Equality impact assessment - central bidding unit

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1. What is the name of the policy or service that is being assessed?

Central Bidding Unit

2. What are the aims of the policy or service? Whose needs is it designed to meet? What are the current priorities?

CBU provides support and advice internally and externally on bidding for external funds, the management of external programmes and develop the capacity of people in Wiltshire to bid for funds through provision of information, training etc about bidding. CBU priorities are those of the council.

3. In what ways might this policy or service affect some groups of people differently? Might some groups find it harder to access the service? Do some groups have particular needs that are not well met by the current policy or service?

As a non statutory service we operate within our own guidelines meaning that we may be more responsive than proactive. This will benefit established organisations who are aware of what is assistance is available. Established organisations tend to be more aware than others of what assistance is available. This means less established groups will not benefit from our assistance.

4. What evidence do you have for your judgement? Is there evidence of public concern (e.g. complaints)? Have staff raised concerns? Is there local or national research to suggest that there could be a problem?

There are no complaints but at present we do not monitor service usage and introducing this would be a first step.

5. Who have you consulted with as part of your assessment? What were the results? Have you published the results of that consultation? If so, where?

We have not undertaken an assessment.

6. If you have found that the policy or service might have an adverse impact on a particular group of people, can you justify this?

We are not able to measure impact on a particular group at present.

7. If the impact cannot be justified, what do you intend to do about this? Are there changes that you could introduce which would make the policy or service work better for this group of people? Is further research or consultation required?

N/A

8. How will you monitor the take-up or impact of the policy or service in future?

This will require further consideration and consultation with partners as monitoring should not become too much of a burden for service users and we need to be clearer about what we are trying to measure and then achieve.

9. What actions do you plan to take as a result of this equality impact assessment? Please state any resource implications

It is too early to judge (see above) what we will be doing but there will be resource implications although we will try to minimise them. Over the next year and by the end of 2007 we will agree among ourselves and with partners appropriate monitoring systems with the aim of establishing a light touch system for monitoring take up and usage as a prelude to identifying targets etc. The diverse nature of the service means that it will be difficult to devise a single form that woud cover bidding support of varying levels, information on funding sources, training and programme management. Sorting out an appropriate recording mechanism will take some time.

10. There is a legal requirement to publish the outcomes of Equality Impact Assessments. Please outline how / where this will happen

When the EIA has been undertaken it will be published.

11. Name of person completing form

Head of Economy, Regeneration & Intelligence

12. Senior manager approval

Assistant Director - Planning & Regeneration

Date

7 November 2007

Last updated: 14 May 2009