www.wiltshire.gov.uk
Equality Impact Assessment - Countryside & Landbased
1. What is the name of the policy or service that is being assessed?
Countryside and Land based Sector support.
2. What are the aims of the policy or service? Whose needs is it designed to meet? What are the current priorities?
Aims:
Deliver the regional sustainable farming and food strategy in Wiltshire through the Countryside and Land based Group focusing on agriculture and land-use and the needs of people whose lives and activities are dependent on the physical landscape.
Maintain an overview of activity, trends and opportunities to inform policy, identify critical issues of concern and to manage a co-ordinated response. Inform regional policy with respect to land-based activity especially relating to the delivery of the 2nd pillar of CAP.
Identify and address specific issues relating to: Knowledge, Environment, Economy, Human & Animal Health, Food Chain
Identify and manage rural schemes delivering EU, DEFRA and RDA funding into the sector.
Target group
Residents of Wiltshire whose lives and activities are dependent on the physical landscape, including businesses, employees and dependents (for example farmers, farm workers, agricultural suppliers and related service businesses, environmental industries, rural tourism etc.)
Priorities
- Support localised approach to food and farming
- Development of a Rural Enterprise Centre
- Establish a single point of contact food sector information service
- Establish a Food sector co-ordination service
- Provide mentoring support to the sector
- Promote awareness and consumption of local food
- Identify and develop local food supply chains
- Produce a strategy linking Local Food & Tourism
- Provide business support and advice for critical at risk shops in rural areas
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?
Ethnicity: Development activity around the food sector will need to take into account cultural and religious food issues. In particular, those services providing information and business support will need to be fully conversant. An increasing number of employees within the food sector are transnational workers and do not speak English as a first language. Appropriate activity will need to be undertaken to identify and cater to their needs.
Disability: In providing support to village shops, this should provide an opportunity to identify and address physical access issues. The scoping study for the proposed Rural Enterprise Centre will need to include an initial access study and provision for a complete study as part of the project development.
Gender: Many farm-diversified businesses are run by women. Development of supporting business networks and training courses is being considered.
Sexuality: No issues identified
Age: No issues identified
Religion: Similar issues to ethnicity
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?
Needs and issues of transnational/migrant workers in rural areas have been documented in a Briefing Paper produced by Commission for Rural Communities.
No complaints or issues of public concern have been raised regarding this activity.
A study of women’s role in family run agricultural businesses has been undertaken by the Centre for Rural Research in Exeter.
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?
Wiltshire Wildlife Trust, Environment Agency, Natural England, National Trust, NFU, Farm Crisis Network, FWAG, CLA, National Trust, Great Western Community Forest, MOD Estates, British Waterways, Wiltshire Tourism, SW Tourism Community First, CABx, Leader +, Wiltshire AONB Management Groups, Rural Enterprise Gateway, Wessex Business Network, SW CoRE, LSC, Defra (Rural Development Service) Natural England - The Integrated Land Management Agency South West Regional Development Agency, Government Office South West, Village Shops Advisor, Wiltshire Farmers Market Association, Tracklements, Pertwood Farms, English Food and Farming Partnerships, Quoins Vineyard, Wiltshire County Farms, The Black Farmer, Eastbrook Farm Organic Meats Ltd, Wildlife Trust George Brown & Sons, Business Development Lackham, Procurement Manager Wiltshire CC, Rural Executive.
A Food and Farming Development Strategy for Wiltshire has been produced which outlines consultation to date. This is still in development stage and has not been formally published
The Rural Executive was developed in conjunction with representatives from over 60 organisations across the county including WREC, Age Concern, DACS, Children and Education Services, Churches Together. This group has undertaken a rural proofing of the strategy. It also has responsibility for overseeing delivery of rural development funding and therefore provides ongoing assessment and approval of projects
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?
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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?
Further research and consultation is required with relevant representative groups. The membership of the Countryside and Land-based group will be reviewed to ensure that it is fit for purpose.
8. How will you monitor the take-up or impact of the policy or service in future?
Through the Rural Executive and through reporting to the Wiltshire Strategic Board.
9. What actions do you plan to take as a result of this equality impact assessment? Please state any resource implications.
A piece of research is currently being commissioned to ascertain the viability of a Rural Enterprise Centre including an assessment of the local food sector. The commissioning brief will be revisited to ensure that it includes an assessment and recommendations regarding equality issues associated with the proposed project. This research is a lynchpin that will direct the development of other service activity.
10. There is a legal requirement to publish the outcomes of Equality Impact Assessments. Please outline how / where this will happen.
This will be published on the Wiltshire County Council website
11. Name of person completing form
Head of Economy, Regeneration & Intelligence
Date assessment completed:
7 November 2006
12. Senior manager approval
Assistant Director - Planning & Regeneration
Date
7 November 2007
Contact Details
By Post
Equality & Diversity Team
Development Services
Wiltshire County Council
County Hall
Bythesea Road
Trowbridge
Wiltshire
BA14 8JN
By Email
By Telephone
01225 713510
By Hand
County Hall, Trowbridge
Opening Hours
Monday to Friday 9am - 5pm
