Newcastle CVS is working closely with VONNE to monitor the impact of the spending cuts on the voluntary and community sector in the North East. 

VONNE has been running this impact study since 2009, and is actively tracking any changes.  The Millfield House Foundation has funded some additional work and the research will focus on particular geographic areas, one of which is Newcastle. 

Can you to give up fifteen minutes of your valuable time to fill it in? 

The link to the survey is http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/NewcastleJan2012 

The survey closes at 4pm on Tuesday 31st January. 

It is important to have a strong and thriving voluntary and community sector and VONNE has previously used the results from surveys to lobby for additional resources and campaign to highlight the importance of what we do and the impact on those we support.

Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) civil society organisations play an important role in providing services for offenders, ex-offenders and their  families. Some BAME communities experience adverse outcomes throughout the justice system through their interface with the police, courts and prisons.

BTEG believes BAME communities must have a voice at the local and national levels and be able to influence public and private bodies charged with managing the CJS.  (more…)

Voice4Change England launched the Big Society and Inequality survey: they want to hear from voluntary and community organisations focused on equality about what the Big Society means for you and your beneficiaries. The Big Society and Inequality survey asks you how Big Society policies and programmes will affect the communities you work with; what the opportunities and challenges are; and what examples of good practice you would like to see more of. (more…)

Manchester Metropolitan University in partnership with Community North West are carrying out an extensive survey of small community groups throughout the North West to explore resilience.

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Take part in the LGF’s “I Exist” survey to help improve services for lesbian, gay and bisexual people; and be in with a chance to win £500 worth of holiday vouchers, an iPad 2 or £100 worth of shopping vouchers. (more…)

Consultation closes midnight Friday 18 November 2011

The Cabinet Office has started a consultation on the Big Lottery Fund on the Proposed Policy Fund Directions. (more…)

On 11 October 2011, the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) launched a 60 day consultation to help it develop its next strategic plan for 2012-2015. (more…)

Individuals/Organisations Survey

The Equality Act brings together nine separate pieces of legislation into one single Act simplifying the law and strengthening it in important ways to help tackle discrimination and inequality. Implementation of the majority of the Equality Act began on 1 October 2010. The Government Equalities Office in partnership with the British Chambers of Commerce, Citizens Advice, ACAS and the Equality and Diversity Forum, produced a series of guides to support implementation of the Act. These guides set out clearly what the new laws will mean for business, the public sector, the voluntary sector and the public, helping people understand their new responsibilities and rights in the work place and when providing or accessing goods or services.

How have the guides been received by individuals and organisations across England? Please take 3 minutes to fill out this short survey, results of which will be sent to the Government Equalities Office. The survey will close on Friday the 1st of July.

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/M9VRJM8

“Building a fairer Britain: Reform of the Equality and Human Rights Commission”

EREN response

EREN fully supports the submission made by Equality South West (see below) and have written to the Commission stating this position.  To see the letter please click here

Equality South West Response

The draft regulations/specific duties published in March 2011 leave public bodies scope to provide a minimal response to the duties set out on the face of the Equality Act. They also make it more difficult for civil society to monitor their performance in relation to these duties. It is against this background that we approach the consultation proposals on the reform of the EHRC, since while the specific duties are consistent with the government’s ‘localism’ agenda, this appears to be at the expense of ensuring that its equality aims are given sufficient political impetus to overcome the inertia and resistance evidenced for example among some local authorities in the South West. To see the full response please read the Equality South West response to reform of EHRC.

Regional Equality and Diversity Partnership Response

We believe that the EHRC needs to be properly resourced in order to efficiently carry its role in promoting equality, diversity and human rights. To this end, the proposals outlined in the consultation to redefine the commission’s core functions would undermine the progress needed for equalities and human rights, especially in the current socio-economic context.  To see the full response please read the Regional Equality and Diversity Partnership response to reform of EHRC

click here for the Equality and Diversity Forum Response

Equality and Human Rights Commission Response

The Commission welcomes the opportunity to build on the achievements of its first three years, and to address the lessons of its start-up phase. However, it warns that some of the proposed changes are likely to lead to greater uncertainty and increased costs for public bodies and businesses; more litigation and less conciliation in discrimination cases; and the undermining of the government’s own new equality strategy.  The Board of the Commission supports the government’s aim to create a more modern, focused legal mandate; and strongly endorses the need to strengthen the organisational and financial structure of the body. The Board believes that the Commission’s financial and operational independence from government must be protected if it is to be an effective regulator and remain a UN-recognised A status Human Rights Institution. To see the full response please click here 

British Institute of Human Rights Response

The Government is proposing changes to the powers and functions of the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) which could fundamentally change what the EHRC can do and how it does it. The British Institute of Human Rights has some serious concerns about the reforms. To see the full response please read the BIHR response to reform of the EHRC.

The Equality Act 2010 – The Public Sector Equality Duty: reducing bureaucracy

EREN Response

We are disappointed that the Equality Act has been reviewed again. (more…)