergency food services. The Emergency Food Network Survey is repeated annually so there is an opportunity to update as necessary.
How will you gather this data to enable improved monitoring of impact for this activity?
Through:
· The Emergency Food Network Annual Survey – the survey gathers comprehensive data on people receiving emergency food support and we break down data by age (number of children, adults and older people), ethnicity, sexual orientation, by people in receipt of benefits, housing status, those with long term illness/disabilities, etc.
· The Thriving Community Investment Fund
· Household Support Fund
· Holiday Activities and Food programme data
What are the arrangements you and your service have for monitoring, and reviewing the impact of this activity?
Quarterly updates on the emergency food needs action plan for Black and Racially Minoritised communities and Refugees and Asylum seekers are reported through the council's Fair and Inclusive Action Plan on the action plan developed from this research.
Monitoring as part of reporting to funders e.g. National Lottery, Esmee Fairbairn Foundation – also to council departments where grants/funding has been awarded. As part of the action plan review, we will be looking at data on take-up of free school meals, healthy start vouchers etc. The food strategy action plan also proposes to complete an annual survey of community food organisations which will tell us which groups with protected characteristics are being engaged to access, learn about and enjoy healthy and sustainable food and to access nature for their health and wellbeing
We plan for this information will be reported annually to the Food Strategy Expert Panel and EDI actions agreed for improvements.
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Does your analysis indicate a disproportionate impact relating to any particular Age group? For example: those under 16, young adults, with other intersections. |
YES |
If “YES”, what are the positive and negative disproportionate impacts?
Please share relevant insights from data and engagement to show how conclusions about impact have been shaped. Include relevant data sources or references.
Our consultation and engagement tell us that e.g. school food and education (whole school approach) is very important to people, in terms of immediate change needed and a hope for reducing food inequalities. Food Systems Equality Policy Brief June 2024 ‘Policies for transforming the UK’s food system: insights from Brighton and Hove’s local community
Positive impacts include
· A whole school approach to food and lifelong impact on young people
· Improved nutrition and ageing well for older people through social care plans
· Improved nutrition in pregnancy and maternity
· Beyond food banks work impacting all ages
Negative disproportionate impacts include:
· Digital exclusion, access, pension poverty and transport barriers for older people
· Lack of access to cooking facilities in temporary/emergency accommodation
· 1/3 people using emergency food services have children
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Does your analysis indicate a disproportionate impact relating to Disability, considering our anticipatory duty? |
YES |
If “YES”, what are the positive and negative disproportionate impacts?
Please share relevant insights from data and engagement to show how conclusions about impact have been shaped. Include relevant data sources or references.
Our consultation and engagement tell us that there are common challenges to accessing the food needed e.g. product labelling, financial constraints; shared learning about physical accessibility and poor quality and choice of food in hospitals; and impacts of not getting the food needed on people’s mental and physical health. NHS Health Inequalities Project
Positive impacts include:
· Fair provision of lunch clubs in the city (requires further mapping and checking of food bank data)
· One of the actions in the Food Strategy Action Plan is about providing support to community projects which includes rolling out the dignity toolkit and tailoring services to meet different needs including for disabled people
· Opportunities through the Beyond Food Banks work to look at need and improve services to meet local needs
Negative disproportionate impacts include:
· Type of food available in foodbanks can make it difficult to access food for some disabled people’s dietary requirements e.g. surplus food, also dietary requirements e.g. gluten free, coeliac, vegan
· Physical accessibility, transport, parking
· Range of communication needs
What inclusive adjustments are you making for diverse disabled people impacted? For example: D/deaf, deafened, hard of hearing, blind, neurodivergent people, those with non-visible disabilities, and with access requirements that may not identify as disabled or meet the legal definition of disability, and have various intersections (Black and disabled, LGBTQIA+ and disabled).
Currently no comprehensive approach of access to food related services for various types of disabilities, although NHS commissioned research provides useful recommendations.
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Does your analysis indicate a disproportionate impact relating to ethnicity? |
YES |
If “YES”, what are the positive and negative disproportionate impacts?
Please share relevant insights from data and engagement to show how conclusions about impact have been shaped. Include relevant data sources or references.
Our consultation and engagement tell us that the predominant reason Black and Racially Minoritised communities and refugee and asylum seekers surveyed, are seeking emergency food is ‘low income’. Rising house and rent prices and transport were other reasons. Over two thirds of the respondents were ‘unaware’ of other food services. Emergency food access research project
Positive impacts include:
· Bridging Change action plan provides useful recommendations that are being worked through and reported quarterly into Fair and Inclusive Action plan
· Emergency food information available in different languages and instant translations are available on the Brighton and Hove Food Partnership website
· Opportunity for lived experience examples to be used to learn how to improve
Negative disproportionate impacts include:
· Plan doesn’t address cultural diversity in food and food related services specifically
· Potential language barriers – need to work further with referral agencies
· Work required with foodbanks to raise awareness, confidence and practical action to become more accessible and inclusive to people with a range of disabilities
· Racial profiling or stereotyping could happen so requires education, awareness and training
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Does your analysis indicate a disproportionate impact relating to Religion, Belief, Spirituality, Faith, or Atheism? |
YES |
If “YES”, what are the positive and negative disproportionate impacts?
Please share relevant insights from data and engagement to show how conclusions about impact have been shaped. Include relevant data sources or references.
Our consultation and engagement is so far through opportunistic work with faith networks. We need more local data and engagement with regards to this protected characteristic.
Positive impacts include:
· Opportunity for faith networks to work together
· Opportunity to consider accommodating dietary requirements related to different religious beliefs
Negative disproportionate impacts include:
· Many foodbanks are in church buildings, and this may be off-putting for some people
· Can lead to focus being catering primarily for own faith communities
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Does your analysis indicate a disproportionate impact relating to Gender Identity and Sex (including non-binary and intersex people)? |
YES |
If “YES”, what are the positive and negative disproportionate impacts?
Please share relevant insights from data and engagement to show how conclusions about impact have been shaped. Include relevant data sources or references.
Our consultation and engagement is so far opportunistic through ongoing networks/groups.
Positive impacts include:
· Opportunity to consider gender-sensitive approaches in food poverty and nutrition initiatives. The women’s centre and the village food bank are examples and the food strategy action plans around food insecurity plans to widen access like this so that all food banks are more inclusive and less stigmatising.
Negative disproportionate impacts include:
· No disproportionate negative impacts identified for this group at this time
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Does your analysis indicate a disproportionate impact relating to Gender Reassignment? |
YES |
If “YES”, what are the positive and negative disproportionate impacts?
Please share relevant insights from data and engagement to show how conclusions about impact have been shaped. Include relevant data sources or references.
Our consultation and engagement is so far opportunistic through ongoing networks/groups.
Positive impacts include:
· Opportunity to consider further barriers that can be removed for trans/non-binary people with an intersectional approach. The village food bank is an example and the food strategy action plans around food insecurity plans to widen access like this so that all food banks are more inclusive and less stigmatising.
Negative disproportionate impacts include:
· Currently some food banks are located in religious buildings and can be off-putting to some LGBTQIA people.
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Does your analysis indicate a disproportionate impact relating to Sexual Orientation? |
YES |
If “YES”, what are the positive and negative disproportionate impacts?
Please share relevant insights from data and engagement to show how conclusions about impact have been shaped. Include relevant data sources or references.
Our consultation and engagement is so far opportunistic through ongoing networks/groups.
Positive impacts include:
· Opportunity to consider further barriers that can be removed for trans/non-binary people with an intersectional approach. The village food bank is an example and the food strategy action plans around food insecurity plans to widen access like this so that all food banks are more inclusive and less stigmatising.
Negative disproportionate impacts include:
· Currently some food banks are located in religious buildings and can be off-putting to some LGBTQIA people.
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Does your analysis indicate a disproportionate impact relating to Marriage and Civil Partnership? |
NO |
If “YES”, what are the positive and negative disproportionate impacts?
Please share relevant insights from data and engagement to show how conclusions about impact have been shaped. Include relevant data sources or references.
No disproportionate positive or negative impacts identified for this group at this time.
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Does your analysis indicate a disproportionate impact relating to Pregnant people, Maternity, Paternity, Adoption, Menopause, (In)fertility (across the gender spectrum)? |
YES |
If “YES”, what are the positive and negative disproportionate impacts?
Please share relevant insights from data and engagement to show how conclusions about impact have been shaped. Include relevant data sources or references.
Previous consultation and engagement tell us that it is possible to increase uptake of Healthy Start vouchers. Training sessions have continued through the Public Health lead and city-wide advertising as well as targeted awareness raising to families is required.
· Better take up of Healthy Start for those on low incomes.
· Aim is to have more wrap around services in community food projects and better links to Family Hubs.
Negative disproportionate impacts include:
No disproportionate negative impacts identified for this group at this time.
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Does your analysis indicate a disproportionate impact relating to Armed Forces Members and Veterans? |
YES |
If “YES”, what are the positive and negative disproportionate impacts?
Please share relevant insights from data and engagement to show how conclusions about impact have been shaped. Include relevant data sources or references.
Although our local consultation and engagement has not specifically highlighted this group we are aware of new research from national anti-poverty charity Trussell Trust highlighting that over a quarter (27%) of adults who have served in the UK's armed forces have run out of food in the last 12 months, and they did not have money to buy more. One in seven had used a food bank in the past year. As a group that are more likely to need food support e.g. food banks we know we need better local data to be able to monitor any impact.
Positive impacts include:
· Improving access to healthy, affordable food through Emergency Food Network
· Improving access to financial inclusion and advice services in collaboration with wider money and advice partnership
Negative disproportionate impacts include:
No disproportionate negative impacts identified for this group at this time.
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Does your analysis indicate a disproportionate impact relating to Expatriates, Migrants, Asylum seekers, Refugees, those New to the UK, and UK visa or assigned legal status? (Especially considering for age, ethnicity, language, and various intersections) |
YES |
If “YES”, what are the positive and negative disproportionate impacts?
Please share relevant insights from data and engagement to show how conclusions about impact have been shaped. Include relevant data sources or references.
We know that we need more information on food insecurity of destitute migrants in the city. Our consultation and engagement tell us that the predominant reason Black and Racially Minoritised communities and refugee and asylum seekers surveyed, are seeking emergency food is ‘low income’. Rising house and rent prices and transport were other reasons. Over two thirds of the respondents were ‘unaware’ of other food services. Emergency food access research project
Positive impacts include:
· Bridging Change action plan provides useful recommendations that are being worked through and reported quarterly into Fair and Inclusive Action plan
· Emergency food information available in different languages and instant translations are available on the Brighton and Hove Food Partnership website
· Opportunity for lived experience examples to be used to learn how to improve
Negative disproportionate impacts include:
· Plan doesn’t address cultural diversity in food and food related services specifically
· Potential language barriers – need to work further with referral agencies
· Work required with foodbanks to raise awareness, confidence and practical action to provide culturally appropriate food where required
· Racial profiling or stereotyping could happen so requires education, awareness and training
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Does your analysis indicate a disproportionate impact relating to Carers (Especially considering for age, ethnicity, language, and various intersections). |
YES |
If “YES”, what are the positive and negative disproportionate impacts?
Please share relevant insights from data and engagement to show how conclusions about impact have been shaped. Include relevant data sources or references.
Our consultation and engagement is so far opportunistic through ongoing networks/groups.
Positive impacts include:
· We know that we need to collect/access data on carers to improve services
· Carers are more likely to be in poverty and needing food support
· Carers are also likely to be looking after people in poverty, with health needs and requiring food support
Negative disproportionate impacts include:
· No disproportionate negative impacts identified for this group at this
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Does your analysis indicate a disproportionate impact relating to Looked after children, Care Leavers, Care and fostering experienced children and adults (Especially considering for age, ethnicity, language, and various intersections). Also consider our Corporate Parenting Responsibility in connection to your activity. |
YES |
If “YES”, what are the positive and negative disproportionate impacts?
Please share relevant insights from data and engagement to show how conclusions about impact have been shaped. Include relevant data sources or references.
Our consultation and engagement is so far opportunistic through ongoing networks/groups. We know that we need to collect/access data on looked after children, care leavers and fostering to improve services. We know that we need to find out more about care leavers and unaccompanied asylum-seeking children in the city as a key group of destitute migrants
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Does your analysis indicate a disproportionate impact relating to people experiencing homelessness, and associated risk and vulnerability? (Especially considering for age, veteran, ethnicity, language, and various intersections) |
YES |
If “YES”, what are the positive and negative disproportionate impacts?
Please share relevant insights from data and engagement to show how conclusions about impact have been shaped. Include relevant data sources or references.
Our consultation and engagement is so far opportunistic through ongoing networks/groups. Impact Initiative Food Access Service has reported needs of those using their service in review meetings and progress reports. Food Foundation research and recommendations.
Positive impacts include:
· A better focus on the needs of those seeking help with food, moving from traditional food banks to preventative support with wrap around services.
Negative disproportionate impacts include:
· Those who are temporarily housed are more likely to fail to get their food needs met as don’t always have access to cooking facilities.
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Does your analysis indicate a disproportionate impact relating to Domestic Abuse and Violence Survivors, and people in vulnerable situations (All aspects and intersections)? |
YES |
If “YES”, what are the positive and negative disproportionate impacts?
Please share relevant insights from data and engagement to show how conclusions about impact have been shaped. Include relevant data sources or references.
Our consultation and engagement is so far opportunistic through ongoing networks/groups.
Positive impacts include:
· A review of food support across the city will enable us to focus on specialist food support and how and where that is delivered
Negative disproportionate impacts include:
· Those in domestic, sexual and other violent situations are more likely to need access to food support and may find barriers to traditional food banks requiring more specialist services
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Does your analysis indicate a disproportionate impact relating to Socio-economic Disadvantage? (Especially considering for age, disability, D/deaf/ blind, ethnicity, expatriate background, and various intersections) |
YES |
If “YES”, what are the positive and negative disproportionate impacts?
Please share relevant insights from data and engagement to show how conclusions about impact have been shaped. Include relevant data sources or references.
Our annual survey of food projects reveals 6,297 people need food support each week, with more than half seeking help on an ongoing basis. This is a similar number to the total beneficiaries supported in 2023, but still 18% higher than in 2022. 60 locations across all parts of the city offer food support. Emergency Food Network Annual Survey 2024
Positive impacts include:
· Improving access to healthy, affordable food through Emergency Food Network
· Improving access to nature, physical activity and wellbeing
· Improving access to financial inclusion and advice services in collaboration with wider money and advice partnership
· Improving access to cooking, food growing, food waste prevention skills through Community Kitchen, Green Wellbeing Alliance, Food Use Places,
Negative disproportionate impacts include:
· Although wide spread of emergency and affordable food project across the city, there are gaps
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Will your activity have a disproportionate impact relating to Human Rights? |
YES |
If “YES”, what are the positive and negative disproportionate impacts?
Please share relevant insights from data and engagement to show how conclusions about impact have been shaped. Include relevant data sources or references.
Brighton and Hove Food Strategy Action Plan 2018-23
Positive impacts include:
· The action plan supports human rights principles e.g. the right to food and health.
The importance of having a local Food Strategy, by Olivier De Schutter - YouTube
The former UN Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights talks here about the benefits of having a local Food Strategy and the importance of the work taking place in Brighton and Hove. He outlines 3 key benefits as below:
· Building a local food system making access to fresh nutritious food easier
· More local employment opportunities stimulating the local economy
· Poor families having access to an alternative to low cost high processed food
Equalities considerations must be made regarding non-discrimination and equal access in all food related services and respect for cultural diversity in food practices and education.
What cumulative or complex impacts might the activity have on people who are members of multiple Minoritised groups?
Intersectional groups that may be most impacted by the action plan include:
· QTIPOC (queer, trans and intersex people of colour) communities e.g. often having experience of disability and mental health challenges.
· Older disabled people
· Black and racially minoritised communities intersecting with faith communities
· Lone parents
· Refugees and asylum seekers
· People experiencing homelessness
· People on a low income and people living in the most deprived areas
What SMART actions will be taken to address the disproportionate and cumulative impacts you have identified?
· Summarise relevant SMART actions from your data insights and disproportionate impacts below for this assessment, listing appropriate activities per action as bullets. (This will help your Business Manager or Fair and Inclusive Action Plan (FIAP) Service representative to add these to the Directorate FIAP, discuss success measures and timelines with you, and monitor this EIA’s progress as part of quarterly and regular internal and external auditing and monitoring)
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Monitoring of Equality Diversity and Inclusion to be embedded through Food Strategy Expert Panel Activities to fulfil your SMART Action Support the Brighton & Hove Food Partnership to deliver actions and evaluate their impact through the Expert Panel Council-led delivery to be co-ordinated via existing groups · Annual reporting of updated Food Strategy Action Plan 2025-30 EIA monitoring data will enable the expert panel to assess impact on different protected groups · Annual reporting of the Emergency Food Network will enable a wider understanding of food insecurity across multiple excluded groups Reflection and agreement of EDI actions to ensure accessibility and inclusion for food-related services and information over the five years of action plan delivery
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Improve our understanding and analysis of food insecurity data across the city working with data and intelligence teams in the council and the health sector Activities to fulfil your SMART Action Meet with data intelligence leads in 2025 to discuss data gaps and opportunities · We know that we need more information on food insecurity of destitute migrants in the city · We know that we need to find out more about care leavers and unaccompanied asylum-seeking children in the city as a key group of destitute migrants · We know that we need to collect/access data on carers to improve services Use this data to progress strategy actions and design more preventative services
Use this data to inform work with foodbanks to raise awareness, confidence and practical action to provide culturally appropriate food where required
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Increase diversity in Expert Panel by inviting people with lived experience to specific meetings Activities 1 to fulfil your SMART Action Invite a diverse range of people from relevant food work to join the Expert Panel Make the Expert Panel an exemplar of good practice in EDI by inviting people with lived experience to specific meetings as appropriate over the five years of action plan delivery. Engagement and participation will be recorded via attendance/acceptances.
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Summarise your overall equality impact assessment recommendations to include in any committee papers to help guide and support councillor decision-making:
The focus is on the Expert Panel as the vehicle for change – both in the diversity of its membership as well as in its monitoring, reporting of EIA and ability to agree EDI actions for improvement. In this way the whole of the Food Strategy Action Plan Actions can be monitored and improved not only for their delivery impact- but for their EDI impact also.
What decision have you reached upon completing this Equality Impact Assessment? (Mark ‘X’ for any ONE option below)
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Stop or pause the activity due to unmitigable disproportionate impacts because the evidence shows bias towards one or more groups. |
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Adapt or change the activity to eliminate or mitigate disproportionate impacts and/or bias. |
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Proceed with the activity as currently planned – no disproportionate impacts have been identified, or impacts will be mitigated by specified SMART actions. |
X |
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Proceed with caution – disproportionate impacts have been identified but having considered all available options there are no other or proportionate ways to achieve the aim of the activity (for example, in extreme cases or where positive action is taken). Therefore, you are going to proceed with caution with this policy or practice knowing that it may favour some people less than others, providing justification for this decision. |
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If your decision is to “Proceed with caution”, please provide a reasoning for this:
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Summarise your overall equality impact assessment recommendations to include in any committee papers to help guide and support councillor decision-making:
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The Food Strategy and Action Plan outlines how collectively as a city we can achieve a healthy, sustainable and fair food system for Brighton & Hove, from production and distribution to consumption and waste management. Brighton and Hove are unique in capturing this level of data. The whole action plan has been developed to reduce inequalities and be led by data to enable fair access to healthy, sustainable food for all residents. The SMART actions proposed here are to embed EDI actions in the process: · Monitoring of Equality Diversity and Inclusion to be embedded through Food Strategy Expert Panel · Improve our understanding and analysis of food insecurity data across the city working with data and intelligence teams in the council and the health sector · Increase diversity in Expert Panel by inviting people with lived experience to specific meetings This is a city strategy, led by the Brighton and Hove Food Partnership, with the council as one of the delivery partners supporting delivery and evaluation. Monitoring activity and evaluation must be appropriate and proportionate to the capacity of the council and the various partners. |
All Equality Impact Assessments will be published. If you are recommending, and choosing not to publish your EIA, please provide a reason:
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Signatory: |
Name and Job Title: |
Date: DD-MMM-YY |
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Responsible Lead Officer: |
Angela Blair, Food Policy Co-ordinator |
11 Dec 2024 |
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Accountable Manager: |
Peter Sharp, Economic Development Manager
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11-Dec-24 |
Notes, relevant information, and requests (if any) from Responsible Lead Officer and Accountable Manager submitting this assessment:
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EDI Business Partner to cross-check against aims of the equality duty, public sector duty and our civic responsibilities the activity considers and refer to relevant internal checklists and guidance prior to recommending sign-off.
Once the EDI Business Partner has considered the equalities impact to provide approval for by those submitting the EIA, they will get the EIA signed off and sent to the requester copying the Head of Service, Business Improvement Manager, Equalities inbox, any other service colleagues as appropriate to enable EIA tracking, accountability, and saving for publishing. Budget and Staffing EIAs secure EDI Manager and HEad of Service level approval via different templates.
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Signatory: |
Name: |
Date: DD-MMM-YY |
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EDI Business Partner: |
Chris Brown |
11-Dec-2024 |
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EDI Manager: |
Sabah Holmes |
16-Dec-2024 |
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Head of Communities, Equality, and Third Sector (CETS) Service: (For Budget EIAs/ in absence of EDI Manager/ as final approver) |
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Notes and recommendations from EDI Business Partner reviewing this assessment:
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Notes and recommendations (if any) from EDI Manager reviewing this assessment:
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Notes and recommendations (if any) from Head of CETS Service reviewing this assessment:
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