The Government doesn’t think so. They certainly think we can’t afford the Equality and Human Rights Commission that’s why they cut its budget from £70 million to £17 million and the staff from 525 to 207. To live within their reduced means the commission is moving from its prestigious modern offices overlooking the Thames to an anonymous concrete block in the back streets. To right I hear you say why should they enjoy such luxury whilst basic services are being cut to some of the most vulnerable members of our society? But what message does their reduced status give out?Will the public sector take this as a green light to cut back on equality? Will the working groups meet less frequently? Will some of the equality targets be quietly dropped? Will equal opportunity training become optional? Will local politicians and senior managers still talk about the need to win the confidence of the whole community or have they already accepted that this is unrealistic in a climate of service cuts, closures and funding reductions? Is there a notion of fair cuts or deliverable cuts?If you want to see what happens when the momentum is lost then look no further than the police force. When the Macpherson enquiry identified institutional racism throughout British police forces strategies were drawn up, targets set and pledges made. A change in culture was identified as a priority to be led from the top. The police force was to be more representative of the communities it policed with the aim of wining back the confidence of black and ethnic minority communities. Recruitment drives saw an increase in black officers and mentoring initiatives were developed to assist middle ranking officers up the chain of command. There was of course always some within the force who complained that political correctness was replacing good old fashioned coppering but as long as there was political commitment and pressure from the top progress however slow was maintained.However over time home secretaries and following their led chief constables went cool on the initiatives, maybe it was complacency, maybe it was competing priorities but the focus shifted as politicians and chief officers dealt with budget cuts, restructuring and changes to the way officers worked. Whatever the reasons equality slipped down the agenda, black officers became disheartened as issues were shelved and progress towards black officers in senior posts stalled. Today there is not one black officer on the strategic command course-the conveyor belt for middle ranking officers being groomed for senior officer rank. As for the relationship between the police and ethnic minority communities particularly the young well it is characterised by mutual mistrust.Is this what the rest of the public sector has to look forward to a gigantic backward step? Blair McPherson author of An Elephant in the Room published by Russell House which deals with introducing equality into public sector organisations. www.blairmcpherson.co.uk
