Cabinet - 5 December 2013
Report of the Interim Chief Executive
Electoral Division affected:
All
Lancashire Fairness Commission Feasibility Study
Contact for further information:
Saulo Cwerner, (01772) 531952, Adult Services, Health and Wellbeing Directorate,
saulo.cwerner@lancashire.gov.uk
Executive Summary
A number of councils have established Fairness Commissions over the last three
years. Many have been inspired by the Islington Fairness Commission (which was
the first), although each Commission that followed has adapted the concept in light
of local needs and circumstances. Most have been established to be independent
from the council, with the objectives:

To develop an understanding of what inequalities exist in their areas;

To measure and identify the impact of recession and public sector reform on
local inequalities;

To recommend ways to reduce or mitigate and possible negative impacts of
recession and public sector spending reductions on local communities; and

To establish a broad local coalition of stakeholders to implement
recommendations and deliver fairness in their local areas
Following developments in other areas across the UK, it has been suggested that
an independent Fairness Commission is established in Lancashire. Establishing and
running a Fairness Commission would require considerable capacity and has the
potential to have a number of implications for the County Council and its partners.
Therefore, it is proposed that a feasibility study is undertaken in order to identify the
commitment of partner organisations, identify the areas of focus and understand the
resources, risks and other possible implications of such a development.
Recommendation
Cabinet is asked to approve:
(i)
(ii)
That a feasibility study be undertaken on the establishment of a Lancashire
Fairness Commission;
That this study is undertaken by an officer working group that will present its
findings to the meeting of Cabinet on 6 March 2014.
Background and Advice
1. Role and Operation of Fairness Commissions
Fairness Commissions have been established in several local authorities in the UK
to provide leadership for equity in local areas. They have been developed in
response to evidence of increasing inequalities in social, economic and health
conditions in many areas.
They are usually independent bodies operating on a time limited basis. Most follow
the parliamentary select committee model, hearing evidence and making
recommendations in a final report. Although most have followed the structure and
aims of the Islington Fairness Commission (the first to be established), there has
been some variety as to how they have been implemented.
The Fairness Commission model allows for a broad coalition of stakeholders in the
public, voluntary and private sectors to focus on equality issues for the benefit of
local residents and communities. Therefore, a good level of involvement by local
partners is required in order to maximise impact. Fairness Commissions, even when
independent, have usually been established and run by local authorities. They
require a considerable range of resources to be used for a limited amount of time.
Many Fairness Commissions have identified a limited number of fairness themes on
which they have structured their work and recommendations. Sheffield's Commission
focused on eight themes: health and wellbeing; work and pay; benefits; aspiration
and learning; housing and the environment; community safety; transport; and,
community action. Tower Hamlets Fairness Commission focused its
recommendations on Money; Jobs and Homes.
In many cases, Fairness Commissions have an independent Chair and draw their
membership from across the local public, business, academic and third sectors.
Most Commissions either meet in public or webcast their meetings. They usually
have a dedicated website on which they publish their reports and recommendations
and they have an independent identity and communications plan, and seek the
active engagement of communities and citizens.
To date the vast majority of Fairness Commissions have been established in urban
single tier local authorities and there is limited experience of where Fairness
Commissions considered rural issues or needed to work across the three tiers of
local government. The feasibility study will need to develop options for how a
Fairness Commission would be established to reflect the particular equality issues in
Lancashire.
2. Impact of Fairness Commissions
Fairness Commissions have had varying impacts in the localities where they have
been established. One of the outcomes of the proposed feasibility study is to
understand the difference that the Commissions have made in other areas.
Even after they have reported, the work of most Fairness Commissions continued in
the form of monitoring the progress of their recommendations. In Islington the
recommendations were integrated into organisations' corporate plans. The Liverpool
Fairness Commission sought to build a lasting legacy by extending the work of the
Commission into a city-wide campaign and a Fairness Charter.
Some Commissions have raised the profile of issues such as the living wage and
wage ratios in the public sector, with a potential of influencing local and national
policy. The Plymouth Fairness Commission held a 'Summer of Listening' to engage
local communities in the work of the Commission. The Blackpool Fairness
Commission has decided to focus on encouraging the local public and business
sectors to contribute to making Blackpool a better place with its '100 Acts of
Kindness' campaign which ran in November 2013.
Although the long term impact of Fairness Commissions is yet to be understood (a
conference of all Fairness Commissions is currently planned for 2014), it is important
that consideration is given to what has been achieved, so that if the decision is taken
to establish a Lancashire Fairness Commission, it can build on previous success for
the greatest possible impact.
3. Establishing the Feasibility of a Fairness Commission in Lancashire
The aims of the Fairness Commission feasibility study will be to:
a. Establish what the impacts of the other Fairness Commissions have been;
b. Identify whether local partners in the public, voluntary and business
sectors, including Further and Higher Education organisations, are
committed to contributing to a Fairness Commission and acting on any
recommendations made to them by the commission;
c. Identify the resources needed to set up and run the Lancashire Fairness
Commission, both from within and outside the County Council;
d. Propose a set of themes and subject areas that a Commission would
focus on if established;
e. Establish the status of the Commission's recommendations, if established;
f. Identify methods and strategies for hearing evidence and engaging with
the public;
g. Propose a governance structure for the Commission, should it be
established.
The feasibility study will be carried out by an officer working group. This group will
consist of key officers from various Council teams, services and Directorates,
including Policy and Performance, Public Health, Democratic Services, Equality and
Cohesion, Community Engagement, Localities, Communications and Economic
Development, and will be appointed by senior management. The officer working
group will present its findings to the meeting of Cabinet on 6 March 2014.
Consultations
N/A
Implications:
Risk management
The proposed Lancashire Fairness Commission is a large project for the County
Council. Although it could potentially have benefits to the County Council, for
instance help the Council to implement savings in a fairer and more equitable way,
and recommend new innovative ways of working together with local partners, it is
necessary to identify all possible implications in advance of committing to it. Among
other things, the feasibility study will identify any potential risks that may arise from
establishing the Commission.
List of Background Papers
Paper
N/A
Date
Contact/Directorate/Tel