Neighbourhood Services - Discretionary service reduction

Name of policies to be assessed

Neighbourhood Services – Reducing spend on Sports Pitches

1. What is the main purpose of the policies?

A review will be undertaken on the services undertaken by the Street Care & Safety Team who are responsible for proactively standardising, managing, monitoring (through data, reporting and site visit/inspection) and planning across the Borough, in compliance with standards and legislation the following activities:

• Street cleaning
• Public/Community safety
• Anti-social behaviour
• Enforcement
• Asset maintenance and management (operations and strategic oversight)
• Public facilities
• Public realm standards
• A12 cleansing
• Public realm cleansing standards
• Provision of a vibrant and engagement town centre market
• Provision of street trading opportunities across the Borough
• Partnership and network development

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

• It is proposed that the services and activities will be reprioritised and a new service plan created matching the new levels of capacity.
• There will be a review of the road sweeper assets and programme.
• There will be consideration of outsourcing some enforcement and cleansing activities.
• There will be a review of rotas and work programme

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

n/a

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

The main groups who will be affected by the policy are:

• Residents
• Businesses
• Councillors
• External Partners
• Staff

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

• Removal of bins,
• Changes to staffing on rotas and patrols,
• Changing the criteria for call-out responses
• Changing the standard of responses to fly-tipping, graffiti, and abandoned cars; incidents and street scene works (e.g., bench repairs)
• Closing public toilets or handing over responsibility to external partners (the provision of public toilets is a non-statutory service)
• Stopping partnership, community, or engagement activities

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

• Community Enabling
• Customer Service Team
• Online and digital team
• Colchester Borough Homes

7. Relevant information, data, surveys or consultations

Performance data on recorded activity undertaken by the team, can be sourced on request.

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

• Not all policies help us to meet the ‘general duty’, but most do
• This policy helps us to meet the ‘general duty’ by:
• It is not held this policy change will impact on this duty; Wardens will remain within the workforce and will continue to work somewhat with Essex Police and the Colchester BID although to a lower level or in a more restricted capacity
• It is not held this policy change will impact on this duty

9. 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'.

This policy will help sustain health and physical activities by continuing to provide adequate numbers of sites and sports pitches, maintained to an acceptable standard.

It is not held this policy change will impact on this duty.

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

Positive impact

n/a

Negative impact

Closing public toilets will reduce the ability for this group to access toilets, running water and areas needed for other hygiene or physical needs which may be more urgently needed than other groups.

Age - those who are typically in the age group 45-55

Positive impact

n/a

Negative impact

Closing public toilets will reduce the ability for this group to access toilets, running water and areas needed for other hygiene or physical needs which may be more urgently needed than other groups.

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

Positive impact

n/a

Negative impact

Closing public toilets will reduce the ability for this group to access toilets, running water and areas needed for other hygiene or physical needs which may be more urgently needed than other groups.

Ethnicity - White; Mixed or Multiple ethnic groups; Asian or Asian British; Black, Black British, Caribbean or African; Other ethnic group

Positive impact

n/a

Language – English not as a first language

Positive impact

n/a

Pregnancy and maternity - Women who are pregnant or have given birth in the last 26 weeks

Positive impact

n/a

Negative impact

Closing public toilets will reduce the ability for this group to access toilets, running water and areas needed for other hygiene or physical needs which may be more urgently needed than other groups.

Religion or belief - People with a religious belief (or none)

Positive impact

n/a

Sex – Men and Women

Positive impact

n/a

Gender reassignment - Transgender/Transsexual

Positive impact

n/a

Sexual Orientation – Straight/Heterosexual, Gay or Lesbian, Bisexual, Other sexual orientation

Positive impact

n/a

Marriage and Civil Partnership - People who are married or in a civil partnership

Positive impact

n/a

10. How negative impacts be minimised or removed?

• Officers will explore the ability to share or move responsibility of the management of public facilities to external partners.
• Other public toilets are available and run by businesses or parish/town councils

11. Could the policy discriminate against any ‘protected characteristic’ either directly or indirectly?

Yes – in relation to the closing of public toilets

The impact of closing public toilets is legal, unintended and of high impact. The provision of public toilets is not a statutory service and can be withdrawn at any time. However, the Council will explore the possability of external partners managing the sites.

There will be other changes to the service, as outlined, and it is not clear what the impact will be at this time.

Summary and findings of Initial Equality Impact Assessment

12. 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  - Action is to sign off screening and finish.

13. Name and job title of person completing this form

Rosa Tanfield, Group Manager – Neighbourhood Services

14. Date of completion

11 January 2023

15. Date for update or review of this screening