18/05/2011

The government is consulting on plans to cut the budget and powers of the Equality and Human Rights Commission. The plans would mean a 68 per cent budget cut (compared to when it was set up in 2007) and major restrictions in the scope of the commission’s legal and enforcement powers.

Trade union representatives in the Commission say cuts on this scale mean it will: • lose more than half its workforce;

• reduce its legal enforcement ability;

• close its Helpline to the public, business and the public sector;

• lose its regional offices;

• end its grants-making programme.

The government’s consultation on restrictions to the Commission’s legal powers goes on until 15 June. Anyone can make a submission and the document can be found at: http://www.equalities.gov.uk/what_we_do/ehrc_reform.aspx

Inclusion London will be responding to the consultation – if you have any views, get in touch by emailing: policy@inclusionlondon.co.uk

On top of all major cuts now, the government plans to subject the commission to this kind of review every three years – a massive waste of money.

There is a lot of opposition to the proposals – from unions, equality organisations, parliamentarians, human rights and equality lawyers and disabled people’s groups. Members of the All Party Parliamentary Groups (APPG) on equalities, disability, ageing and older people, and race and community, meeting in early May, discussed attacks on the equality agenda that have taken place in the coalition’s first year.

In addition to the plans to cut the budget and duties of the EHRC, equality attacks have included plans to weaken the duties of public bodies under the Equality Act, and decisions not to implement other parts of Labour’s act.

Several MPs and peers at the meeting raised particular concerns about government plans to take responsibility for its national helpline away from the EHRC.

Baroness Jane Campbell – a former EHRC commissioner who resigned in 2009 over its leadership – said that farming out the helpline to the private or voluntary sector would be ‘really, really bad’ and that the helpline was ‘the only way to get that connection with what is happening on equality on the ground’.