News - June 2007
Future policy direction was described at a national conference
on Equality Impact Assessment in the Transport Sector
hosted by NOMIS Projects in association with the Department
for Transport and Transport for London at the
British Museum on 6th June 2007. Speakers included senior officials from
the Department for Transport and the Department for Communities and Local
Government as well as practitioners working on accessibility and inclusion
for public bodies. They were brought together to raise awareness and share
accumulated knowledge on the statutory requirements to undertake Equality
Impact Assessments under the disability, race and gender equality duties
and on how to take account of the needs of age, faith, sexual-orientation
and low income groups in planning and service delivery.
Speakers outlined the possibility that the statutory obligations for gender, disability and race may be assimilated into an overall equality duty and that provisions may be extended to cover the private sector and other equality target groups.
The conference attracted over 70 delegates from transport organisations and local authorities responsible for undertaking and commissioning equality impact assessments.
Simon Dean, Director of NOMIS Projects said, "I was pleased to have been able to facilitate such an important conference at what must be seen as the beginning of an equality decade. Never has the opportunity for public bodies to make their services accessible to everyone been more necessary or advantageous."
"The equality duties are a statutory requirement and the conference speakers recommended that the industry sets about meeting them as a way of meeting the needs of all customers."
"Policy makers, service clients and planners from across UK transport sectors who participated in the conference demonstrated their commitment to diminishing social exclusion."
Conference Material - Equality Impact Assessment in the Transport Sector
NOMIS have been instructed to undertake a full Equality Impact Assessment for West London Trams.
Page updated 15 November 2007