Annex C

City of York Council

Equalities Impact Assessment

Who is submitting the proposal?

Directorate:		Economy and Place
Service Area:		Regeneration and Economy
Name of the proposal :		Secondary Shopping Centres – The Future of Acomb Front Street
Lead officer:		Katie Peeke-Vout
Date assessment completed:		05/04/2022
Names of those who contributed to the assessment :
Name	Job title		Organisation	Area of expertise

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.
	This Equalities Impact Assessment considers the impact of the immediate short term measures that have been implemented or are recommended for implementation at Acomb Front Street to increase footfall in the area and support economic growth. It also considers the outcomes of the public engagement on Acomb Front Street’s future.

1.2	Are there any external considerations? (Legislation/government directive/codes of practice etc.)
	The brief for this project was approved in July 2018, prior to the Covid pandemic. The engagement which forms part of the study was due to commence just as Covid hit, so was delayed. Covid legislation and guidance needed to be taken in to consideration, with the methodology adapted to ensure it was undertaken in a Covid secure manner.

1.3	Who are the stakeholders and what are their interests?
	The residents, users, potential future visitors and businesses are stakeholders in this project to review and improve Acomb Front Street. Current and potential business interest focuses on the footfall in the area, the catchment of the shopping area and potential future plans or ideas to maintain and increase this.

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.

The overarching aims of the project align with all of the principles of the Council Plan 2019-2023. ‐ Well paid jobs and an inclusive economy ‐ A greener and cleaner city ‐ Getting around sustainably ‐ Good health and wellbeing ‐ Safe communities and culture for all ‐ Creating homes and world-class infrastructure The aim of the immediate short term measures was to attract residents and visitors to Front Street to support the economic sustainability of the businesses located there. This became particularly critical to support businesses through the pandemic and recovery once the restrictions lifted. As well as supporting the businesses themselves, this also ensures that there is a varied offer of shops, cafes, and services etc in the local area, supporting the residents that live there to access these. Should future funding to consider longer term proposals for the area be secured, then these would be subject to further EIA to assess the impacts of any proposals.

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
Engagement undertaken as part of the study - Survey available online, in paper form and also undertaken face to face - Targeted survey tailored to residents and visitors, and businesses - Engagement with Acomb Alive Traders Association		Engagement with residents, visitors and businesses was undertaken as part of the study to look at potential ideas of how to improve the attractiveness of the area, driving footfall and supporting the economic vibrancy of the area. The engagement feedback was taken in to consideration by the consultants as well as the physical layout of the public realm and highways space that make up the Front Street area.

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
The consultants’ report contains a number of ideas for the future of Front Street, these range in scale from smaller low impact ideas to larger longer term high impact ideas. Although initial engagement has been undertaken, further specific engagement would be required before any ideas are progressed to fully understand the support for and impact of each of them. This will only be undertaken if funding can be secured to proceed with a comprehensive redevelopment of Acomb Front Street.		Ensure that prior to progressing the ideas in the consultants’ report that further engagement and technical assessment is undertaken.
Further feasibility and design work is required prior to progressing the longer term ideas proposed by the report.		As potential funding sources become available, work with technical officers and stakeholders to review the proposed ideas.
Ongoing monitoring and feedback from businesses and the Traders Association in Acomb is key to understanding the impact of measures already implemented and also of Covid as we move away from restrictions.		Continued relationship with the Acomb Alive Traders Association, Ward Members and businesses in Acomb.

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		No differential impact
Disability		No differential impact
Gender		No differential impact
Gender Reassignment		No differential impact
Marriage and civil partnership		No differential impact
Pregnancy and maternity		No differential impact
Race		No differential impact
Religion and belief		No differential impact
Sexual orientation		No differential impact
Other Socio-economic groups including :		Could other socio-economic groups be affected e.g. carers, ex-offenders, low incomes?
Carer		No differential impact
Low income groups		The immediate measures implemented included the Christmas lights over a number of years, as well as the Acomb Music and Dance Festival. These were all free to access events benefited everyone to enjoy regardless of economic demographic.	Positive	Medium
Veterans, Armed Forces Community		No differential impact
Other
Impact on human rights:
List any human rights impacted.

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?

The project has identified a strong desire to for the community to come together to improve the Front Street area. This strong sense of community spirit will bring the different stakeholder groups together to continue to drive improvements through their own interventions and projects. Prior to undertaking any of the longer term ideas, further engagement and specific Equalities Impact Assessment will be carried out to ensure adverse impacts are mitigated, and positive impacts maximised.

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”		There are no adverse impacts as a result of the immediate measure implemented or proposed as part of this project. Therefore no change is required. The longer term ideas will not be implemented until a through Equalities Impact Assessment has been undertaken.

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?

The impact of the measures implemented and the aspiration to proceed with any of the longer term ideas will be monitored and discussed through engagement with the Acomb Alive Traders Association and relationship with individual businesses. Further engagement will be undertaken on the longer term ideas for the area, building on the engagement to date, with specific engagement with groups affected by the ideas.