Save the Equality Act
Voice4Change England is supporting a sector wide campaign to save the Equality Act. Equality legislation is currently under the spotlight on the Red Tape Challenge website. The website asks whether parts or the whole of the Equality Act should be scraped, reformed, simplified, merged or left as they are.
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New! V4CE send joint letter to the Home Secretary to save the Equality Act.
Voice4Change England is supporting a sector wide campaign to save the Equality Act. Equality legislation is currently under the spotlight on the Red Tape Challenge website. The website asks whether parts or the whole of the Equality Act should be scraped, reformed, simplified, merged or left as they are.
Read our Letter to Theresa May MP
New! V4CE send joint letter to the Home Secretary to save the Equality Act.
Voice4Change England is supporting a sector wide campaign to save the Equality Act. Equality legislation is currently under the spotlight on the Red Tape Challenge website. The website asks whether parts or the whole of the Equality Act should be scraped, reformed, simplified, merged or left as they are.
Read our Letter to Theresa May MP
What you can do to save the Equality Act
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Post a comment on the Under the Spotlight section of the Red Tape website even if you have already responded under the general section .See Rota’s template response
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Involve your networks and contacts in the campaign.
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Keep up to date with developments from ROTA, Equanomics, EDF and Voice4Change England. For breaking news on this follow us on Twitter
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Become a member of Voice4Change England. Together our voice is stronger.
What are Voice4Change England doing?
Why is the Equality Act being reviewed?
What is happening to the Equality Act?
Find out more about how sector organisations have acted
What are Voice4Change England doing?
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We have sent a joint letter with 13 other organisations to ask the Home Secretary to clarify the Red Tape Challenge consultation process; assure us that the Government remains committed to promoting equality; and assure us that the Equality Act will not be repealed in whole or in part.
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We have posted comments on all sections of the Equality Act under the spotlight on the Red Tape Challenge website.
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We responded to the general section on Equality on the Red Tape website arguing that the Equality Act is not regulation it is primary legislation. The Red Tape challenge jeopardises the integrity of our law making processes and risks pushing back 40 years worth of equalities legislation that many people have fought for to ensure social justice for all.
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We will be promoting the work of our colleagues at Rota, Equanomics and EDF who are leading the campaign to protect the Equality Act.
About the Red Tape Challenge
Government launched the Red Tape Challenge on 7 April to ‘free up business and society from the burden of excessive regulation’ and states that ‘the default presumption will be that burdensome regulations will go’.
The Equality Act was included on the site from the beginning as a General regulation asking whether it should be scrapped, merged, simplified, improved or left as it is. It has received over 5000 responses.
From 9 to 30 June the Equality Act is in the spotlight on the Red Tape website. In addition to the general regulation questions this breaks down the equality act into 8 sections. The Government has said it does not intend to repeal the Equality Act but on all sections about the Equality Act asks ‘should we scrap them altogether’.
Why is the Equality Act being reviewed?
We strongly believe the Equality Act has no place in the Red Tape review. The Act is the result of extensive consultation and was closely scrutinised during the three years it passed through Parliament. The Equality Act simplifies pre-existing legislation and brings nine major pieces of legislation and around 100 statutory instruments into a single Act. It is not Red Tape but crucial primary legislation to support the rights and improve the life outcomes of individuals with a focus on the nine protected characteristics.
What is happening to the Equality Act
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Red tape website under the spotlight: runs from 9 to 30 June. The FAQ suggest that decisions for ‘in the spotlight’ regulations will be made three months after comments have closed
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Red tape website general regulation: runs from April 2011 until April 2013.
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Public sector Equality Duty reducing bureaucracy policy review paper consultation: closed on 21 April 2011 with the intention of bringing the specific duties into force in July 2011.
The links between the different consultations are unclear and we do not know whether Government will solely be relying on comments via the website to consult with the public and how they will ensure different voices are represented in this process.