Core Partners take stock

Leicestershire Centre for Integrated Living (LCIL) is the venue for this morning's meeting of the Core Partners of the Regional Equality and Diversity Partnership (REDP) with Dennis Fisher, Grants Officer at The Big Lottery. It's The Big Lottery's Basis Fund that bankrolls REDP and Dennis is charged with overseeing our project. We've met with him several times in different settings over the past couple of years; he's here today to talk about our work so far and how we're going to make progress in the final year of this intial funding period.

Round the table for this meeting with Dennis are the Chair of REDP, Iris Lightfoote (The Race Equality Centre), Dee Martin (Leicestershire Centre for Integrated Living), Ian Robson (Leicester LGBT Centre), Laura Horton (Project Manager, REDP) and myself, of course, representing Leicester Council of Faiths.

Ian, Iris and I are here until lunchtime, to join in an overall discussion of the project. Dennis spends the rest his visit with Dee (since LCIL is the accountable body for REDP) and with Laura.

We all get the chance to speak this morning; Dennis asks me directly about the "diversity" dimension of REDP.

There's a convivial atmosphere in the meeting today and our funders seem pleased with how REDP has performed.

Taking public services forward in the East Midlands

To the Albert Hall Conference Centre, Nottingham, this afternoon for an event hosted by East Midlands Councils and the Local Government Group. Four of us from the Regional Equality and Diversity Partnership (REDP) are attending "Taking Public Services Forward in the East Midlands".

I've come through from Leicester with Iris Lightfoote (The Race Equality Centre), Dee Martin (Leicestershire Centre for Integraqted Living) and Kelly Jussab (Project Officer, REDP).

East Midlands Councils demonstrates how local councils in the region can work together on  issues such as housing, transport and the environment. It represents the interests of local councils to Government and national organisations. It supports the improvement and development of local councils and their workforce.

The six organisations of the Local Government Group work together to support, promote and improve local government:

• Local Government Association
• Local Government Employers
• Local Government Improvement and Development
• Local Government Leadership
• Local Government Regulation
• Local Partnerships

Core Partners of REDP (and members of its more extensive Core Reference Group) are here today to listen to a presentation on the Open Public Services White Paper by Alison Adams, Policy Manager, Local Intelligence Team, Office for Civil Society, Cabinet Office. We have the chance to discuss this presentation and to raise questions from the floor.

Spectacular show of pride by city's LGBT community

This article appears in today's Leicester Mercury:

Spectacular show of pride by city's LGBT community

The colourful spectacular that is Leicester Pride saw hundreds of people take to the streets in celebration.

The annual parade began at Orton Square before making its way around the city centre to Victoria Park, where revellers where entertained with a funfair and live entertainment.

The event, which took place last Saturday, also gave various organisations a chance to highlight their services.

For almost 40 years, Leicester Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) Centre in Wellington Street, has offered support to and fostered a sense of community among gay people in the city and county.

Centre support officer Dennis Bradley said: "As people come out and discover they are lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender, there is a new group of people that needs to be taught the centre exists.

"Our purpose in being at Pride was to raise awareness that we do have a centre and that people should come and see what they can get from it."

A dozen groups use the centre, including First Out, for younger people aged 13-19; Spectrum, with users aged 20-35; Grey Pride for people aged 50 and over and transgender groups Leicester Chameleon Group and Mixed Agendas.

"The LGBT community makes up about a third of the overall population," said Mr Bradley. "Pride is a good celebration of life of LGBT people here in Leicester, of our progressiveness towards equality and the diversity that exists within the community.

"Pride is a wonderful event that raises awareness to the wider community that we do exist and that we are a large number."

Pride also gave organisations an opportunity to highlight the importance of safe sex and offer advice on sexual health alongside representatives from the Leicestershire Aids Support Service and the HIV and Aids prevention charity Trade.

For more information on the centre, visit: www.llgbc.com

Care improved for patients with learning disabilities

This article is published in today's Leicester Mercury:

Care improved for patients with learning disabilities

A new computer alert system to improve health care for people with learning disabilities has been adopted.

The system, introduced by Leicestershire Partnership NHS Trust, flags up on medical records when someone has a learning disability.

This means that whichever trust service a patient is using, health staff will know instantly more about their condition and can make sure anything needed to help them is put in place.

Key information such as what communication needs there may be, carer contacts and consent details are among the information to hand.

Pip Ostell, learning disability locality manager, said: "The system sounds simple but it is a really good way of ensuring colleagues gain key information quickly and effectively so that they can provide the best level of care.

"Once they are alerted to a patient having learning disabilities, they can make sure they use correct communication methods to make sure the patient is fully aware and confident in what is happening."

The computer alert system is being added to the records for all patients receiving care from the trust's learning disability services.

It is due to be extended to cover all records for people under the care of the service over the next few months.

Core Partners meeting

This morning we have the monthly meeting of REDP's Core Partners:

• Leicester Council of Faiths
• Leicestershire Centre for Integrated Living
• Leicester Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Centre
• The Race Equality Centre

We meet at Leicestershire Centre for Integrated Living, which is the accountable body for this project.

£2.2m card system to aid bus passengers

This article is published in today's Leicester Mercury:

£2.2m card system to aid bus passengers

Their existing bus passes have electronic chips which will be activated in late September and from that point they will swipe their cards on scanners in Arriva buses to register their journeys rather than just show their passes to the drivers.

They will ultimately be rolled out to enable people to access all commercial public transport by topping up cash on them.

Council bosses said the scheme was being introduced to make travelling on public transport quicker and easier, as well as cutting the risk of fraud.

The OneCard was officially launched by City Mayor Peter Soulsby and deputy mayor Councillor Rory Palmer yesterday.

Sir Peter said: "The OneCards are absolutely brilliant. I know in London people say they would not want to be without their Oyster Cards.

"I hope people in Leicester will be saying the same of OneCards before too long.

"They will make it easy for people to travel by bus so they won't have to dig around for change in their pockets.

"Initially this will be used by existing concessionary bus passengers.

"However, the potential to expand this technology to enable people to access all sorts of services in enormous."

Longer term there are proposals to extend the uses of the OneCard, which is funded by the Government, to allow access to public libraries, leisure centres, universities and school transport and more.

Leicester Deputy City Mayor, with responsibility for transport, Councillor Rory Palmer, said: "Residents are often frustrated the different bus companies operate their own ticketing systems with little or no integration, so the launch of the OneCard is one step to resolving this.

"Smart ticketing is one way we can get more people using public transport in the city and eventually we will link the card technology with other services as well."

City council OneCard project officer Adele Wearing said swiping the cards would register which journeys were made but not who made them to protect passenger privacy.

She also said lost cards could be quickly deactivated and replaced.

She said: "It will help us prevent fraud where people get fake bus passes made and flash them at our drivers. We know it is a problem in Leicester but we don't know the scale of it."

Arriva spokesman Keith Myatt said: "We are delighted to have been chosen as the first bus operator to run the OneCards. It should make loading passengers much quicker."

Bus passenger Keith Sperrey, 62, from Leicester, said: "It's a good idea but I don't think I'd use the other services more though.

"It's about time. Have you not been on the continent? They've got them all there."

For more information, visit: www.leicester.gov.uk/onecard

Meeting with One East Midlands

This morning some of us from REDP meet with Rachel Quinn and Leann Leverton from One East Midlands. It's not anything formal, no set agenda; but we've been trying to find the time to get together and mull over a few things where our interests intersect.

We meet in Leicestershire Centre for Integrated Living (LCIL): Round the table are Iris Lightfoote from The Race Equality Centre (TREC) and Chair of REDP; Dee Martin of LCIL; George Ballentyne from Leicester Council of Faiths; and Laura Horton, REDP Project Manager.

We talk about the new Transforming Local Infrastructure programme from The Big Lottery; the Localism Bill currently going through Parliament; the White Papers on Open Public Services and on Giving. These all have major implications for equalities.

REDP had been intending to hold a regional event on the Localism Bill in October. Public consultation on the Bill ends in September and it's going to be published in November, which makes October too late to be a consultation event and too early for an information event. We're planning three other regional events at two-month intervals, so we've decided to swap Localism's place in the schedule for one of the others. We'll make arrangements for a special meeting of REDP's Core Reference Group in time to get their views on the Bill so we can compile them into a collective response.

Civil Contingencies Act 2004

This is a link to an article of clear interest to all those concerned with issues related to equality and human rights in the current climate. This comes from "liberty central", the Guardian's Comment is free civil liberties and human rights site.

A-Z of legislation: Civil Contingencies Act 2004 | Comment is free | guardian.co.uk

Misery on the buses for the blind

This article is published in today's Leicester Mercury:

Misery on the buses for the blind

Rude and unhelpful bus drivers are causing misery for blind and visually impaired people, according to a survey.

Hundreds of people reported problems with bus services in Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland as they responded to a survey carried out by Leicester charity Vista, which helps those with sight loss.

Many described particularly bad experiences of drivers failing to stop to let them on board or even verbally abusing them.

Hazel Mayles, of Coalville, reported an instance of having the door shut on one bus while her guide dog was on board but she was not.

She said: "I was left alone, disorientated and holding the lead. If I hadn't have let go of the lead I would have been pulled under the bus.

"I went back a few days later only to find the same bus driver driving past hurling a load of abuse at me.

"Since this I have been afraid to use any bus services."

This was the first survey carried out by Vista into public services, such as transport.

Some 43 per cent of the 2,800 respondents reported problems with bus services.

A woman from Scraptoft, who did not want to be named, described how what should have been a 30-minute journey to Kibworth took more than two hours when buses refused to stop for her.

Sue Allen, sensory impairment trainer at Vista, commissioned the survey.

She said: "It's a pretty big problem and there are a lot of different problems too."It takes long enough for visually impaired people to get from A to B without buses not stopping for them, so it's not very good at all. Once someone's confidence in using public transport is shot it takes a lot of work to get them to do that kind of thing again.

"It only takes one incident to have that effect – it's just absolutely appalling."In her role, Sue said she had rarely had a positive experience of taking a blind person on a bus.

She has contacted numerous companies including Arriva and Centrebus, but says she has had no response.

She added: "The way to go is for us to get bus companies to train their staff."

David Shelley, commercial director at Centrebus, said he was personally unaware of any contact from Vista.

He said: "We provide good training for our drivers and I've not seen anything relating to blind people with regards to the conduct of our staff.

"I absolutely insist all customers' comments come into my office and are reported by myself to our board of directors on a monthly basis."

An Arriva spokesman said: "Our drivers are trained to look for signals from passengers, however they also receive extensive training for passengers with disabilities using our services.

"If there are incidents we would like to know so we can investigate further."

Equality briefing no. 5

At Leicestershire Centre for Integrated Living (LCIL) this morning, presenting one of our region-spanning briefing events. This is the fifth in a series of six meetings held over the past few weeks. The others have been held in Derby (Wed 20 July), Wellingborough (27 July), Nottingham (28 July), Oakham (Wed 03 Aug) and one more to be held in Grantham. All in all, there are eight organisations represented here today:

• Disability Nottinghamshire
• Genesis / LAMP Direct
• Good Thinking
• Human Rights and Equalities Charnwood
• Leicester Council of Faiths
• Leicester Deaf Action Group
• Leicestershire Centre for Integrated Living
• Loughborough Women's Aid
• The Race Equality Centre

Up till now the briefings have been conducted by Chino Cabon, Policy Officer at The Race Equality Centre (TREC) and Kelly Jussab, Project Officer at REDP. Kelly has a family obligation today and has asked George Ballentyne, Equality and Diversity Officer at Leicester Council of Faiths, to deputise for her.

Each of these meetings has been hosted by a member of REDP's Core Reference Group from that locality. Today's host is Leicester Deaf Action Group (with assistance from two members of Signing Network). Oas from LDAG opens the meeting, giving us a historical overview and an outline of the future prospects of their user-led organisation.

George gives the Beginners' Guide to REDP, Chino speaks about the Equality Act 2010 (concentrating on the terminology used in the Act and its relationship with previous anti-discrimination legislation) then George is back up front to present on the Localism Bill and Big Society.

The whole thing takes about three hours (including lunch) and I'm glad to say we get some positive evaluations from the attendees.