West Lindsey Voluntary Sector Forum

Today I'm attending the quarterly meeting of West Lindsey Voluntary Sector Forum (incorporating Learning Communities) at Park Springs Community Centre (photo above) in Gainsborough.

To be more accurate, for most of the day I'm going to or returning from Gainsborough. It's a three-hour train trip there and three hours back. The whole meeting lasts two hours and I have a quarter of an hour for my presentation.

There are 40 attendees, representing Voluntary and Community Sector (and a few public sector) organisations in the area. There are four formal presentations, each lasting roughly fifteen minutes:

• Grant White from Lincolnshire County Council, on their Lincolnshire Funding Portal
• Me from the Regional Equality and Diversity Partnership, on our Equality Standard
• Christina Daly from CG Partnership, on their apprenticeship scheme
• Steve Ward from Lincolnshire County Council Trading Standards Illegal Money Lending Team, on their week of action in September

At the start of my presentation, I ask how many attendees have attended an REDP event: none. I ask how many people have heard of REDP before this presentation: none. While I'm here to promote our Equality Standard, I have to take the first five minutes or so to introduce REDP, say who we are and describe what we do. I also show off some of the free literature which I've brought with me.

After the four presentations, we go round the room, giving everyone else the opportunity to introduce themselves and their organisations, updating everyone on activities, needs and news. There's an impressive range of projects and a heartening variety of responses to the pressures they are enduring in these austere times. Before the end of the meeting there's a chance to chat, to mingle and to pick up literature from the various groups attending. Several people express their interest in getting their organisations involved with REDP. We exchange contact details and make promises to follow up. More than one person tells me that they could have done with knowing about us three years ago and they ask where we’ve been hiding! While my purpose here today is to encourage these VCS organisations to take up our Equality Standard, which is one of our ways of ensuring REDP's continuity and sustainability, those who have had no information or involvement before are more interested in more general aspects of our work.

REDP’s three-year period of funding by the Big Lottery ends tomorrow: 30 June. This is the last working day that we’re funded. Today's experience goes to show that even if we'd had another three years we still wouldn't have reached every part of the East Midlands or drawn in every VCS organisation in the region.

This may well be my last paid gig for REDP. After all this time building and promoting partnership, it’s ironic that I’m here doing this on my own today. We core partners are sure that REDP will continue. It’s entering a period of transition and it’s not yet clear what will emerge to carry on the work or who will be doing it. I hope I don’t fall off the back of the truck as it progresses along this bumpy road.

Hope & Resilience for Refugees & Asylum Seekers

We're exhibiting at the University of Leicester today, where a conference is taking place for Refugee Week (16-24 June): Hope and Resilience for Refugees and Asylum Seekers.

The purpose of the conference is to explore how hope and resilience can be fostered in the current climate through an emphasis on human rights, approaches to justice in psychological therapy and through building solidarity in the voluntary and statutory sectors.

The conference is being held in the South Wing of the Fielding Johnson Building, the second time in four days that I've attended an event here (see Building Shared Heritages: Cultural Diversity in Leicester on Equality & Diversity Officer). There are several organisations exhibiting today, in quite cramped space. Those on display cheek by jowl include:

• Action Deafness Cultural
• British Red Cross (Lincolnshire, Leicestershire & Rutland and Northamptonshire)
• The Centre Project
• Citizens' Eye Community News Agency
• Freedom from Torture
• LAMPdirect
• Leicester City of Sanctuary
• Leicester Council of Faiths
• Leicester Libraries
• Leicester Welcome Project
• NHS Leicester City Assist Practice
• The Race Equality Centre
• Refugee Action
• Somewhere_To
• Stamp It Out!

I'm looking after both the REDP display as well as that of Leicester Council of Faiths, just across from it in a shared space with Refugee Action. The photo below shows Gail Pringle, Independent Project Manager and Voluntary Sector Consultant with Refugee Action.

The conference is opened by David Sallah (Leicestershire Partnership NHS Trust), Cllr Mohammed Dawood (Assistant Mayor, Leicester City Council) and Bob Burgess (Vice Chancellor, University of Leicester).

Keynote speaker is Shami Chakrabarti, Director of Liberty. Her name has been attached to the event since it was first advertised several weeks ago. Shami is a big draw and I know from my conversations this morning that many people are here just to hear her. I speak with a couple of the conference organisers about that, and about having heard Shami speak at REDP's human rights event in Derby in March. I mention what an excellent contribution she'd made to that day and how I'm looking forward to hearing her speak again. I also say how I know that she tends to be on a tight schedule, that more often than not, she'll beam in, deliver her piece then beam out. I get a few blank looks in response. I wonder if I'm coming across as a bit of a name-dropper. At 1140 sharp, we're summoned back into the Peter Williams Lecture Theatre, where the plenary sessions are taking place. The person chairing this session bigs her up, using that well-worn phrase, "Our keynote speaker needs no introduction" before giving her one (at length and in detail) ending with a triumphant, "Ladies and gentlemen, I give you: Shami Chakrabati!" Since I can't see her anywhere in the room, I expect her to enter at that point, perhaps just having arrived at the last minute. There's vigorous applause, as if most everyone else expects the same thing. At that point, however, someone comes forward with a DVD, inserts it into the multimedia centre at the lectern and goes through the menu to cue it up. Now I don't know if I've took my eye off the ball, my attention has been wandering (more than usual, that is) but I've somehow managed to miss the fact that Shami has recorded her speech and it's to be delivered via DVD. Seems like I'm not the only one, as a handful of people huffily pack their bags, get up and leave. Can't fault Shami for not being here. She's obliged to stay in London today to play her significant and influential part in focusing attention on the second reading in the House of Lords of the Justice and Security Bill. The talk itself is as impassioned, informed and inspirational as you'd expect from her. Liberty's mission statement is visible on a poster behind her throughout:

We believe in fundamental rights and freedoms - shared values that protect every member of the human family and the society that we seek to build together.

On reflection, I should have twigged that Shami wasn't going to be here in person because Chino isn't here.

I can't let my post on this event end without mentioning the Zimbabwean Choir, who perform several times during the day.

Thanks to Kelly and Liz for bringing all the stuff - and for taking it away at the end of the day.

PhD internship scheme with De Montfort & Leicester Universities

At De Montfort University, Hugh Aston Building, this lunchtime for the launch of a new PhD internship scheme, jointly offered by De Montfort University and the University of Leicester.

For six weeks in the summer of 2011, Leicester Council of Faiths had the services of a graduate intern provided by De Montfort University. Rahat Ahmed gave a lot to our organisation in that short time and on the basis of that experience we'd back this kind of scheme. We hope we can take advantage of this new internship scheme, either through the Council of Faiths or through the Regional Equality and Diversity Partnership (REDP's Researcher, Carolyn Pascoe, is here with me). It's a way of tapping into expertise, knowledge and skills that we may not have ourselves, but which can bolster our credibility for bids (e.g. for research projects). Right now, wee're interested in such interns who could assist in marketing and in statistical analysis. We're the only ones representing the Voluntary and Community Sector as potential employers. There are nine other organisations represented at this launch, from the private and public sectors. 

PhD students are recruited from the best quality graduates and spend three or more years researching into a specific area, analysing their findings and generating solutions. They are self-motivated and disciplined individuals who are accustomed to working alone to come up with solutions to problems.  Because of this quality, they will require minimal supervision throughout the project. Although some PhD students subsequently carry on into an academic career, over 50% of doctoral graduates leave university to enter business or public service. In recognition of this, all research students receive extensive key-skills training in areas such as communication, project-management, information technology, etc. The PhD Internship scheme is intended to give research students an opportunity to gain first-hand experience in the workplace, using their skills to address critical issues of commercial or social importance. PhD interns may bring directly relevant knowledge and skills to the area of work, or they may be able to apply portable skills that are relevant and useful across a variety of disciplines and topics.  

Between them the two universities have over 2,000 PhD students. This new PhD internship scheme will have a relatively low-key start, with six internships in the first year, doubling in number in the following year. Any internships starting this year should be completed by 31 December 2012.

The cost to an organisation taking on a PhD student as an intern is £600, which covers 20 days of the PhD intern’s time.  This money will be used to pay travel expenses for the student and any other incidental costs associated with the project as well as the University’s administration costs. The 20 working days can be spread over a period not exceeding six months as agreed between the organisation and the intern.

Seven PhD students who'll be taking part in the internship scheme attended the launch today. They're all in the photo above. Back row, left to right: 

Valasia Sawvidou, University of Leicester, Department of Politics & International Relations. PhD title: The immigration issue and the effect it has on voting in national and European Parliament elections

Joba Akinjo, University of Leicester, Department of Toxicology. PhD title: Side effects of chemicals on male reproductive system

Gemma Mitchell, University of Leicester, Department of Sociology. PhD title: How experts navigate and translate risk knowledges in the "risk society": a case study of social workers

Shujaul Khan, Leicester University, Department of Biology. PhD title: Plant communities classification and vegetation ecosystem services of the Western Himalayas

Front row, left to right:

Eleanor MacKillop, De Montfort University, Department of Politics & Local Government. PhD title: Change in local government understanding of commissioning

Mohamed Maricar, De Montfort University, Department of Electronic Engineering. PhD title: Design of circuit to enhance the performance of high frequency Planar Gunn diode

Ammar Abdulwahab Noorwali, De Montfort University, Faculty of Technology. PhD title: Reducing variability levels in food processing industry

Coverage of event was disappointing

This letter appears in today's Leicester Mercury (though not on its website):

Coverage of event was disappointing

Catching up with back issues of the Mercury after the Easter break, I was looking forward to reading some good coverage of the recent Choice Unlimited event at Leicester Tigers on Thursday 5 April.

Imagine my disappointment, then, to see the short article, “Ex-tigers hero roars approval for fair” (Mercury, April 7). There are several aspects of the piece that are disappointing: it was unclear what it was all about, but mostly credit was not given where it’s due.

It was reported that Choice Unlimited had the support of Leicester City Council, Leicestershire County Council and Voluntary Action LeicesterShire.

That’s true and they all contributed to preparations and to the success on the day itself, helping showcase products, services, information and guidance available to disabled people and their carers. But Choice Unlimited didn’t spring fully-formed out of thin air.

Someone had to come up with the idea, get it off the ground, enlist support, gather momentum and bring it all to a successful conclusion. And that “someone” was the Regional Equality and Diversity Partnership (REDP).

REDP is a collective of Voluntary and Community Sector organisations working together to promote equality and celebrate diversity.

At its core are four Leicester organisations with a track record of collaborating across different equalities for as long as ten years now. Our influence and engagement has extended in the past few years to embrace the whole East Midlands . The four city-based founder members of REDP are Leicester Council of Faiths; Leicester and Leicestershire Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Centre; The Race Equality Centre and Leicestershire Centre for Integrated Living (which took the lead role in Choice Unlimited).

The coverage failed to mention the ground-breaking nature of Choice Unlimited (it was the first of its kind anywhere in the East Midlands) nor was there any indication of the tremendous success of the event. More than 160 exhibitors participated and an estimated 2,500-3,000 service users came through the door – every one of them a potential customer in this new era of personal budgets for care services and products.

REDP is already in advanced discussions to present Choice Unlimited in other parts of the East Midlands. We’d still like it to be known that Leicester was the birthplace of this trail-blazing first presentation.

You might wonder why this matters, two weeks after the event and ten days after the Mercury’s coverage. Choice Unlimited signalled the birth of a new way of doing things for disabled people in the city, county and Rutland – kicking off a new era of choice and control. And at REDP our phone lines and inboxes are still red hot with those keen for information and asking when we’ll be doing it again. And they show no sign of cooling down!

George M Ballentyne

Stoneygate

Setting Religion or Belief Equality Objectives for Leicestershire Police

At The Centre, Alfred Place, this evening for a public meeting organised by The Race Equality Centre (TREC): "Setting Religion or Belief Equality Objectives for Leicestershire Constabulary". The meeting is led by Darren Goddard, one of Leicestershire Constabulary's Diversity Officers (on the right in the photo above).

Is Leicestershire Constabulary able to deliver equality for people of different religions or beliefs? Are all the people of Leicestershire:

• Equally safe from violence?
• Equally safe from burglary?
• Equally stopped by the police?
• Equally recruited by the police?
• Equally treated by the police?

The Equality Act 2010 places a duty on Leicestershire Constabulary to plan to be able to:

• eliminate unlawful discrimination between people from different religions or beliefs,
• advance equality of opportunity for all religions or beliefs,
• and foster good relations between people from different religions or beliefs

The plans that the Police publish should be based on consultation with those communities that could be unfairly treated. This public meeting has been organised to provide an opportunity to meet police representatives and propose equality priorities that the police should implement to meet their Equality Duty. The meeting is open to representatives and practitioners from all communities or organisations of religion or belief and to everyone with an interest in addressing inequality on the grounds of religion or belief.

At the start of the meeting, we're shown a YouTube clip, Leicestershire Police: Taking a Look Back at 2011 (which I saw previously at the Chief and Chair meeting on Thursday 12 January 2012). Darren builds on themes in this presentation, concentrating on relations between Leicestershire Constabulary and faith communities, places of worship, community centres - as well as considering how individuals who identify with particular communities of religion or belief are treated if they're detained in police custody.

We discuss the possible impacts of new arrangements for an elected Police and Crime Commissioner, coming later this year. There's genuine concern and anxiety (verging on alarm) at this development among many in the room. Some of those here are learning of this for the first time and express anxiety about how much candidates for the post might know about their communities. It sounds like a good idea for faith communities to organise a hustings!

There's also concern that Leicestershire Constabulary's Equality Objectives for Religion or Belief should be determined by such a small group as is gathered here this evening. There are a dozen attendees, among us Bahá'ís, Christians, Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs and a couple with no particular religious identity (broadly speaking). Well, that illustrates the importance of engagement and participation! At least one other meeting of a similar nature is to take place in Loughborough and recommendations can be made electronically for a while yet. But the invitation to participate has been extended, even if it's been at fairly short notice. You can lead a horse to water ...

 We're each given a booklet showing Leicestershire Constabulary's employment statistics 2008-2011, which breaks down figures in terms of Protected Characteristics, including Religion or Belief. Here's that part of the booklet:

Within the Constabulary's HR system there are 37 different religions and faiths that staff have self identified. For the purpose of this publication we have collapsed the different denominations in the 20 main headings.

There is an active association of Muslim Police, Christian Police Association and Sikh Police Association within the organisation which receives organisational funding and support. The faith based support networks are involved in a number of key organisational meetings and provide support to all staff on a range of faith based issues. In addition the networks actively make links with different faith groups in Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland.

There is also a multi-faith and contemplation room which is supported by the Leicester Council of Faiths within the Headquarters complex. The room which is open to all officers, staff and visitors has washing facilities and separate storage facilities for each faith to store religious texts and other items.

The figures show that for those police officers who have chosen to record their religion or belief 92% have identified as following a Christian based faith, followed by 1.7% identifying as Atheist or Sikh and 1.6% as Hindu or Muslim.

For those police staff who have recorded their religion or belief 85% identified as following a Christian based faith, whilst 5.6% are Hindu, 2.3% Sikh and 2.1% Muslim.

76% of those Special Constables who chose to record the religion or belief identified as following a Christian based faith, 14% Hindu, 3.5% Muslim and 2.1% Sikh.

Police officers

• Agnostic 16
• Atheist 28
• Buddhist 2
• Christian 1,479
• Hindu 25
• Jehovah's Witness 0
• Judaism 1
• Muslim 25
• Sikh 28
• Other 1
• Non-recorded 642

Police staff

• Agnostic 16
• Atheist 14
• Buddhist 0
• Christian 760
• Hindu 50
• Jehovah's Witness 3
• Judaism 1
• Muslim 19
• Sikh 20
• Other 4
• Non-recorded 613

Special Constables

• Agnostic 2
• Atheist 2
• Buddhist 0
• Christian 108
• Hindu 20
• Jehovah's Witness 0
• Judaism 0
• Muslim 5
• Sikh 3
• Other 1
• Non-recorded 103

Equality Act training for South Derbyshire CVS

At Goseley Community Centre, Hartshorne, Derbyshire, this morning, delivering training for the Regional Equality and Diversity Partnership (REDP).

I'm here with Chino Cabon, from The Race Equality Centre (TREC), one of REDP's four Core Partners. We're presenting on the Equality Act 2010 at a staff development day for South Derbyshire CVS. There are 27 attendees, a mix of paid staff and volunteers.

Chino (in the orange shirt, photo above) takes the first session, giving an hour-and-a-half long overview of the Equality Act: its history (including the decades-long back story of equality legislation in this country); innovations and extensions (what's new and what it retains from previous legislation); what's lawful and what's unlawful under its provisions; who it protects and who's responsible for its enforcement.

I do something half that length focusing on disabled people and the Equality Act. Not my specialist area, that's true, but it's part of the deal at REDP that we're able to double up for each other and cover all the Protected Characteristics.

Chino's presentations are always encyclopaedic and rooted firmly in the texts. Mine tend to be a bit looser. Variety is the spice of life!

As soon as my session is finished, we dash off back to Leicester, so I can get to the meeting of REDP's Core Reference Group at Leicestershire Centre for Integrated Living. We're leaving here just before the start of lunch; we'll probably get there just as it ends!

Faithful Citizens

Religiosity is often thought of as inherently conservative. But new analysis byDemos reveals that religious people are more likely to support equality, be welcoming of immigrants and self-identify as left-wing. Today Demos publishes Faithful Citizens - the first in a three-report series investigating the role of religion in the 21st century.

Religiosity has always been closely associated with conservatism: the Church of England is sometimes described as "the Conservative party at prayer". In the United States, the Republican party and the religious right have become increasingly interdependent, but a similar trend has not occurred on this side of the Atlantic. This report, based on original analysis of the Citizenship Survey and the European Values Survey, investigates the different relationship between religion and politics in the UK and Europe.

The report presents two key findings. First, religious people are more active citizens – they volunteer more, donate more to charity and are more likely to campaign on political issues. Second, and more counter-intuitively, religious people are more likely to be politically progressive. They put a greater value on equality than the non-religious, are more likely to be welcoming of immigrants as neighbours and when asked are more likely to put themselves on the left of the political spectrum.

Based on this, Faithful Citizens recommends that progressive politicians should work with faith groups on issues which they are particularly engaged, including immigration, women's rights, international development, the environment and youth work. Faith group members, the report argues, will be key to any future, election-winning, progressive coalition.

You can download a free PDF copy of Faithful Citizens from the Demos website. As well as the report itself, you can read an entry about the research on the Demos blog.

Demos is a think-tank focused on power and politics. Their unique approach challenges the traditional, “ivory tower” model of policymaking by giving a voice to people and communities, and involving them closely in their research.

Ex-Tigers hero roars his approval for fair

This article appears in today's Leicester Mercury:

Ex-Tigers hero roars his approval for fair

Ex-Tigers player Matt Hampson supported a fair showcasing services for disabled people.

National changes in the provision of care means disabled people are now given personalised budgets to spend instead of councils paying for services.

Choice Unlimited took place at the Leicester Tigers Stadium on Wednesday, to show people what services and products are available.

Former Tigers and England prop Matt Hampson, who is confined to a wheelchair after his neck was broken in a training session, made a special appearance.

He said: "Events like this give disabled people a voice and enable them to steer their lives in the direction they wish it to go."

Choice Unlimited provided information about accommodation, domestic support and education services to help the disabled make informed decisions about their spending.

The event was supported by Leicester City Council, Leicestershire County Council, and Voluntary Action LeicesterShire.

David Barsby, development officer at Voluntary Action LeicesterShire, said: "This was a great opportunity for local providers to meet potential customers."

That's Matt in the photo above, with Steve Cooper, Chief Exec of Leicestershire Centre for Integrated Living. Regrettably, the article makes no mention of REDP as the event organiser and conveys nothing of the spirit or success of the event - and it gets the day wrong.

No solution to a big fat gypsy dilemma

This article appears in today's Leicester Mercury:

No solution to a big fat gypsy dilemma

Attempts to create new legal traveller sites have proved controversial, but David Maclean says the city mayor deserves credit for grabbing this political hot potato

It's the city council's big fat gypsy problem – where do you put scores of travellers without upsetting the local community? Last month the authority came up with three preferred sites – all in Beaumont Leys.

Then, earlier this week, the full shortlist from which those were whittled down was revealed. It showed that a further four sites in Beaumont Leys had been shortlisted as suitable sites by the council, as well as one in Aylestone.

All eight sites are now in play, after public outcry over the original three sites sent the council back to the drawing board.

Behind the push to create new legal traveller sites is city mayor Sir Peter Soulsby, and his name is surely mud among some of the residents who could see travellers living next door.

However, he is right to persevere with his plans.

There's no political gain to be had here, no sweetener for potential voters. It's a headache he's enduring through principle.

At the moment, if gypsies pitch up illegally in an area, the council can move them on – but it makes no sense moving them on if their only option is to set up camp at another illegal site.

Seeing gypsies kicked from pillar to post might satisfy some residents who harbour a misguided view that, if travellers are moved on and hassled enough, they will eventually settle down in a nice semi-detached house somewhere.

But that won't ever happen.

Of course I'd feel unhappy if a traveller site was proposed right next door to me and I sympathise with those who are concerned.

But I'd certainly be more tolerant if there was a nice belt of grassland between a gypsy site and my house, as some of these proposed sites have.

When the proposed sites were announced, I drove out to each of them.

One of them already had travellers pitched illegally there. Up at Greengate Lane, the site which has provoked the most public outrage so far, there are caravans and other vehicles parked up.

It's being used as a traveller camp now, so why not formalise it, manage it properly, and make sure the council can bring in some income through rent and council tax?

It's a fair distance from nearby homes, and it really is difficult for me to see what additional disruption would be caused compared to what's already there.

Campaigners against the sites have showered the city council with freedom of information requests about its existing legal site at Meynell's Gorse in a bid to try to find new angles to oppose the moves.

For example, they have asked for the rate of rent defaults. But it turns out they're about the same as council tenants across the city. And they've asked how many gypsies have been evicted from the site in recent years, but the answer is none.

The site at Meynell's Gorse is so well-managed that some people I spoke to in the area didn't even know there was a camp nearby.

The people of the city are being given a choice – the current situation sees travellers randomly selecting plots of council land and setting up, potentially causing disruption, then being pushed on.

The option now on the table is three fixed sites, well-hidden by shrubbery and trees, managed directly by the authority, with council tax and other charges levied on those using the site.

Nonetheless, putting gypsy sites in a Labour stronghold such as Beaumont Leys will do nothing but lose Sir Peter and his colleagues popularity.

But elected mayors with guaranteed four-year terms were created, in part, to brave the difficult decisions which council leaders often balked at.

By grabbing one of the biggest hot potatoes in local government, Sir Peter is showing his mettle.

Big Society: More than just a soundbite?

This piece (Big Society: More than just a soundbite?), published on the BBC Politics website on 11 February 2011, is one of the best things on Big Society I've read to date.

The irony comes from the contrast between the article and the comments that follow it (not that I need to tell you how to detect irony, of course).

If you're going to stick your head above the parapet you shouldn't be surprised to find that there are plenty of willing and able marksmen ready to draw a bead on it.

Thanks to @David_Harney for tweeting this gem, on the day that Big Society Capital (AKA the Big Society Bank) opens for business.