Issue - items at meetings - BHCC Budget EIAs Mitigating Action Update

Report of the Acting Director of Public Health (copy attached)

27.1    The Committee considered a report of the Acting Director of Public Health providing an update on actions arising from the Council’s budget EIAs and summarising how this process had worked, what progress had been made recommendations for future reporting.

27.2    The Equalities Co-Ordinator, Communities, Sarah Tighe-Ford, explained that Equality Impact Assessments (EIAs) were completed on all budget proposals with a potential impact on service-users and/or staff. EIAs identified negative impacts and actions to reduce or remove them and to maximise positive outcomes. For the first time progress against the mitigating actions identified in the 2015-16 budget proposals had been monitored via the Council’s performance monitoring system (Interplan). Paragraph 3.7 of the report referred to areas where it had been identified that action was required and/or action taken to address or monitor those issues.

27.3    Monitoring implementation of planned mitigating actions enabled the Council to demonstrate that actions were being completed and that anticipated negative impacts were being avoided or reduced. It increased the transparency of the budget process and provided assurance that services were fulfilling their duties under the Equality Act.

27.4    Councillor Moonan welcomed the report which showed that a thorough analysis had been undertaken to ensure that any issues were identified and addressed to ensure that there were positive outcomes and that structures were in place to ensure that continued monitoring took occurred. It was important to know robust measures were in place across the organisation.

27.5    Councillor Littman also commended this report, monitoring would increasingly important as budgets came under increasing pressure. By identifying and addressing problems in this way future repetition of them could be avoided.

27.6    The Head of Communities and Equalities, Emma Mc Dermott, confirmed that all of the key indicators had been applied to ensure compliance and would be monitored to as part of the broader delivery responsibilities across the council as a whole. Performance was evaluated by peers, respective departmental management teams and ultimately was fed into the Executive Leadership Team.

27.7    Councillor Gibson referred to a small number of where it appeared that no action had been taken and it was confirmed that where this appeared to be the case that was so because that area was no longer being recruited to, the focus of that service had shifted or changed, savings had been made or that service was delivered in a different way.

27.8    The Chair, Councillor Daniel, stated that she was very reassured by the information provided by the report including details of the rationale used and the processes which underpinned EIA’s. It was important to be confident that robust measures were in place in advance of the next budget round.

27.9    RESOLVED – That the Committee notes the content of this report and the actions being taken to improve the process outlined in paragraph 3.7 of the report.