DD2183 Active Citizenship

1.1 In April 2017, the Mayor announced the Citizenship and Integration Initiative (ADD 2056), a pooled

fund from independent trusts and foundations. The CII’s objectives for the first two years are:

• Civic Engagement: encouraging the take-up of citizenship and involvement in democracy;

• Young Londoners: supporting young Londoners to secure their legal rights to residence;

• Diversity, social contact and identity: celebrating diversity and building shared identity.

This paper covers work relating to the first of these objectives and seeks approval of a maximum expenditure of £80,000 in 2017/18 from the Communities and Social Policy Unit’s budget on work progressing this objective.

1.2 Civic engagement is an important component of social integration. Gaining formal citizenship, and

involvement in democracy, are two areas where the Mayor and the GLA can make a big impact. Since 2004, there has been a steady decline in the number of citizenship ceremonies following changes to pathways for gaining citizenship. Citizenship ceremonies offer a rare moment for those that have been on the journey to becoming British for many years to finally be officially accepted into British society, but at present ceremonies are of varying quality. They have the potential to be improved and, specifically, to increase the engagement of the wider community, and embed opportunities to promote active citizenship for those becoming British Citizens.

1.3 Political literacy and voter registration are also important aspects of being an active citizen. Recent research has found that first-time voters, whilst engaged with political issues, feel distant from formal political processes, and have an expectation that they should be invited to participate, rather than seeking out opportunities to do so. Many young people across the UK do not know that they can register to vote from the age of 16. Evidence from the Electoral Commission suggests that ensuring young people vote in their first election makes them more likely to vote as they get older, meaning that interventions with people turning 18 can make a significant impact in the long term. There are approximately 500,000 Londoners who turn 18 and gain the right to vote over this mayoral term.

1.4 The activities set out in section 2 will inform further projects in 2018/19 to promote active citizenship, voter registration and a Mayoral Citizenship ceremony. These activities will be approved through a separate decisions document in 2018.

Under Section 149 of the Equality Act 2010, as a public authority, the Mayor of London must have ‘due regard’ to the need to (i) eliminate unlawful discrimination, harassment and victimisation; (ii) advance equality of opportunity between people who share a relevant protected characteristic and those who do not; and (iii) foster good relations between people who share a relevant protected characteristic and those who do not. Protected characteristics under section 149 of the Equality Act are age, disability, gender re-assignment, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex, sexual orientation, and marriage or civil partnership status (all except the last being “relevant” protected characteristics).

Equality, integration and inclusion are the drivers behind this programme. This work is planned to develop uniform guidance that helps to introduce active citizenship for new citizens and their families and community members alike, providing an opportunity for all new citizens to be included in local volunteering and local democracy. This combats a tendency for new citizens’ voices not to be heard. The work to develop political literacy resources provides opportunities for all young Londoners, regardless of background, to understand and so to play an active role in the decisions that affect their lives.

Any commissioning processes will ask potential partners to demonstrate how their projects are inclusive of a diverse group and actively work to eliminate discrimination on the basis of the nine characteristics protected under the Equality Act 2010. In order to ensure the highest standards of equality, diversity and inclusion are upheld, the GLA will use outreach and engagement approaches to target activities at particular groups that are less able to engage, or face greater barriers to engagement, to enable them to participate, whilst ensuring that activities are open and accessible to all Londoners.

The guidance and resources will be produced in accordance with best practice for accessible communications and there will be translated outputs. The recruitment of the advisory and steering groups will meet equality, diversity and inclusion standards.

Key risks and issues

5.1 The cost of up to £80,000 for this proposal will be funded from the 2017-18 Social Integration budget held within the Communities & Social Policy Unit.

6.1 The GLA has powers under section 30 of the Greater London Authority Act 1998 (GLA Act) to promote, among other things, social development in Greater London. Under section 34 of the GLA Act, the GLA may do anything calculated to facilitate, or conducive or incidental to, its functions. The encouragement of civic engagement through the uptake of citizenship and registration to vote may be seen as calculated to promote social development.

6.2 While section 31 of the GLA Act imposes certain limitations on the section 30 power, to the effect that the GLA shall not incur expenditure in providing education services where the provision in question may be made by any other public body, under section 31(6) the GLA may still co-operate with, or facilitate or co-ordinate the activities of, such other bodies. Work in this area, to the extent that it might be carried out by other public bodies – such as local authorities or the Electoral Commission - should therefore be limited to co-operating with, or facilitating or co-ordinating the activities of, such other public bodies.

6.3 The GLA must at all times be apolitical and take great care not to be associated in the proposed work with any political party or individual politician. Further, the proposed work must be kept distinct from the functions of the Greater London Returning Officer, whose actual and perceived impartiality is vital, and who has no role in respect of voter registration.

6.4 In taking the requested decisions, the executive director must have due regard to the Public Sector Equality Duty; namely the need to eliminate discrimination, harassment, victimisation and any other conduct prohibited by the Equality Act 2010, and to advance equality of opportunity between persons who share a relevant protected characteristic (race, disability, gender, age, sexual orientation, religion or belief, pregnancy and maternity and gender reassignment) and persons who do not share it and foster good relations between persons who share a relevant protected characteristic and persons who do not share it (section 149 of the Equality Act 2010). To this end, the executive director should have particular regard to section 3 (above) of this report.

6.5 The officers are reminded of the need to comply with the requirements of the GLA’s Contracts and Funding Code when procuring services, supplies or works or when allocating funding throughout the Citizenship and Integration Initiative project.