The AFSA Response to Red Tape Challenge

The Asian Fire Service Association (AFSA) has been working closely with Fire Rescue Services across the UK on the development and implementation of the Equality Act over the last couple of years.

The Asian Fire Service Association (AFSA) is a consultative body that works with the national Fire and Rescue Services and supporting agencies to assist them in achieving their equality commitments to diverse communities and supporting them in aspiring to best practice in terms of meeting their duties under the above Act. It is for this reason that I am writing to you today – after being made aware of a developing campaign across the public sector in respect of the Government's recently launched Red Tape Challenge. This campaign has been started due to a concern at the way in which the Equalities section of this website on the Red Tape Challenge site has been worded. A number of people have observed that, whilst the other sections on the website are focused on regulations, the Equalities section seems to give the impression that the Equality Act per se is potentially at risk of repeal.

AFSA wishes to draw the government's attention to the fact that the Equality Act is legislation and not a regulation and to co-locate the two as part of the Red Tape Challenge is an act of bad faith. Secondly there is already evidence that the light-touch approach being currently advocated is having a counter-productive impact on the manner in which public bodies are undertaking equality impact assessments in relation to public sector cuts. Their failure to appropriately mitigate the adverse impact of public sector cuts through consultation with protected groups has resulted in services to frontline groups working with the most vulnerable people having to either terminate their services or reduce current provision.

The light touch message is being misunderstood and causing damage to the good work that has been done in developing a understanding of consultation and impact analysis. This is evident in recent court cases that are supporting the view that the duty of Due regard is a harder test and not easier.

I should be grateful if you would review this part of the aforementioned website and suggest that the wording needs to be amended. We can then help allay any fears within the service and the broader public sector. As soon as we have a response from you, we can use our own networks and communications channels to circulate appropriate messages.

As a support network we would also encourage your department to engage in direct meetings with under represented groups as we are aware of many groups from BME backgrounds who do not have the skills or the capacity to write in when consultation is sought

Submitted by: Chair Person - Zahoor Ahmad

Supported by National Officer – Jagtar Singh OBE

Supported by Equality Advisor- Umar Zamman

On behalf of the Asian Fire Service Association (AFSA) 5th May 2011