Equality Impact Assessment FormReference -4E12
Department / Department of Place / Version no / 3.0Assessed by / Colin Wolstenholme / Date created / 22/11/2016
Approved by / Phil Barker/Ralph Saunders / Date approved / 22/11/2016
Updated by / Ralph Saunders / Date updated / 03/02/17
Final approval / Phil Barker/Ralph Saunders / Date signed off / 06/02/17
TheEquality Act 2010 requires the Council to have due regard to the need to-
- eliminate unlawful discrimination, harassment and victimisation;
- advance equality of opportunity between different groups; and
- foster good relations between different groups
Section 1: What is being assessed?
1.1Name of proposal to be assessed:
Ministry of Foodclosure
1.2Describe the proposal under assessment and what change it would result in if implemented:
The proposal is the cancellation of the IDA between the Markets Service and Public Health (PH) which will result in the withdrawal of the £96,000 PH funding to deliver the Ministry of Food and its subsequent closure from 1st April 2018.
The closure of the Ministry of Food will impact on the delivery of basic cooking skills and healthy eating advice for a range of different groups including parents with children, students and young adults, young families, disabled people, VCS organisations, community groups, and the general public
This intervention aims to help disadvantaged families to prepare and cook healthy, cost-effective, balanced meals for themselves and their families. Cook and Eat opportunities for adults have been funded by PH for a number of years and continue to be a well-attended intervention which has the potential to influence changes to the diet to benefit health.
The outcomes attributed to cooking skills programmes have been shown to improve diet which can impact on a number of health issues and conditions. Although cooking skills programmes are not viewed as a weight loss intervention, it is recognised that multi-components programmes which include activities such as cooking are the method of choice for supporting people to manage their weight.
Section 2: Whatthe impact of the proposal islikely to be
2.1Will this proposal advance equality of opportunity for people who share a protected characteristic and/or foster good relations between people who share a protected characteristic and those that do not? If yes, please explain further.
No
2.2Will this proposal have a positive impact and help to eliminate discrimination and harassment against, or the victimisation of people who share a protected characteristic? If yes, please explain further.
No
2.3Will this proposal potentially have a negative or disproportionate impact on people who share a protected characteristic? If yes, please explain further.
Yes
Whilst the Ministry of Food is a discretionary service provided by the Council, its closure will by definition have a disproportionate effect upon those people who share a protected characteristic. Those attracted to the services provided by the Ministry of Food tend to be those from disadvantaged communities where behaviour change is required to reduce obesity through education andteaching cooking skills.
.
Research shows that, in general people from disadvantaged backgrounds tend to have poor cooking facilities and poor cooking skills; confidence in the ability to cook is greater in people from higher social class.
Poorer households spend proportionately more of their income on food, and are choosing highly processed and high fat foods of poor nutritional quality in order to save money.
In addition to the lower income families, the Ministry of Food is accessed by those with other protected characteristics such as disabled clients - thoseaffectedboth by physical and mental health problems.Groups such as Action for the Blind, (Visually impaired and totally blind people) Cygnet lodge for mentally ill patients, Pathways Alzheimer’s groups, The Early Intervention Team,Wrose Adventurers (Group for young people with Autism)
Other community based groups for example from St Luke’s Diabetic patients, Public Health Tier 2 -Healthy Weight patients, Public Health Tier 3 Bradford Weight Management Service patients who have a BMI of 50+, people who live in sheltered accommodation, Young offenders, the Probation Service, Fresh Start. Youth Service, leaving care, Schools, colleges and Universities.
2.4Please indicate the level of negative impact on each of the protected characteristics?
(Please indicate high (H), medium (M), low (L), no effect (N) for each)
Protected Characteristics: / Impact(H,M, L, N)
Age / M
Disability / M
Gender reassignment / L
Race / L
Religion/Belief / L
Pregnancy and maternity / L
Sexual Orientation / L
Sex / L
Marriage and civil partnership / L
Additional Consideration:
Low income/low wage / M
2.5 How could the disproportionatenegative impactsbe mitigated or eliminated?
The Health Improvement Team will support providers/organisations proactively with advice and sign-posting as opportunities are identified.
Section 3: Dependencies from other proposals
3.1Please consider which other services would need to know about your proposal and the impacts you have identified. Identify below which services you have consulted, and any consequent additional equality impacts that have been identified.
There are no known dependencies or impacts upon or by other Council services. The delivery of the Ministry of Food is dependent on the funding from Public Health which is being withdrawn.
Section 4: What evidence you have used?
4.1What evidence do you hold to back up this assessment?
- Knowledge of the operation of the Ministry of Food
- Financial breakdown of the profit/loss accounts
- Inter-Departmental Agreement and agreed milestones
4.2Do you need further evidence?
The current level of knowledge is regarded as sufficient to support this analysis.
Section 5: Consultation Feedback
5.1Results from any previous consultations prior to the proposal development.
None
5.2The departmental feedback you provided on the previous consultation (as at 5.1).
N/A
5.3Feedback from current consultation following the proposal development (e.g. following approval by Executive for budget consultation).
The Ministry of Food does more than just provide food and nutrition advice. It is a service in itself that provides necessary skills to people saving them from accessing health services in the future. The centre is used to support vulnerable people, tailored to their individual needs and getting them involved in community life e.g. people with Asperger syndrome, disadvantaged people.
There was a suggestion that this service wasn’t being used to its full potential and could be paid for by schools.
Concern about the cumulative effect with the Public Health cuts when obesity is big problem.
5.4Your departmental response to the feedback on the current consultation (as at 5.3) – include any changes made to the proposal as a result of the feedback.
We are looking at an alternative delivery model for MOF, a business model in order to make the programme/service sustainable. There are many opportunities to be explored regarding income generation which would maintain the delivery to our more vulnerable communities. We are also seeking advice from the Jamie Oliver MOF Foundation on funding, income generation and charitable trust status.
The Chair of the Health and Wellbeing Board (Leader of the Council)has created a new strategic Healthy Weight Board to lookat innovative ways inaddressing the growing obesity rates within the district as current provision has had little effect on the growing obesity rates.
Schools will have the ability to use the sugar tax monies to promote physical activity as a way of addressing childhood obesity
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