Document B

Pre-screening Equality Impact Assessment Report

November 2022


The Community Plan contains the vision and aspirations for the Causeway Coast and Glens area for 2030. 
The Community Plan Delivery Plan sets out the implementation of strategic actions for the community plan 

This document contains an assessment on the need to undertake an Equality Impact Assessment on ‘A Better Future Together’ for Causeway Coast and Glens

Causeway Coast and Glens Draft Community Plan 
Equality Impact Assessment (EQIA) 
Screening Form 
This EQIA screening report has been adapted by Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council’s Community Planning Manager from a screening report used to assess the Programme for Government. The contents of this report relate to the requirements contained within Section 75 of the Northern Ireland Act 1998 and will assist in determining the need for an EQIA for the Causeway Coast and Glens Community Plan.
 

EQIA SCREENING REPORT 
Legislative Requirement: The Development, implementation and monitoring of the Community Plan is a legislative function prescribed in the Local Government Act (NI) 2014. 

Determination 
An EQIA is not required because the Community Plan is a high-level document that has no differential impact on any section 75 group and no direct impact on equality of opportunity or on good relations. The impact of subsidiary action plans, strategies, policies and programmes will be considered separately at an appropriate level. 



The Responsible Authority is Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council. 
Contact Officer: Elizabeth Beattie, Head of Policy and Community Planning 
Signed…………………………………………………Date: 

Background to Section 75 of the Northern Ireland Act 1998 

Section 75 of the Northern Ireland Act 1998 (the Act) requires public authorities designated for the purposes of the Act to comply with two statutory duties. The first duty is the Equality of Opportunity Duty, which requires public authorities in carrying out their functions relating to Northern Ireland to have due regard to the need to promote equality of opportunity between the nine equality categories of persons of different religious belief, political opinion, racial group, age, marital status or sexual orientation; men and women generally; persons with a disability and persons without; and persons with dependants and persons without. 

The second duty, the Good Relations Duty, requires that public authorities in carrying out their functions relating to Northern Ireland have regard to the desirability of promoting good relations between persons of different religious belief, political opinion and racial group. 

Section 75 of the Northern Ireland Act 1998 was intended to be transformative. Its aim was to change the practices of government and public authorities so that equality of opportunity and good relations are central to policy making, policy implementation, policy review and service delivery. 

The duties on public authorities to promote equality of opportunity and good relations grew out of attempts to make the earlier non-statutory Policy Appraisal and Fair Treatment (PAFT) initiative more effective, and from the agreement reached in the multi-party talks on Northern Ireland, that is The Belfast Agreement/Good Friday Agreement (the Agreement). 

The Section 75 statutory duties make equality and good relations central to the whole range of public policy decision-making. Experience in Northern Ireland and elsewhere shows that questions of equality and good relations may easily become side-lined in organisations. More focused attention addresses this problem by requiring all public authorities to engage directly with equality and good relations issues through all stages of policy making and service delivery. 

The Section 75 statutory duties aim to encourage public authorities to address inequalities and demonstrate measurable positive impact on the lives of people experiencing inequalities, through paying due regard to the need to promote equality of opportunity and paying regard to the desirability of promoting good relations. 

Its effective implementation should improve the quality of life for all the people of Northern Ireland. 

Application of the screening criteria was applied with ‘Guidance for Implementing Section 75 of the Northern Ireland Act 1998’ from the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland – see Table 1 below.

Table 1 

Responsible Authority:                     Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council (as facilitator of the Community Plan) 

Contact Address/ Person:                 Mrs Elizabeth Beattie 
                                                             Head of Policy and Community Planning
                                                             Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council
                                                             7 Connell Street
                                                             Limavady
                                                             BT49 0HA 
                                                             028 7772 2226
                                                             Elizabeth.beattie@causewaycoastandglens.gov.uk

Date of Screening:                              22 November 2022

Title of Plan:                                         A Better Future Together for Causeway Coast and Glens 

Purpose of Plan:                                  The Community Plan is a strategic long-term plan for the geographical area of Causeway
                                                               Coast and Glens which will inform the design and delivery of public services. The Plan
                                                               provides the framework for collaboration among a number of Community Planning
                                                               Partners.  The associated delivery plan sets out the strategic actions for implementation. 

What Prompted the Plan:
(i.e., legislation, regulatory or
administrative provision)                  The Council has a legislative duty, under the Local Government Act (NI) 2014 to ‘initiate,
                                                             maintain, facilitate, and participate in Community Planning’. The Community Planning
                                                            (Partners) Act requires statutory partners to participate and assist the Council in the
                                                             discharge of its duties in relation to Community Planning. The review of the Community
                                                             Plan is a statutory requirement. The review was due to be completed by June 2021. An
                                                             extensive plan of engagement and consultation due to commence in early in 2020 was
                                                             not possible due to the pandemic, however, an Interim Review of the Community Plan
                                                             was completed in May 2021. Between April and October 2022 an in-depth review of the
                                                             Community Plan and Delivery Plan was undertaken. This included:  
                                                             •   4 x sessions with Action Leads, and Statutory Partners  
                                                             •   2 x sessions with Community Engagement Platform 
                                                             •   1 x survey issued to Delivery Plan Action Leads, Statutory Partners, Equality Forum
                                                                 Members, Elected Members and Public 
                                                             •   1 x session with Cedar Foundation
                                                             •   10 x public events via Libraries

Subject:                                             Community Planning 

Period covered by the Plan:            10-15 years with a review of performance against outcomes published every two years
                                                           and a review of the plan every four years. 

Area covered by the Plan:               Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council area (map attached at appendix 3) 

Summary of nature/
content of the Plan:                           The Community Plan (2017-2030) sets out the long-term vision, desired outcomes, and
                                                             indicators for the social, economic, and environmental well-being of the area. 
                                                             This has included: 
                                                             -   Development of a baseline of the existing conditions in the area. 
                                                             -   An integrated view of the social, economic and environmental needs of the area in the
                                                                 context of regional, national and European policies and strategies and taking account
                                                                 of communities and issues that extend into neighbouring council areas and jurisdictions. 
                                                             -   Long-term vision for the area. 
                                                             -   Long-term outcomes against which progress can be monitored and evaluated via a set of indicators. 
                                                             -   A focus on delivering in the short to medium term to achieve the long-term vision 
                                                             -   Governance structure and delivery arrangements 

Are there any proposed Plan
objectives? 
a. Are these attached?                       Our Community Plan (2017-2030) has three population outcomes supported by twelve intermediate
                                                             outcomes rather than objectives. The outcomes and intermediate outcomes are attached to the end
                                                             of this document along with the strategic actions contained within the associated delivery plan
                                                             (Appendix 1)