Annex A

City of York Council

Equalities Impact Assessment

Who is submitting the proposal?

Directorate:		Place
Service Area:		Transport
Name of the proposal :		Dial & Ride Funding and Delivery Arrangements
Lead officer:		Sam Fryers
Date assessment completed:		19/10/21
Names of those who contributed to the assessment :
Name	Job title		Organisation	Area of expertise
Julian Ridge	Sustainable Transport Manager		City of York Council	Transport planning

Step 1 – Aims and intended outcomes 

1.1	What is the purpose of the proposal? Please explain your proposal in Plain English avoiding acronyms and jargon.
	The funding arrangements between York Wheels (a local community transport provider) and CYC need to be reviewed. It is proposed that we move to either a grant-funding arrangement (preferred option) or put the Dial & Ride service out to competitive tender. In either case, it is intended that the level of service provided will be equivalent or better than the current provision.

1.2	Are there any external considerations? (Legislation/government directive/codes of practice etc.)
	Supporting the dial and ride service is not a statutory provision – although the service contributes significantly to the wellbeing of mobility impaired people to whom CYC does have duties.
	York Wheels operate the Dial & Ride service using a Section 19 permit, which governs the use of minibuses by non-commercial transport providers. Any CYC grant funding to York Wheels will be subject to a Subsidy Control assessment.

1.3	Who are the stakeholders and what are their interests?
	Service users- elderly and disabled persons who have difficulty using standard local bus services York Wheels- local charity which operates the York Dial & Ride service and voluntary car scheme

1.4	What results/outcomes do we want to achieve and for whom?  This section should explain what outcomes you want to achieve for service users, staff and/or the wider community. Demonstrate how the proposal links to the Council Plan (2019- 2023) and other corporate strategies and plans.
	To ensure that the Dial & Ride and Voluntary Car Scheme both continue to operate on a stable and sustainable level going forward, for the benefit of the older and disabled residents who rely on these services. This will help to meet the Council Plan objectives ‘Getting around sustainably’ and ‘Good health and wellbeing’.

Step 2 – Gathering the information and feedback 

2.1	What sources of data, evidence and consultation feedback do we have to help us understand the impact of the proposal on equality rights and human rights? Please consider a range of sources, including: consultation exercises, surveys, feedback from staff, stakeholders, participants, research reports, the views of equality groups, as well your own experience of working in this area etc.
Source of data/supporting evidence		Reason for using
Regular meetings with York Wheels		York Wheels have provided the D&R service for around 18 years and have detailed knowledge of their clients’ needs and how the service operates.

Step 3 – Gaps in data and knowledge

3.1	What are the main gaps in information and understanding of the impact of your proposal?  Please indicate how any gaps will be dealt with.
Gaps in data or knowledge		Action to deal with this

Step 4 – Analysing the impacts or effects.

4.1	Please consider what the evidence tells you about the likely impact (positive or negative) on people sharing a protected characteristic, i.e. how significant could the impacts be if we did not make any adjustments? Remember the duty is also positive – so please identify where the proposal offers opportunities to promote equality and/or foster good relations.
Equality Groups and Human Rights.		Key Findings/Impacts	Positive (+) Negative (-) Neutral (0)	High (H) Medium (M) Low (L)
Age		Level of service provided will be equivalent or better than that currently being offered.	+/0	L
Disability		Level of service provided will be equivalent or better than that currently being offered.	+/0	L
Gender		No effect	0
Gender Reassignment		No effect	0
Marriage and civil partnership		No effect	0
Pregnancy and maternity		No effect	0
Race		No effect	0
Religion and belief		No effect	0
Sexual orientation		No effect	0
Other Socio-economic groups including :		Could other socio-economic groups be affected e.g. carers, ex-offenders, low incomes?
Carer		No effect	0
Low income groups		No effect	0
Veterans, Armed Forces Community		No effect	0
Other		No effect	0
Impact on human rights:
List any human rights impacted.		None	0

Use the following guidance to inform your responses:

Indicate:

- Where you think that the proposal could have a POSITIVE impact on any of the equality groups like promoting equality and equal opportunities or improving relations within equality groups

- Where you think that the proposal could have a NEGATIVE impact on any of the equality groups, i.e. it could disadvantage them

- Where you think that this proposal has a NEUTRAL effect on any of the equality groups listed below i.e. it has no effect currently on equality groups.

It is important to remember that a proposal may be highly relevant to one aspect of equality and not relevant to another.

High impact (The proposal or process is very equality relevant)	There is significant potential for or evidence of adverse impact The proposal is institution wide or public facing The proposal has consequences for or affects significant numbers of people The proposal has the potential to make a significant contribution to promoting equality and the exercise of human rights.
Medium impact (The proposal or process is somewhat equality relevant)	There is some evidence to suggest potential for or evidence of adverse impact The proposal is institution wide or across services, but mainly internal The proposal has consequences for or affects some people The proposal has the potential to make a contribution to promoting equality and the exercise of human rights
Low impact (The proposal or process might be equality relevant)	There is little evidence to suggest that the proposal could result in adverse impact The proposal operates in a limited way The proposal has consequences for or affects few people The proposal may have the potential to contribute to promoting equality and the exercise of human rights

Step 5 - Mitigating adverse impacts and maximising positive impacts

5.1	Based on your findings, explain ways you plan to mitigate any unlawful prohibited conduct or unwanted adverse impact. Where positive impacts have been identified, what is been done to optimise opportunities to advance equality or foster good relations?

Step 6 – Recommendations and conclusions of the assessment

6.1	Having considered the potential or actual impacts you should be in a position to make an informed judgement on what should be done. In all cases, document your reasoning that justifies your decision. There are four main options you can take:
- No major change to the proposal – the EIA demonstrates the proposal is robust.  There is no                         potential  for unlawful discrimination or adverse impact and you have taken all opportunities to    advance equality and foster good relations, subject to continuing monitor and review.
- Adjust the proposal – the EIA identifies potential problems or missed opportunities. This involves taking steps to remove any barriers, to better advance quality or to foster good relations. - Continue with the proposal (despite the potential for adverse impact) – you should clearly set out the justifications for doing this and how you believe the decision is compatible with our obligations under the duty - Stop and remove the proposal – if there are adverse effects that are not justified and cannot be mitigated, you should consider stopping the proposal altogether. If a proposal leads to unlawful discrimination it should be removed or changed. Important: If there are any adverse impacts you cannot mitigate, please provide a compelling reason in the justification column.
Option selected		Conclusions/justification
No major change to the proposal.		Current service levels will be maintained regardless of the option chosen.

Step 7 – Summary of agreed actions resulting from the assessment

7.1	What action, by whom, will be undertaken as a result of the impact assessment.
Impact/issue		Action to be taken	Person responsible	Timescale

Step 8 - Monitor, review and improve

8. 1	How will the impact of your proposal be monitored and improved upon going forward?   Consider how will you identify the impact of activities on protected characteristics and other marginalised groups going forward? How will any learning and enhancements be capitalised on and embedded?
	Regular meetings will continue to be held with York Wheels. If a full procurement needs to take place, the tender process will ensure that any supplier going forward is committed to providing an excellent quality of service. In either case, the needs of the service users will be at the forefront of the decision making process.