Equality impact assessment (EIA) form: evidencing paying due regard to protected characteristics

(Form updated April 2019)

Request to bid for Home Upgrade Grant Phase 2

If you would like this information in another language or format such as Braille, large print or audio, please contact the Communications Unit on 01609 53 2013 or email communications@northyorks.gov.uk.

Equality Impact Assessments (EIAs) are public documents.  EIAs accompanying reports going to County Councillors for decisions are published with the committee papers on our website and are available in hard copy at the relevant meeting.  To help people to find completed EIAs we also publish them in the Equality and Diversity section of our website.  This will help people to see for themselves how we have paid due regard in order to meet statutory requirements. 

Name of Directorate and Service Area	Central Services, Policy and Partnerships
Lead Officer and contact details	Jos Holmes, NYCC Climate Change Policy Officer
Names and roles of other people involved in carrying out the EIA
How will you pay due regard? e.g. working group, individual officer	The Sustainable Warmth Programme Group will deliver this programme.
When did the due regard process start?

Section 1. Please describe briefly what this EIA is about. (e.g. are you starting a new service, changing how you do something, stopping doing something?)

We are applying for Home Upgrade Grant Phase 2 from BEIS

It is funding for local authorities to improve the energy performance and heating systems of off gas grid private sector homes until March 2025 through energy efficiency upgrades and low carbon heating. In practice this is predominantly for rural dwellings and park homes. To be eligible, residents

· are low income households (<£31Kp.a)

· are off the mains gas grid

· dwelllings have an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) between D and G

This is called Housing Retrofit.

Section 2. Why is this being proposed? What are the aims? What does the authority hope to achieve by it? (e.g. to save money, meet increased demand, do things in a better way.)

To support climate change and public health ambitions by improving home energy efficiency and introducing low carbon heating. This will reduce both carbon emissions and home energy bills, whilst improving living conditions in homes.

Section 3. What will change? What will be different for customers and/or staff?

Residents will have improved home environment with warmer homes, lower energy bills

Section 4. Involvement and consultation (What involvement and consultation has been done regarding the proposal and what are the results? What consultation will be needed and how will it be done?)

Consultation on HUG2 has been with Local Authorities across NY, via housing departments and climate change officers.

The subject of housing retrofit has been the subject of consultation through the York and North Yorkshire Routemap to Carbon Negative and locally based climate action plans.

Section 5. What impact will this proposal have on council budgets? Will it be cost neutral, have increased cost or reduce costs?

Please explain briefly why this will be the result.

It will result in increased requirement for officers, but will not have capital or revenue implications as the grant covers both elements.

Section 6. How will this proposal affect people with protected characteristics?	No impact	Make things better	Make things worse	Why will it have this effect? Provide evidence from engagement, consultation and/or service user data or demographic information etc.
Age	x
Disability		x		It is often the case that people living with a disability have lower household income. This grant enables households on less that £31K p.a to have the interventions free of charge.
Sex	x
Race	x
Gender reassignment	x
Sexual orientation	x
Religion or belief	x
Pregnancy or maternity	x
Marriage or civil partnership	x

Section 7. How will this proposal affect people who…	No impact	Make things better	Make things worse	Why will it have this effect? Provide evidence from engagement, consultation and/or service user data or demographic information etc.
..live in a rural area?		x		The HUG2 grant is for properties off mains gas. These will most likely be in rural areas.
…have a low income?		x		This grant enables households on less that £31K p.a to have the interventions free of charge.
…are carers (unpaid family or friend)?	x

Section 8. Geographic impact – Please detail where the impact will be (please tick all that apply)
North Yorkshire wide	X = in off mains gas properties
Craven district
Hambleton district
Harrogate district
Richmondshire district
Ryedale district
Scarborough district
Selby district
If you have ticked one or more districts, will specific town(s)/village(s) be particularly impacted? If so, please specify below.

Section 9. Will the proposal affect anyone more because of a combination of protected characteristics? (e.g. older women or young gay men) State what you think the effect may be and why, providing evidence from engagement, consultation and/or service user data or demographic information etc.

no

Section 10. Next steps to address the anticipated impact. Select one of the following options and explain why this has been chosen. (Remember: we have an anticipatory duty to make reasonable adjustments so that disabled people can access services and work for us)	Tick option chosen
1. No adverse impact - no major change needed to the proposal. There is no potential for discrimination or adverse impact identified.	x
2. Adverse impact - adjust the proposal - The EIA identifies potential problems or missed opportunities. We will change our proposal to reduce or remove these adverse impacts, or we will achieve our aim in another way which will not make things worse for people.
3. Adverse impact - continue the proposal - The EIA identifies potential problems or missed opportunities. We cannot change our proposal to reduce or remove these adverse impacts, nor can we achieve our aim in another way which will not make things worse for people. (There must be compelling reasons for continuing with proposals which will have the most adverse impacts. Get advice from Legal Services)
4. Actual or potential unlawful discrimination - stop and remove the proposal – The EIA identifies actual or potential unlawful discrimination. It must be stopped.
Explanation of why option has been chosen. (Include any advice given by Legal Services.) The selection of properties included in the programme is soley on the energy performance of the property, if it is off mains gas and if  the household has less than £31K income p.a. No other characteristics are considered .

Section 11. If the proposal is to be implemented how will you find out how it is really affecting people? (How will you monitor and review the changes?)

Post intervention questionnaires are used to monitor the impact.

Section 12. Action plan. List any actions you need to take which have been identified in this EIA, including post implementation review to find out how the outcomes have been achieved in practice and what impacts there have actually been on people with protected characteristics.
Action	Lead	By when	Progress	Monitoring arrangements

Section 13. Summary Summarise the findings of your EIA, including impacts, recommendation in relation to addressing impacts, including any legal advice, and next steps. This summary should be used as part of the report to the decision maker.

The programme will have no impact on protected characteristics.

It will have a positive impact on rural areas and on people on lower household incomes.

Section 14. Sign off section

This full EIA was completed by:

Name: Jos Holmes

Job title: NYCC Climate Change Policy Officer

Directorate: Central Services

Signature:

Completion date: 7.11.22

Authorised by relevant Assistant Director (signature):

Date: