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Date of Screening: 2/12/22 –
reviewed 11/5/22
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Directorate: People
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Section: Early Help & Communities
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1. Activity to be assessed
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Bracknell
Forest COVID Winter
Grant / COVID
Local Support Grant / Household Support Grant
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2. What is the activity?
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Policy/strategy Function/procedure
Project
Review
service Organisational change
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3. Is it a new or existing
activity?
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New Existing
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4. Officer responsible for the
screening
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Mark
Barrett
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5. Who are the members of the screening
team?
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Sharon Warner,
Harjit Hunjan, Samantha Wood, Katie Flint (reviewed and
updated by Katie Flint and Claudia Trott, Mark Barratt)
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6. What is the purpose of the
activity?
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Local authorities have been allocated a number of grants from the
Department for Work and Pensions to distribute to the community.
Originally these were focused on cohorts most affected by the
pandemic, this is since broadened with the latest funding with an
increased focus on the cost of living. The funding is primarily to
support with the cost of
food, energy (heating, cooking, lighting) and other
essentials.
A minimum of one
third of the funding must be spent on families with children, one
third on pensioners and the remaining on other vulnerable
households.
Local authorities
are responsible for how the funding is allocated and have been
given significant discretion for setting up the support and
determining eligibility. Any funding not spent by the end of the
period must be returned to the Department for Work and
Pensions.
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7. Who is the activity designed to
benefit/target?
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Vulnerable
families with children, pensioners and other households in hardship
and adversely affected by the cost of living crisis.
Specifically, it
is recommended that the following cohorts are provided with a
supermarket voucher:
·
Parents of
children eligible for Free School Meals including under five
equivalents
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Pension age
households in receipt of pension credit or council tax
reduction
·
Low
income working age disabled and carer households
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Care
Leavers
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Protected Characteristics
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Please tick
yes or no
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Is there an impact?
What kind of
equality impact may there be? Is the impact positive or adverse or
is there a potential for both?
If the impact is
neutral please give a reason.
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What evidence do you have to support
this?
E.g equality
monitoring data, consultation results, customer satisfaction
information etc
Please add a
narrative to justify your claims around impacts and describe the
analysis and interpretation of evidence to support your conclusion
as this will inform members decision making, include consultation
results/satisfaction information/equality monitoring
data
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8. Disability
Equality – this can include physical, mental health, learning
or sensory disabilities and includes conditions such as dementia as
well as hearing or sight impairment.
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Y
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This support
will have a positive impact to this characteristic
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This
evidence shows disabled residents are more likely to be in
financial hardship due to COVID-19. National and local data
demonstrates that disabled households and those with poor health
are at higher risk of poverty. This scheme seeks to alleviate some
of this hardship.
Disabled
residents who are unable to work may be considered eligible linked
to the benefits they receive or the wider vulnerability to
financial hardship.
Any
resident with a disability wanting to exchange their voucher can
also call the Council and a member of staff can complete the
process for them over the phone.
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9. Racial
equality
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Y
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This support will
have a positive impact to
this characteristic group
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National
and local data shows that ethnic minority groups have higher rates
of poverty. Poverty rates in BAME households are 38% compared with
19% for white households. Residents who are facing hardship are
those that are eligible for this support and therefore there is
likely to be a greater proportion of residents from an ethnic
minority receiving this support than the wider
population.
This
evidence shows some ethnicities are more likely to be in financial
hardship due to COVID-19. This scheme seeks to alleviate some of
this hardship.
The
information has been designed to be accessible through a number of
methods. The main details of the scheme will be on the website
which can be translated into to other languages.
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10. Sex
equality
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N
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Neutral
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There
is no anticipated impact to this characteristic.
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11. Sexual
orientation equality
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N
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Neutral
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There is no anticipated impact to this characteristic.
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12. Gender
re-assignment
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N
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Neutral
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There is no
anticipated impact to this characteristic.
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13. Age
equality
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Y
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This
support will have a positive impact to this characteristic
group
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This
scheme will more positively benefit families with children and
pension age individuals as per the conditions of the
grant.
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14. Religion and
belief equality
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N
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Neutral
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There
is no anticipated impact to this characteristic.
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15. Pregnancy and maternity equality
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N
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Neutral
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There
is no anticipated impact to this characteristic.
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16. Marriage and civil partnership
equality
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N
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Neutral
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There
is no anticipated impact to this characteristic.
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17. Please give
details of any other potential impacts on any other group (e.g.
those on lower incomes/carers/ex-offenders, armed forces
communities) and on promoting good community
relations.
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This scheme is
primarily targeted at cohorts with low income.
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18. If an adverse/negative impact has been
identified can it be justified on grounds of promoting equality of
opportunity for one group or for any other reason?
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No adverse
or negative impacts have been identified.
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19. If there is
any difference in the impact of the activity when considered for
each of the equality groups listed in 8 – 14 above; how
significant is the difference in terms of its nature and the number
of people likely to be affected?
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The scheme is
likely to positively impact hundreds of households across the
borough who are in financial hardship. It is estimated that around
2,500 pupils and under 5s will receiving support for food during
the holidays and a further 2,000 pension age households in receipt
of pension credit or council tax.
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20. Could the
impact constitute unlawful discrimination in relation to any of the
Equality Duties?
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N
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21. What
further information or data is required to better understand the
impact? Where and how can that information be obtained?
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The
council is required to monitor and report to the DWP how the
funding is allocated and spent.
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22. On the
basis of sections 7 – 17 above is a full impact assessment
required?
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N
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A full impact
assessment is not required as it has been evidenced above that
there is no negative impacts to particular groups within the
community.
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23. If a
full impact assessment is not required; what actions will you take
to reduce or remove any potential differential/adverse impact, to
further promote equality of opportunity through this activity or to
obtain further information or data? Please complete the action plan in full, adding
more rows as needed.
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Action
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Timescale
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Person Responsible
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Milestone/Success Criteria
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24. Which service, business or work plan
will these actions be included in?
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Project overseen by the Financial Hardship Subgroup and Members
Welfare Steering Group
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25. Please list the current actions undertaken
to advance equality or examples of good practice identified as part
of the screening?
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Considered a range of cohorts.
Mapped other support/funding currently available to cohorts
including through the Discretionary Energy Rebate Scheme
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26. Assistant director’s
signature.
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Signature:
Date:
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