ANNEX C

City of York Council

Equalities Impact Assessment

Who is submitting the proposal?

Directorate:		City Development
Service Area:		Economy Team
Name of the proposal:		The York Business Improvement District (BID) 2026
Lead officer:		Claire Foale Penny Nicholson
Date assessment completed:		20/02/2025
Names of those who contributed to the assessment :
Name	Job title		Organisation	Area of expertise
Chris Bush	Business Manager		The York BID	Business improvement districts
Penny Nicholson	Economy Officer		City of York Council	Economy and city centre

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 proposal informs Members that The York BID are preparing for a third BID term in York City Centre, beginning on 1^st April 2026. The Council is a key partner as lead authority, meaning we have a duty to host the ballot of businesses on behalf of the BID. The Council is also a voter and levy payer for the BID.

1.2	Are there any external considerations? (Legislation/government directive/codes of practice etc.)
	There are multiple BIDs across the country and each is bound by the same Government legislation: The Business Improvement Districts (England) Regulations 2004   These processes and protocols must be adhered to. The BID and the Council have also entered into a Memorandum of Understanding which is reviewed and refreshed, with input from our Legal Team, every new BID term.

1.3	Who are the stakeholders and what are their interests?
	The stakeholders are the York City Centre businesses within the defined BID geography who pay a mandatory percentage of the value of their business rates. These businesses have an input into what the funding should be used to support and their priorities are set out in the BID Business Plan. The Business Plan for 2026 – 2031 is still in development, but the 2021 – 2026 Business Plan is attached at this link for information. Additional stakeholders include residents and visitors to the City Centre who benefit from the work of the BID through events and maintenance work, as well as delivery partners such as City of York Council, the Police, First York, Indie York and York’s two Universities. The interest of all these stakeholders are to draw people into the York whilst acting as custodians of the City Centre.
1.4	What 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.
	A successful ballot result for the BID would address the Plan’s four key commitments in the following ways: · Affordability – Many of the events and programmes hosted by the BID are free of charge at point of access and are therefore accessible to anyone who uses the City Centre. · Environment – The BID undertakes several maintenance programmes in York, including street cleaning, enhancing the local environment and making it a more comfortable space. The BID has also delivered projects to open up green spaces in the City Centre, working closely with partners such as The Minster. One of the key Visions set out in the Business Plain is ‘Promote Green and Sustainable Initiatives’. · Equalities and Human Rights – There are no adverse Human Rights Impacts associated with the work of The BID, and the City Centre is open, inclusive and accessible to all.  One of the key Visions set out in the Business Plain is ‘Encourage an Accessible City Centre’. · Health Inequalities – There are no adverse health impacts associated with the work of The BID, their programmes are designed to draw in individuals of all health statuses to use the City Centre and several of their programmes actively encourage people to walk around as much of York as possible. In addition, the work of The BID also marries up with the following Council Strategies: · York’s Economic Strategy 2022-2032 · York 2032: The 10-Year Plan · Local Transport Strategy

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
The York BID Business Plan 2021 - 2026		The Business Plan sets out the areas of focus for their work in the City. There are four elements to their Vision for York, including ‘Encourage an accessible City Centre’

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
None		N/A

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		There are no detrimental impacts to this characteristic	0	L
Disability		There are no detrimental impacts to this characteristic	0	L
Gender		There are no detrimental impacts to this characteristic	0	L
Gender Reassignment		There are no detrimental impacts to this characteristic	0	L
Marriage and civil partnership		There are no detrimental impacts to this characteristic	0	L
Pregnancy and maternity		There are no detrimental impacts to this characteristic	0	L
Race		There are no detrimental impacts to this characteristic	0	L
Religion and belief		There are no detrimental impacts to this characteristic	0	L
Sexual orientation		There are no detrimental impacts to this characteristic	0	L
Other Socio-economic groups including :		Could other socio-economic groups be affected e.g. carers, ex-offenders, low incomes?
Carer		There are no detrimental impacts to this characteristic	0	L
Low income groups		There are no detrimental impacts to this characteristic	0	L
Veterans, Armed Forces Community		There are no detrimental impacts to this characteristic	0	L
Other		N/A	N/A	N/A
Impact on human rights:
List any human rights impacted.		None	N/A	N/A

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?

Based on this assessment, there are no unlawful or unwanted adverse impacts. The York BID has already been established for ten years without issue.  The work of The BID concentrates solely on the geography of York City Centre which is open, inclusive and assessable to all those who wish to use it. The majority of the events carried out by the BID are free of charge and their work is widely advertised via social media and the local Press.

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 changes 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. The BID has been in existence for ten years. Their work in the City Centre is open, inclusive and accessible to all, and events are often delivered without charge. The programme of work is set out in their Business Plan which is agreed by the BID Board of Directors as representative of the wishes of the levy paying business community.

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 BID evaluate their work on a regular basis to determine impact, so any adverse issues will be raised during this process and reported back to the BID Board.