14 November 2008
By David Scott
Local authorities in Scotland need to give race equality a higher priority, an investigation by the local government watchdog has found.
In a report published on November 13, the Accounts Commission said councils had developed policies and a range of initiatives on race equality, but these had not yet had a significant impact on the delivery of services or on people from ethnic minority communities.
The report, The impact of the race equality duty on council services, said some initiatives were meeting the diverse needs of local communities, such as the provision of interpretation and translation services for recent migrants.
However, overall, councils lacked information about ethnic minority communities, their needs and experiences. 'They are also unable to show how race equality is systematically and routinely built into the design and delivery of services,' the report said.
The commission stated: 'All councils have developed policies and processes on race equality but they now need to ensure these have a positive impact on services.'
According to the report, Best Value audits show that councils need to improve their performance on equalities, which is underdeveloped.
It recommended that councillors and senior managers ensure race equality is incorporated into the improvement programmes they have already established under Best Value and do more to identify and share good practice.
The commission chair, John Baillie, said: 'Councils now need to get better at engaging with people from minority ethnic communities... This will help improve council services for everyone.'
PFnov2008
