Councils face a lack of support and guidance over equality issues after delays in delivering an effective single equality Bill. MPs on the communities and local government committee said government indecision and delay could threaten to hamper the effectiveness of the Commission for Equality and Human Rights, a single body covering all aspects of equality, before it had even launched. The committee's report raises fears that equality issues have ‘slipped down the Government's agenda'. It states: ‘Deep and entrenched inequalities and unfair discrimination persist in the UK, in spite of 40 years of anti-discrimination legislation.' At a time when local government pay rows continue to rumble, the report also revealed it could take another 78 years to close the pay gap between men and women. Mark Hammerton, partner at international law firm, Eversheds, said most employers, particularly local authorities were ‘committed to delivering on equal opportunity'. ‘The prospect of an under-resourced and under-prepared commission will do nothing to assist those employers,' he said. ‘What matters is the ability to provide effective guidance to employers and individuals and proportionate enforcement. If the committee is correct, there will be a shortfall in these areas.' The IDeA has been consulting with councils on the Government's proposals for a single equality Bill. Mandy Wright, IDeA's associate director for workforce and diversity issues, said it was important the collective views of local authorities were ‘captured and passed on' to central government. Last week, Gordon Brown created a new government equalities office for the UK, which will be headed up by Harriet Harman, deputy leader of the Labour party.
