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For further assistance, please refer to this guide: topics.doc
‘initiative’ is used as shorthand for any significant policy, project, strategy, and/or service development, initiatives, and service changes.
This section asks you to consider what are the positive/negative effects of your initiative, on the issues in the left hand column, e.g. tackling climate change. You are asked to evidence your findings and also put forward actions for improvement. Suggestions and information can be found by hovering the mouse over the '?'.
Climate change is with us. A decade ago, it was conjecture. Now the future is unfolding before our eyes with Arctic ice and permafrost disappearing, lethal storms and floods, forest fires and fatal heat-waves. The existing and predicted effects of climate change on the health and well being of communities across the world are well documented and backed by sound science. A study in 2004 looked at nearly 1000 scientific papers containing “global climate change” and not one rejected the consensus position that climate change is being caused by human activity.
Carbon dioxide (CO²) is the major cause of climate change. CO² is produced through transport, building and road construction, energy use, waste disposal and production of new materials. Fundamentally you should be questioning whether your initiative will increase or decrease CO² emissions.
It is possible to do both e.g. your initiative may - in the long term – reduce the need to travel by car, but in the short term increase CO² emissions through construction of a building. This may make your initiative ‘carbon neutral’.
You may also have to consider what measures you need to take to adapt to existing and predicted climate change due to risks associated with rises in temperature (e.g. affecting the elderly and vulnerable), increased flooding and storm damage (e.g. affecting local businesses or Council services)? These may be practical and/or educational measures.
You will also need to consider any other pollution impacts your initiative may have.
The continuing expansion in the number of cars on our road is not sustainable. Cars produce Co2 emissions contributing to climate change whilst other vehicle exhaust emissions result in poor air quality and health impacts. New road building, impacts on biodiversity and local communities and increased car numbers can mean more road traffic accidents, noise and nuisance. We need to create opportunities for all sections of our community to have safe walking and cycling routes and access to good public transport.
“Every creature a purpose under heaven” is an old saying but every plant, insect, animal has a purpose, and any elimination of living things (e.g., hedgerows, native grassland and other wild areas) can have grave effects on the balance of nature. It is believed that the elimination of the rain forests has meant that certain species of medicinal plants have been lost for all time.
Bridgend County Borough’s bio-diversity provides the community with a diverse, green environment that is good for health and well-being. Every effort must be made to protect, maintain and promote bio-diversity.
You will need to consider whether your initiative is likely to impact on the wildlife and green space of Bridgend (e.g. destruction or degradation of a local wildlife habitat or ‘corridor’) or elsewhere in the world. (For example, purchasing tropical hardwood could contribute to the destruction of rainforest habitats). There may even be opportunities for your initiative to make a positive impact on biodiversity.
Access to green space is essential for recreation and community well being, as well as contributing to biodiversity and absorbing carbon dioxide. A lack of green space and the use of Greenfield sites for building is also a contributory factor to concerns about the security of water supplies. There is much evidence to support green space as an important determinant of health and our general sense of well-being. A “concrete environment” is not conducive to a healthy and sustainable life style. Green environments with appropriate consideration of design issues can play a significant part in the reduction of crime, and equally important the fear of crime.
The resources of the planet are being used up at an unsustainable rate. If everyone around the globe consumed as much as we do in Wales we would need 3 planets to survive –we have only one. Use of virgin resources also uses a lot of energy, producing CO² emissions. In addition to this, we are running out of landfill sites to absorb the waste we produce at the end of the consumption cycle.
Any initiative needs to ensure that we are minimising our consumption and not using more of anything that we really need.
Sustainable Procurement involves looking beyond traditional award criteria and encourages decisions to be based on whole life costing, associated risks and the implications for society and the environment.
The integration of sustainability procurement (subject to EU procurement guidelines) into your initiative can have far reaching positive effects on; supporting the local economy, creating more jobs and training opportunities, create an attractive and clean environment, contribute to tackling climate change and ensure a fair and ethical price is paid to producers.
Some of the sustainable considerations that may lead to the decision to buy goods and services from one supplier rather than another include the supplier’s credentials in using environment friendly production methods, providing ethically sourced goods, use of renewable/recycled materials within their product and supplying products with minimum packaging.
Poverty is a major determinant of health, and poor people in Bridgend live 4 years less than their richer neighbours, especially if they are unemployed. Whilst unemployment is a key issue in terms of securing an adequate income, it is important to ensure that welfare benefits are maximized and that debt counseling and credit unions are available. Inadequate incomes are also linked to different types of discrimination.
Economic growth can provide a potent force for wealth creation but the extent to which that wealth goes to alleviate poverty and improve the quality of life for communities both now and in the future largely depends on making sustainable decisions. This includes encouraging economic growth that balances wealth creation with the impact on the environment and on all sections of our communities. In the context of globalisation many low skilled jobs may be insecure given lower labour costs in the developing world. Therefore it is important to create jobs that are sustainable in the long term.
Lack of education and skills is a major determinant of health and a trained and knowledgeable workforce is essential for sustainable employment. Education provides people with the tools to make sustainable, healthy choices in their lives helping create healthy sustainable communities.
Peak Oil is the term to describe the point in time when global oil supplies reach a peak, after which the rate of production enters terminal decline. Peak Oil is characterised by the end of an era of cheap and abundant oil, of which we are beginning to encounter now, with ever increasing fuel prices.
The implications to services and ourselves are vast:
Food Production & Catering Service - The production of food is heavily reliant on oil for the production of fertilisers and pesticides, combined with oil for transportation. This will affect the cost for service delivery for meals on wheels, school catering service as well as the wider community.
Procuring Goods and Services - Oil is a constituent part of many goods, which will include everyday items such as electric sockets, pens, computers and CD's. Those goods that don't use oil as a constituent part will require it for their manufacture and transportation. The price of goods and services will increase.
Fleet Operation - The rise in fuel prices puts the Council under increased financial pressure to pay for fuel for its vehicle fleet which will place pressure upon building maintenance, meals on wheels etc.
Highways - Increased costs will make street lighting more expensive; the soaring cost of oil will lead to rising price of asphalt for road maintenance.
Buildings Management - The cost of managing buildings will soar due to increased energy prices, stretching already pressurised budgets.
Economic Development - The current growth model has been based on cheap oil; rising costs associated with transportation and utilities will put pressure on already difficult times for businesses. Potential business failure would lead to rising unemployment. Staff are faced with increased pressure for increased costs for commuting to work.
Communities - All individuals will be affected by increased costs for heating, energy, transport, commuting, food, goods and services; but it will affect those communities most that can least afford it.
To mitigate the effects of these trends and in the interests of socio-economic stability, an emphasis on local arrangements and using resources efficiently will need to be integrated into your initiative.
Primary considerations will often be the same for those as climate change and should include:
Lack of physical activity, obesity, bad diet, alcohol and smoking are the major causes of cancer, strokes and heart disease.
If a community is to be sustainable then it needs to be safe, and secure. This is not just about crime prevention, but it is also about managing the fear of crime. This applies to commercial and residential areas. The use of good lighting, CCTV, traffic-calming measures all have an important role to play. It is also about ensuring that crime is “designed out” wherever possible, but also that the signs of decay/decline are addressed at an early stage.
A key issue is to ensure that facilities are available for children and young people to socialize and participate in various activities. Vulnerable groups can become socially isolated if they are fearful of going out, or even opening their doors, and this can have an adverse impact on social cohesion.
Evidence has shown that communities/neighborhoods with access to a range of services, employment and social opportunities are the healthier and the most sustainable. Social capital in terms of networks, friendships, trust etc. is an important resource for health and well-being. Also, social contacts reduce loneliness, which is a major cause of ill health.
Since the Second World War zonal planning has been very popular where certain parts of town cities are identified as residential or industrial or shopping areas. The problem has been that they have relied on the car and also contributed to urban sprawl. In recent years another approach has been seen as more sustainable. The idea of mixed use streets etc. which have employment, residential, social and other opportunities is seen as fostering lively communities, and can also reduce the need to travel long distance.
Linked to this is the preservation of the buildings, bridges, monuments and other built heritage that helps shape a sense of who we are and give us pride in our community. It is also important to preserve and build upon social capital, developed by private and voluntary sector initiatives.
Living in cold, overcrowded and/or damp housing is a major cause of physical and/or mental ill health. A major problem is the lack of affordable housing. This is not just about building new houses but also about improving existing homes. Equally important is ensuring that homes accommodate to the needs of different groups, so people do not have to move just because the home is inaccessible to those with a disability. Homes should be energy efficient helping to tackle ‘fuel poverty’ -an often hidden side of affordable housing.
Linked to housing is the importance of having sustainable communities/neighbourhoods. Research has shown that improving housing without improving the neighbourhood and providing local facilities is likely to cause further deprivation and lead to a spiral of decline.
The days when people thought that preventing crime was the police’s job and that of no-one else have long gone. As we’ve found out more about the causes of crime and about the best ways of preventing it, its become clear that cutting crime and tackling the causes of crime needs to involve all of us-local residents, community groups, people working in the public and the private sector, the courts, and so on. At the same time, Section 17 of the Crime and Disorder Act 1998 has made it the duty of local councils to consider the crime and disorder implications of all its activities.
Community Safety touches the work of all Council departments and service areas. Through Section 17, officers and elected members have an opportunity to consider how each service area can contribute to reducing crime and disorder, addressing the social, community and physical ‘drivers’ of crime and so enhancing quality of life for local communities.
The act creates a general duty on each Local Authority to take account of the community safety dimension in all of its work. All policies, strategies, plans and budgets will need to be considered from the standpoint of their potential contribution to the reduction of crime and disorder, anti-social behaviour, substance misuse and behaviour adversely affecting the environment.
This assessment includes Part A of the Equalities Impact Assessment (EIA). Therefore on completion of Part A, if it is clear that the initiative (policy) does not have an impact on how the Authority complies with its duties, or that the policy will have a positive impact on how the Authority complies with its duties, you will not need to carry our any further assessment. You will need to record your determination together with the reasons for it, and a copy of your report will be sent to the Policy & Performance Unit.
The full Equalities Impact Assessment can be accessed by clicking here, to be completed if the policy with have a negative impact, or if the impact is unclear.
An EIA should consider both the positive and negative equality impacts of a policy. The greater the negative impact of a policy the more in-depth your assessment will need to be. This impact may be either intentional or unintentional. The aim is to identify risks of unlawful discrimination and identify what actions can be taken to minimise negative discrimination and better promote equality.
The EIA covers the Authority's duties under:
The full guidance for the Equality Impact Assessment can be accessed by clicking here.
