City of York Council

Equalities Impact Assessment

Who is submitting the proposal?

Directorate:		Director of Environment, Transport and Planning
Service Area:		Highways
Name of the proposal :		City Walls, tap to donate
Lead officer:		Liam Dennis
Date assessment completed:		15/03/24
Names of those who contributed to the assessment:
Name	Job title		Organisation	Area of expertise
Liam Dennis	Ancient Monuments Manager		City of York Council	Community involvement and coproduction, heritage management
Ben Reeves	Ancient Monuments Project officer		City of York Council	Archaeology, heritage management and conservation
Dan Clubley	Ancient Monuments Supervisor		City of York Council.	Construction, stonemasonry heritage conservation

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 installation of a donation point in Bootham Bar to collect voluntary contributions for their upkeep. The initiative includes creating an interpretation space  engage visitors with the history and conservation of the Walls. The funds raised will improve the interpretation offering and improve intellectual access for visitors, help preserve the walls, and reduce reliance on the Council’s capital budget..

1.2	Are there any external considerations? (Legislation/government directive/codes of practice etc.)
	Yes. Bootham Bar is a scheduled ancient monument. The proposal will therefore require scheduled monument consent under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979, and section 31 of which grants local authorities the powers to accept voluntary contributions for the maintenance of historical monuments. The project will also need to comply with the Procurement Act 2023.

1.3

Who are the stakeholders and what are their interests?

· Visitors: Interest in contributing to the preservation of York’s Heritage · Residents: benefit from improved conservation, potential enhancements to accessibility, and continued access to the City Walls. · Historic England: ensuring preservation of the City Walls in line with national heritage conservation standards · Friends of York Walls: advocating for the conservation of York Walls, community engagement, improved access as well as better interpretation and education · Visit York: encouraging tourism and engagement with the city’s heritage · York BID: Supporting city-wide improvements that enhance visitor experiences and economic benefits · York Civic Trust: Interested in the conservation and preservation of York’s historic environment · York Conservation Trust: Committed to maintaining and restoring historic buildings and sites in York

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.

Improving customer experience (CYC Council Plan 2023-2027, 38). Visitors: Enhanced engagement and interpretation offering for the heritage of York providing a voluntary means to contribute to conservation efforts. Residents: Improved heritage conservation and potential future enhancements to engagement, interpretation and both intellectual and physical accessibility. CYC Financial Stability: Sustainable funding for ongoing conservation efforts, reducing reliance on borrowing (Council Plan 2023-2027, 38). Heritage stakeholders: Increased engagement with and appreciation of York’s heritage assets and strengthening local community partnerships (Council Plan 2023-27) Improving the physical environment: revenue from donations to contribute to improvements in natural and cultural assets of the city walls and ramparts, as well as adaptations in response to climate change (Council Plan 2023-2027, 36)

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
Make It York 2021 Visitor Survey		To understand visitor engagement and numbers with the walls
Previous CYC donation initiatives		Learning from past attempts to increase likelihood of success
Consultation with stakeholders		To gather feedback on the proposal and its implementation
Historic England’s The Inclusive Heritage Advice Hub		Advice and case studies for best practices for inclusivity in heritage projects

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
Potential visitor willingness to donate		Conduct a pilot trial and collect data
Effectiveness of interpretation space in increasing donations		Monitor engagement and feedback along with, donation trends

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		Interpretation space may enhance education for all ages	+	H
Disability		Current physical access limitations to Bootham Bar, funds generated could improve accessibility to the City Walls	-	M
Gender		Use the interpretation material to highlight roles of gender in historical context, which can lack in historical interpretation	+	L
Gender Reassignment		None
Marriage and civil partnership		None
Pregnancy and maternity		None
Race		None
Religion and belief		None
Sexual orientation		None
Other Socio-economic groups including :		Could other socio-economic groups be affected e.g. carers, ex-offenders, low incomes?
Carer		Improved accessibility may benefit carers pushing wheelchairs	+	L
Low income groups		Voluntary donations ensure no additional financial burden, with an improved visitor experience.	+	M
Veterans, Armed Forces Community		None
Other
Impact on human rights:
List any human rights impacted.		None

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?

While physical accessibility improvements are challenging due to the historic nature of the walls, funds raised could support digital and interactive interpretation tools such as audio and virtual tours. All interpretative material would be made available digitally through the CYC City Walls website. Enhancing interpretation: examine how feasible it is to ma information available in multiple formats (audio, brail, other languages) to increase accessibility.

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
Adjust the proposal		While the proposal has significant benefits, there is a need to address accessibility issues through digital enhancements and examine alternative interpretation methods.

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
Accessibility limitations		Develop digital interpretation	Project Lead	6 months
Visitor engagement		Monitor donation trends and feedback	Project Team	Ongoing
Public perception		Clear communication on voluntary nature of donations	Communications Team	Prior to rollout

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?
	· Track donation levels and visitor engagement with interpretation material. · Collect visitor feedback on the accessibility and effectiveness of digital interpretation. · Regularly review accessibility options and update based on feedback. · Adjust communication strategies to ensure transparency and continued public support.