ADD2719 London Resilience Equalities Advisory Group

1.1.    The London Resilience Partnership Strategy 2024-2027, which was agreed by the Partnership, commits to ‘establish of a new advisory group to consider equity in resilience for all Londoners.’  
1.2.    In 2023 the GLA City Resilience Team undertook an Equalities and Resilience engagement project to understand initial views of equality partners of resilience. The project produced a report with several recommendations. 
•    Recommendation 1.1. details that ‘the London Resilience Forum should establish an Equalities Sector Panel.’ 
•    Recommendations 1.2. details that ‘the GLA should resource the new Equalities Sector Panel with a secretariat function and wider resource.’

1.3.    The London Resilience Unit is undertaking a wide range of community resilience projects to support communities across the city. This project will sit as part of the GLA Community Resilience Programme.
1.4.    The London Resilience Unit is committed to directly involving equality partners in the establishment of this new strategic function on equity and resilience. An experienced partner organisation will be commissioned in line with the GLA Contracts and Funding Code to support this work and the engagement of a wide set of equality partners.
 

2.1.    The objective of this project will be to successfully establish a new advisory group for the London Resilience Partnership that will engage with equality organisations.
2.2.    The overall outcomes of this project are to:
•    build a better understanding of equality partner needs and desires for engagement with resilience
•    strengthen the ability to connect equality partners with the wider London Resilience Partnership
•    enhance the London Resilience Partnership’s capabilities on equality, diversity and inclusion.
 

3.1.    This project will uphold the GLA’s commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion and will have due regard to the GLA’s Public Sector Equality Duty. 
3.2.    The London Resilience Unit commits to involving equality partners in the establishment of the new strategic function in this space. This project will directly engage and promote the views of equality partners across London, including organisations that work with Londoners who have protected characteristics under the Equality Act 2010. 
3.3.    The establishment of a new advisory group on equalities will enable the voices of equality partners to be directly considered in the wider London Resilience Partnership moving forward, improving understanding of equity, diversity and inclusion.
 

4.1.    Links to Mayoral strategies and priorities - this project directly commits to a recommendation of the London Resilience Partnership Strategy 2024-2027. The project also addresses important elements related to community resilience in the London City Resilience Strategy 2020.
4.2.    Risks identified are as follows:
•    Delays in the procurement of the project. This risk is being mitigated through committed staff resource and time to move this project ahead. A list of providers is being drawn up in advance of the finalised decision.
•    Challenges in getting equality partners involved. This risk is being mitigated through the commissioning of an experienced partner in equalities and participation costs being considered within the budget. 
4.3.    There are no conflicts of interest to declare from any officer involved in the drafting or clearance of this decision.
 

5.1.    The £20,000 cost of this advisory group will be covered by the Resilience budget within the Strategy and Communications Directorate. There is sufficient cover in the budget to fund this spend.

6.1.    Below is the timeline of the delivery of this project: