City of York Council

Equalities Impact Assessment

Who is submitting the proposal?

Directorate:		Housing and Communities / Adult Social Care
Service Area:		Housing Delivery and Commissioning
Name of the proposal :		Delivering Supported Housing for Adults with Learning Disabilities and/or Autism at Lowfield Green
Lead officer:		Sophie Round
Date assessment completed:		26^th July 2024
Names of those who contributed to the assessment :
Name	Job title		Organisation	Area of expertise
Clair-Lou Bailey	Commissioning Manager		City of York Council	Housing
Sophie Round	Housing Delivery Programme Manager		City of York Council	Housing

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.
	To deliver a small plot of land, known as Lowfield Plot A, for the delivery of supported housing for Adults with Learning Difficulties and/or Autism. The report seeks a budget to carry out design and survey work to submit a planning application.

1.2	Are there any external considerations? (Legislation/government directive/codes of practice etc.)
	The new housing would be designed to meet the guidance from the government ‘National Statement of Expectation for Supported Housing’.

1.3	Who are the stakeholders and what are their interests?
	Internal stakeholders including Adult Social Care’s Commissioning team and operational team, Housing Management and Housing Delivery. External stakeholders will be the future residents and their families as well as the wider community of disabled people. Community engagement with residents living on or around Lowfield green will also be critical.

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 (2023-2027) and other corporate strategies and plans.

The paper seeks support to deliver a small plot of land at Lowfield Green, known as Plot A, for supported housing for adults with learning disabilities and/or autism. This aligns with all 4 Core Commitments made in the Council Plan. 1) Equalities and Human Rights The paper proposes the delivery of affordable housing for adults with a learning disability and/or autism. The new build homes will be built to a minimum standard of Part M4(2) ‘Accessible and Adaptable dwelling’ ensuring that the homes provide a good level of accessibility for residents throughout their lives and the ground floor properties will be delivered as Part M4(3) ‘Wheelchair accessible dwelling’. Improving the quality of accommodation available to individuals with learning disabilities and / or autism has significant benefits and providing self contained accommodation aligns with the governments ‘National Statement of Expectation for Supported Housing’ which promotes the individuals right to choice about where they live and the principle of having your own front door rather than sharing facilities with others. 2) Affordability The affordability of housing is a key issue for residents of York. Whilst rents in supported housing are higher than general needs accommodation, these proposals present lower cost options for supported housing than the current provision within the city. 3) Climate All new homes will meet high energy efficiency standards and remove the reliance on fossil fuels. 4) Health and Wellbeing Good quality affordable housing has a positive benefit to the health and wellbeing of the residents. This paper aims to improve access to good quality housing for the city’s residents, creating more choice for people with Learning disabilities and / or autism than there is currently available within the city. Reducing the reliance on out of area placements ensure York residents remain in their communities and close to support networks which has benefits to the health and wellbeing of the individual and their wider families and friends.

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
NHS Short- and Long-term Support (SALT) dataset		Shows the current and emerging need in the LD & Autism cohort to support need for improved and increased housing offer.
North Yorkshire Council, City of York Council and Humber & North Yorkshire Integrated Care Board draft strategic housing needs assessment		The assessment involved engagement and feedback to input into the increased demand for supported housing in York.

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
Engagement work to be carried out directly with both neighbouring community and community of people with learning disabilities and / or autism throughout the design development so we can best design to meet the needs of those impacted by the development.		Community engagement to take place once design team is appointed. Design panel to be set up with adults with LD and Autism to input into plans.

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		The proposals do not directly relate to age although increasing the accessibility of the homes will help to support disabled people to remain independent in their homes as they age.	Positive	Medium
Disability		The proposals should have a positive impact on disabled people as there will be a greater housing offer to meet the needs of adults with learning disabilities and / or autism.	Positive	Medium
Gender		The proposals do not relate directly to gender. There are no known implications related to gender.	Neutral	Low
Gender Reassignment		The proposals do not relate directly to those undergoing gender reassignment. There are no known implications related to gender reassignment.	Neutral	Low
Marriage and civil partnership		The proposals do not relate directly to marriage and civil partnership. There are no known implications related to marriage and civil partnership.	Neutral	Low
Pregnancy and maternity		The proposals do not relate directly to pregnancy and maternity. There are no known implications related to pregnancy and marriage.	Neutral	Low
Race		The proposals do not relate directly to race. There are no known implications related to race.	Neutral	Low
Religion and belief		The proposals do not relate directly to religion and belief. There are no known implications related to religion and belief.	Neutral	Low
Sexual orientation		The proposals do not relate directly to sexual orientation. There are no known implications related to sexual orientation.	Neutral	Low
Other Socio-economic groups including :		Could other socio-economic groups be affected e.g. carers, ex-offenders, low incomes?
Carer		There is likely to be some positive impact on carers as there may be some adults with learning disabilities and/or autism living at home with parents, who may wish to live independently outside the family home and this proposal offers a supported housing option within the city.	Positive	Low
Low income groups		The proposals benefit low income groups. The homes will be an affordable housing tenure and affordable housing is more accessible to low income groups.	Positive	High
Veterans, Armed Forces Community		The proposals do not relate directly to veterans or the armed forces community.	Neutral	Low
Other		None
Impact on human rights:
List any human rights impacted.		Should have positive impact on the right to adequate housing as the policy intends to improve quality of supported accommodation in York.	Positive	Low

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 Equalties Impact Assessment at the Annex demonstrates that the proposals have a positive impact on those who are disabled and on low incomes. The Housing Delivery Programme is committed to creating inclusive and welcoming communities and will work collaboratively with stakeholders to ensure the voice of local communities and future residents is heard throughout the design process.

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 proposals		The analysis demonstrates that the proposals are robust with no direct impact to individuals or communities with protected characteristics. The Housing Delivery Programme is committed to creating inclusive and welcoming communities and will work collaboratively with stakeholders to ensure the voice of local communities and future residents is heard throughout the design process.

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
Create a design panel to get views of disabled community throughout the design process		Carry out stakeholder engagement and create panel.	Sophie Round / Clair-Lou Bailey.	Nov 2024 onwards
Community engagement to neighbouring resident		Lead engagement events to involve neighbouring community	Sophie Round	Nov 2024 onwards

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?
	Monthly project monitor and Gateway reviews at key milestones. An updated EIA will be presented to the Executive to accompany the full business case once the design work has progressed. The updated EIA will track progress of the actions in section 7 above, and further detail any changes to the impacts of the project.