Transformation Budget Savings – Council Wide Staffing Equality Impact Assessment

Name of policies to be assessed

Transformation Budget Savings – Council Wide Staffing

1. What is the main purpose of the policies?

A large proportion of the council’s spend is on staff resources and, in adopting some initiatives to manage the staffing budgets, savings can be made across the whole organisation. We aim to reduce spend on our staff resources budget in a carefully reviewed and managed way through the following workstreams:

• Recruitment freeze for external appointments
• Review all fixed term contracts
• Reduce overtime budgets
• Reduction of staffing hours worked
• Reduce employers NI contributions through promotion of AVCs for the pension scheme

2. What main areas or activities does the policies cover?

• Recruitment
• Overtime
• Flexible working
• LGPS Pension guidance

3. Are there changes to an existing policy being considered in this assessment?

There are human resource (HR) policies that cover the above i.e. flexible working policies and guidance, overtime, recruitment and pension guidance. The transformation budget savings council wide staffing theme brings together all these policies into one plan to deliver budget efficiencies and reduce staffing costs.

4. Who are the main audience, users or customers who will be affected by the policy?

The policies and guidance documents listed above relate to managers, staff, potential and current employees. There is a link to service provision and our customers as the overall theme in the budget plan is to reduce staffing costs. A reduction in staff costs can only be delivered by reducing staff which may impact on the level of service and/or customer standards that can be provided to our residents.

5. What outcomes does the council want to achieve from the policy?

A total of £750,000 in budget savings has been allocated against this theme broken down as follows:

• Recruitment freeze - £500,000
• Review of fixed term contracts - £50,000
• Reduction in overtime budgets - £100,000
• Reduction in staffing hours through offering flexible working/retirement - £50,000
• Reduction in national insurance contributions through promotion of pension AVCs - £50,000.

6. Are other service areas or partner agencies involved in delivery?

Although this theme sits with People and Performance, the budget efficiencies will only be delivered through a collective effort of service managers led by general management teams.

The council works in partnership with several agencies to delivery services and support communities. There will be many opportunities to deliver services differently by working as a system. Although not part of this theme directly, some of reduction in the workforce may be mitigated by working more effectively in a system partnership.

7. Relevant information, data, surveys or consultations

The following relevant information, data, surveys or consultations¹ help us assess the likely or actual impact of the policy upon customers or staff.

There are Equality Impact Assessments available for each of the HR policies linked to this theme. 

View the Equality Impact Assesssments for HR policies

8. The ‘general duty’

The ‘general duty’ states that we must have “due regard” to the need to:

1. eliminate unlawful discrimination, harassment and victimisation
2. advance equality of opportunity between people who share a ‘protected characteristic²’ and those who do not³
3. foster good relations between people who share a protected characteristic and those who do not⁴

The 3 principle duties of the Equality Act will be keenly observed when developing guidance, policies and processes to deliver this budget theme and will ensure that our practices do not discriminate in respect of the protected characteristics enshrined within the Equality Act and employment law.

9. How does the policy help the council to improve health/reduce health inequalities⁵ for residents?

There is no direct connection to improving/reducing health inequalities for residents under this budget theme. However, reducing staffing in the council to deliver budget savings could potentially impact on the support we can give to residents to improve/reduce health inequalities in our communities, and we will need to be mindful of the impact service reductions and have due regard to our duty under the Equality Act 2010 when making decisions on staff reductions.

8. Disproportionate impacts

This section helps us to identify any disproportionate impacts. We will indicate whether the policy is likely to particularly benefit or disadvantage any of the 'protected characteristics'.

We set out the potential benefits or disadvantages for particular protected characteristics.

Age - older people (60+) and younger people (17-25) and children (0-16)

Positive impact

Under the theme reducing staffing hours by offering flexible working, staff over 55+ may be able to flexibly retire and access their LGPS pension early whilst continuing employment although certain criteria related to pension costs will apply under the councils pension discretionary policy.

The recruitment freeze will necessitate the training and development of our workforce to enable staff to be re-deployed into priority roles. This may open up other opportunities and progression.

Negative impact

The pension discretionary policy states that any pension strain arising from flexible retirement must be paid within 3 years through a reduction in salary/hours. If this criteria is not met then flexible retirement will not be an option.

The recruitment freeze may impact on younger people who wish to start a career in local government or through an apprenticeship scheme. The review of fixed term contracts may mean that staff may need to leave the council at the end of the contract. This will apply across the board but may impact on younger staff more who are likely to be on short term contracts.

Disability – physical, sensory, learning, mental health issues, other

Positive impact

The recruitment freeze will necessitate the training and development of our workforce to enable staff to be re-deployed into priority roles. This may open up other opportunities and progression.

Negative impact

The recruitment freeze may impact on people who have a physical, sensory, learning disability or poor mental health and who have the skills to work in the council, as recruitment and new opportunities may be limited. The recruitment freeze will impact on the EDI priority to become a more inclusive organisation that represents the communities we serve. Existing staff who have poor mental health may be impacted by the reduction in staffing and this will have to be managed robustly to ensure poor mental health is not exacerbated. The council has a duty to protect the wellbeing of their staff.

Ethnicity⁶ - white; mixed or multiple ethnic groups; asian or asian british; black, black british, caribbean or african; other ethnic group

Positive impact

The recruitment freeze will necessitate the training and development of our workforce to enable staff to be re-deployed into priority roles. This may open up other opportunities and progression for ethnic minority staff.

Negative impact

The recruitment freeze may impact on people with an ethnic background who have the skills to work in the council, as recruitment and new opportunities may be limited. The recruitment freeze will impact on the EDI priority to become a more inclusive organisation that represents the communities we serve.

Language – English not as a first language

Positive impact

The recruitment freeze will necessitate the training and development of our workforce to enable staff to be re-deployed into priority roles. This may open up other opportunities and progression for staff whose English is not their first language.

Negative impact

The recruitment freeze may impact on people whose English is not their first language and who have the skills to work in the council, as recruitment and new opportunities may be limited. The recruitment freeze will impact on the EDI priority to become a more inclusive organisation that represents the communities we serve.

Pregnancy and maternity – women who are pregnant or have given birth in the last 26 weeks

Positive impact

Staff who are pregnant or recently given birth will be protected from the impact of staff reductions under the Equality Act and employment law.

Negative impact

Staff who are in late stages of pregnancy or on maternity leave may not believe they are able to benefit from the development opportunities that may arise from the recruitment freeze.

Religion or belief – people with a religious belief (or none)

Positive impact

The recruitment freeze will necessitate the training and development of our workforce to enable staff to be re-deployed into priority roles. This may open up other opportunities and progression for staff with a particular religious belief or none.

Negative impact

The recruitment freeze may impact on people with a particular religious belief (or none) and who have the skills to work in the council, as recruitment and new opportunities may be limited. The recruitment freeze will impact on the EDI priority to become a more inclusive organisation that represents the communities we serve.

Sex – men and women

Positive impact

The recruitment freeze will necessitate the training and development of our workforce to enable staff to be re-deployed into priority roles. This may open up other opportunities and progression for male and female staff.

Negative impact 

Overtime tends to be worked in our operational services where the workforce tend to be mainly male. A reduction in overtime may impact more on male staff than female staff. The council’s frontline operational services tend to have more male staff working in them. The opportunity to work more flexibly and reduce hours is more limited in the council’s operational services.

Gender reassignment⁷ – transgender/transsexual

Positive impact

The recruitment freeze will necessitate the training and development of our workforce to enable staff to be re-deployed into priority roles. This may open up other opportunities and progression for transgender/transexual staff.

Negative impact 

The recruitment freeze may impact on transgender/transexual people and who have the skills to work in the council, as recruitment and new opportunities may be limited. The recruitment freeze will impact on the EDI priority to become a more inclusive organisation that represents the communities we serve.

Sexual orientation – straight/heterosexual, gay or lesbian, bisexual, other sexual orientation

Positive impact

The recruitment freeze will necessitate the training and development of our workforce to enable staff to be re-deployed into priority roles. This may open up other opportunities and progression for bisexual/ gay/lesbian and heterosexual staff.

Negative impact 

The recruitment freeze may impact on bisexual/gay or lesbian or heterosexual people and who have the skills to work in the council, as recruitment and new opportunities may be limited. The recruitment freeze will impact on the EDI priority to become a more inclusive organisation that represents the communities we serve.

Marriage and civil partnership - people who are married or in a civil partnership

Positive impact

The recruitment freeze will necessitate the training and development of our workforce to enable staff to be re-deployed into priority roles. This may open up other opportunities and progression for staff married or in civil partnerships.

Negative impact 

The recruitment freeze may impact on candidates who are married or in a civil partnership who have the skills to work in the council, as recruitment and new opportunities may be limited. The recruitment freeze will impact on the EDI priority to become a more inclusive organisation that represents the communities we serve.

9. How negative impacts can be minimised or removed?

The council will need to have due regard to its public duty under the Equality Act 2010 and in particular to eliminate unlawful discrimination, harassment and victimisation and advance equality of opportunity between people who share a ‘protected characteristic⁸’ and those who do not in the implementation of the budget plans.

Each decision will need to be considered on a case-by-case basis to ensure that detriment is not experienced by staff/candidates with a protected characteristic, is not discriminatory and can be objectively justified.

The impact of the reduction on staffing will need to be monitored closely to ensure staff with protected characteristic are not disadvantaged compared with those who do not have a protected characteristic.

If staffing is significantly reduced in a service that support vulnerable residents or those with a particular characteristic, a full Equality Impact Assessment should be conducted to assess the impact of the decision.

10. Could the policy discriminate⁹ against any ‘protected characteristic’ either directly or indirectly¹⁰?

No the policy should not discriminate against any protected characteristic.

Summary and findings of Initial Equality Impact Assessment

11. Confirmation of findings

There are four options to describe the finding of the EqIA:

1. No negative impacts have been identified – Action is to sign off screening and finish.
2. Negative impacts have been identified but have been minimised or removed – Action is to sign off screening and finish.
3. Negative impacts could not be minimised or removed – Action is to sign off screening and complete a full impact assessment – Section 2.
4. There is insufficient evidence to make a judgement - Action is to sign off screening and complete a full impact assessment – Section 2.

The findings and action are confirmed as (b). Negative impacts have been identified but have been minimised or removed. The action is to sign off screening and finish.

12. Name and job title of person completing this form

Jessica Douglas, Strategic People and Performance Manager

13. Date of completion

30 December 2022

14. Date for update or review of this screening¹¹:

30 December 2023

• [1] The Council’s surveys and consultations include ‘equality monitoring information’ to help us identify any particular concerns or views expressed by any particular group or ‘protected characteristic’. It can also help us to assess how representative of our customers the respondent group is. Local data on the ‘protected characteristics’ is available.
• [2] The Equality Act’s `protected characteristics’ include age, disability, gender reassignment, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief and sex and sexual orientation. It also covers marriage and civil partnerships, but not for all aspects of the duty.
• [3] This involves having due regard, in particular, to the need to: (a) remove or minimise disadvantages suffered by persons who share a protected characteristic that are connected to that characteristic; (b) take steps to meet the needs of persons who share a relevant protected characteristic that are different from the needs of persons who do not share it, and (c) encourage persons who share a relevant protected characteristic to participate in public life or in any other activity in which participation by such persons is disproportionately low.
• [4] This involves having due regard, in particular, to the need to (a) tackle prejudice, and (b) promote understanding.
• [5] The King’s Fund: The district council contribution to public health: a time of challenge and opportunity, 2015
• [6] National Census 2011 categories are: Bangladeshi, Indian, Pakistani, Other Asian (Asian or Asian British), African, Caribbean, Other Black (Black or Black British), White and Black African, White and Asian, White and Black Caribbean (Mixed), British, Irish, Other White (White), Chinese, Other (Other Ethnic Group).
• [7] The ‘protected characteristic’ of gender reassignment is defined by the Equality Act 2010 as “a person proposing to undergo, is undergoing or has undergone a process (or part of a process) for the purpose of reassigning the person's sex by changing physiological or other attributes of sex.” This is a personal process that may involve medical interventions such as counselling, psychotherapy, hormone therapy or surgery, but does not have to.
• [8] The Equality Act’s ‘protected characteristics’ include age, disability, gender reassignment, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief and sex and sexual orientation. It also covers marriage and civil partnerships, but not for all aspects of the duty.
• [9] The Council has a general duty to ‘eliminate unlawful discrimination, harassment and victimisation’. Direct discrimination occurs when a person is treated less favourably than another in a comparable situation because of their ‘protected characteristic’ whether on grounds of age, disability, pregnancy and maternity, ethnicity; religion or belief; sex (gender), sexual orientation, or marriage and civil partnership. Indirect discrimination occurs when an apparently neutral provision or practice would nevertheless disadvantage people on the grounds of their ‘protected characteristic’.
• [10] If you answer ‘yes’ to question 11 (above) you will need to complete the following section and go on to complete Section 2 in order to conduct a full Equality Impact Assessment.
• [11] This is normally three years, but not always: You may know that the policy itself will be reviewed earlier in which case the EqIA should be reviewed at that time. Or, in the case of a five year strategy, you may want to have a review date of five years. In the case of a “one off” decision, such as closing a service, a review date may not be needed - in which case you should indicate ‘N/A’. In any event, the review date should be brought forward if you receive information or feedback which raises new concerns, or if the public policy context changes. You can speak to the Equality and Safeguarding Co-ordinator for more advice.