Creating a fairer Britain
The Commission's annual reports and accounts for 2010/11 were published on 24 November 2011.
The financial year 2010/11 was a period of change for the Commission, as we adapted to new legal, economic and political circumstances.
These new circumstances may have led some to conclude that this might be a moment to pause in the pursuit of more progress on equality and human rights. We believe the opposite is true. First, more effort to ensure equality and inclusion is a prerequisite to a sustainable recovery that engages the effort and talents of the whole population. Second, our research and experience shows strongly that the moral case for fairness in a diverse society is more strongly supported across all social groups and in all political traditions than at any time in recent decades.
That does not mean, of course, that the Commission can be complacent about its future, role or resource base.
The government, understandably, took a pretty serious look at whether non-departmental public bodies like our own should continue to exist. It was pleasing to come through that process with a firm recognition from the Secretary of State that the work we do is vital and must be protected.
Of course, like other public bodies we are looking at how we ensure that we provide the best possible value for public money while maintaining the principle that our independence is both crucial to our work and central to our status as an A-rated National Human Rights Institution.
One of the moments last year in which we took most pleasure was our re-accreditation with this status – a demonstration that we function as a top-level human rights body in compliance with the Paris Principles.
But there were many other milestones in 2010/11 from which the organisation can draw a great deal of pride; milestones which showed us putting into practice the way we intend to work in the future.
We published our first Triennial Review, How Fair Is Britain?. Every three years the Commission is required to report to Parliament on the progress that Britain is making towards the vision of a society at ease with its diversity, where every individual has the opportunity to achieve their potential, and where people treat each other with dignity and respect.
The Review brings together evidence from a range of sources, including Census data, surveys and research, to paint a picture of how far what happens in people’s real lives matches up to the ideals of equality. The review was the most thorough exercise of its kind ever carried out in the UK, and the hard work of our staff was rewarded by a positive welcome from our partners, public and the media. The Review’s subsequent popularity is illustrated by the fact that the total number of page views and downloads for How Fair is Britain? since its launch to date is 194,873. Its importance to government has been illustrated by the fact that we have been asked to provide copies to government to help develop spending strategies in the run up to the 2012 spending review.
Early in the financial year the Equality Act 2010 came into force, and the Commission produced comprehensive Codes of Practice on Employment, Services and Equal Pay in line with our statutory powers. We also produced several pieces of non-statutory guidance for employers, staff, education providers, service users and service providers. This guidance covered the new public sector equality duty, helping public authorities to meet the duty.
Elsewhere, we launched an Inquiry into the protection and promotion of human rights of older people in England who require or receive home-based care and support. The Inquiry will look at the effectiveness of the English care and support system in protecting and promoting the human rights of older people requiring or receiving home-based care and support. It will aim to provide clarity and confidence for all who have rights and responsibilities that human rights are being robustly and comprehensively protected.
The Commission continued to support and intervene in legal cases which have strategic importance. Over the year, these included the case of Preddy & Hall v Bull and Bull, giving people in civil partnerships greater protection from discrimination, and the case of Geraldine Furbear, who claimed she was dismissed from her job because she was pregnant.
We also worked with police forces using their stop and search powers in a way that is disproportionate and possibly discriminatory. Of five police forces examined, we warned two that enforcement action might follow. We have been working closely with these forces to help them use this tactic in a more proportionate way and the signs are that this cooperative approach has already produced change.
The Commission is now at a new stage of its life. The formal processes of merging the legacy Commissions has been completed, and adoption of our new responsibilities has started to produce valuable and groundbreaking pieces of work to reflect our new role.
At the same time, the Commission is facing fresh challenges. The nature of the society we represent and the organisations that we are providing leadership to is shifting around us, and public and organisational attitudes have changed. We too are changing, and that change will be reflected in the process of consulting on our formal strategy for 2012-15 which will be published in early 2012.
The Equality Act 2010 gives us a new platform from which to promote change in equality and human rights. It has rationalised the law and encouraged greater transparency; and has created a modern foundation for our next strategic period.
In previous years, the Commission’s accounts have been qualified by the Comptroller and Auditor General. I am pleased to report that following the significant steps taken by the board and senior management team, the National Audit Office has been able to give an unqualified audit opinion for this year. However, the Board remains committed to taking further measures to strengthen our financial management and ensure that the Commission delivers the maximum value for the money it receives from taxpayers.
The Commission’s achievements would not have been possible without the commitment and hard work of our staff and on behalf of the Board I would like to thank them all for their efforts.
Trevor Phillips OBE, Chair
The Commission's annual reports and accounts for 2009/10 were published on 21 June 2011.
The Commission's annual reports and accounts for 2008/9 were published on 15 July 2010.