The London Development Agency Gender Equality Scheme 2007 � 2010

The London Development Agency

Gender Equality Scheme 2007 – 2010



Contents

The London Development Agency (LDA) warmly welcomes the introduction of the Gender Equality

Duty (GED) and is pleased to present our Gender Equality Scheme (GES). The GED offers a

significant opportunity for the public sector to deliver a step change in equality for women in London

and the UK.



Chief Executive‟s Foreword 2

1. Executive summary 4

2. Introduction to the Gender Equality Duty 10

3. Introduction to the London Development Agency 12

4. London‟s gender evidence base 16

5. The LDA‟s gender evidence base 36

6. Assessing the impact of gender equality 42

7. The LDA as an employer 46

8. Responding to the draft GES consultation 50

9. The LDA‟s strategic priorities 56

10. The „positive action‟ action plan 58

11. Implementing the scheme 68

Appendix 1 LDA functions and policies 70

Appendix 2 Equality and community cohesion impact

assessment framework 72

Appendix 3 Glossary of terms 77

Appendix 4 Explanation of inclusive design 79



Chief Executives Foreword

The London Development Agency (LDA) warmly welcomes the introduction of the Gender Equality

Duty (GED) and is pleased to present our Gender Equality Scheme (GES). The GED offers a

significant opportunity for the public sector to deliver a step change in equality for women in London

and the UK.



The LDA has always shared the Mayor‟s commitment to put equalities at the heart of everything we

do, we are at Level 5 of the Equality Standard, and we already set corporate gender targets for all our

programmes. Through initiatives such as the Childcare Accessibility Project, and delivery of the

Women‟s Enterprise Action Plan we have confirmed our commitment with direct investment.



The LDA corporate values state that we will be bold, and take strategic actions which will affect the

most significant positive change for Londoners. In this scheme we have identified those actions which

will have the biggest impact on gender equality over the coming three years. The key strategic gender

priorities for the LDA are:

• reduce barriers to women accessing employment (focus on childcare)

• reduce the gender pay gap in London

• reduce occupational segregation in London

• research the barriers faced by Trans people entering employment and enterprise

• increase opportunities for part-time and flexible working at the LDA

• deliver the Women‟s Enterprise Action Plan for London

• meet or exceed all corporate equalities targets

• further develop and measure the impact of EIA‟s

• implement the HR equality and diversity action plan

• utilise the procurement power of the LDA to promote gender equality

Ensuring the 2012 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games deliver the best possible gender equality

outcomes, is underlying all of these priorities.



For the LDA to maintain its position as a leading equalities organisation, we must continue to

challenge ourselves, direct our investments, and support our delivery partners to ensure equality of

opportunity for women, men and trans Londoners.



Our vision to sustain London‟s success as a thriving dynamic and growing World city, is dependent

on ensuring there is opportunity for all Londoners to reach their potential.



In order to ensure progress towards that vision, we must meet our requirements under the GED.

Group Directors, Directors and Team Leaders, will be required to re-align priorities to ensure its

implementation. I look forward to championing the delivery of this scheme.

Manny Lewis, Chief Executive.



1. Executive summary

The Gender Equality Duty

The Equality Act 2006, placed a Gender Equality Duty (GED) on all Public Authorities in Great Britain.

From April 2007 the GED requires that, in carrying out all functions, the LDA must have due regard to

the „general duty‟:

• To eliminate unlawful discrimination and harassment on the grounds of sex

• To promote equality of opportunity between women and men

The LDA is also a „named organisation‟ which means we are subject to the „specific duty‟ as well as

the „general duty‟, and so are required to produce a Gender Equality Scheme (GES) outlining our

priorities for the coming three years. This document is our GES.

We welcome the GED, and the chance this has given us to reflect on our work to date and set

stretching goals for the future. The GES will eventually form part of the LDA‟s Generic Equality

Scheme, encompassing priorities for all six equalities strands: gender, race, disability, sexual

orientation, age and religion and belief, as well as refugee communities in London.



The London Development Agency (LDA)

The LDA is London‟s economic development agency, responsible for supporting people into jobs,

equipping them with the skills they need, helping businesses to set up and grow, investing in places

and infrastructure to support economic development, and promoting London as a great place to live,

work, study and visit. We do this through delivering the Mayor‟s Economic Development Strategy

(EDS).



The LDA strongly believes in mainstreaming equalities into all our work. This means that Equalities is

owned by all parts of the LDA and considered at outset of a project (rather than as an afterthought).

Target setting, research, monitoring and training form part of a broad package of initiatives to ensure

the needs of all London‟s diverse communities benefit from our investment. Our absolute commitment

in these areas is widely acknowledged. We have recently reached the highest level (Level 5) of the

Governments equality standard. Only three from 43,000 public bodies have achieved this.



We also always conduct equality and community cohesion impact assessments on all our projects.

This is a process which ensures all of the LDA‟s planned work will positively impact on all minority

groups.



London‟s gender evidence base

Section 4 of this document sets out the evidence base for London. It is based on the GLA economics

study of Women in the London Economy, and the LDA‟s own work on enterprise, as well as other key

national and regional research. The evidence shows that women still experience systematic and

differential disadvantage.



Despite being a majority of the population, the pay gap for women working full-time in London is

higher than elsewhere in the country at 23%, and there is a highly marked gender division of the

labour market contributing to this. Fewer women are in employment (52%) than nationally, and if

women‟s employment rates in London were equal to those nationally it is estimated that London‟s

economic output would be increased by £1.5bn.



In terms of caring responsibilities, rates of pay, flexible working, access to business support and

finance, segregated occupational chances, and direct discrimination women still face more barriers to

succeeding in London‟s economy than men do. The result of this is that men are often unable to play

as much of a role at home as they would like to. Our evidence base on the discrimination faced by

Trans Londoners is unsatisfactory. Our GES seeks to redress these issues.



We also seek to acknowledge the multiple disadvantage women face within the evidence base, and

action plan – recognising the multiple barriers some BAME, disabled, older and younger women,

lesbians and women who practice certain faiths may face.



The LDA‟s evidence base

Section 5 outlines how the LDA has performed on gender equality in the past, in terms of project,

programmes and strategic added value. There are a number of examples of gender specific

investments, including the multi-million pound Diversity Works for London, and Childcare Affordability

Programme projects. However this alone does not represent the total investment on gender equality

as many initiatives are delivered through generic programmes.



The LDA sets corporate targets which have recently been increased to require that 20% of

businesses helped to start up or grow should be women-owned, and 50% of those helped to gain

new skills or access employment should be women. With the Olympics on the horizon, this provides

us with a unique opportunity to ensure that LDA investment is tackling segregation in employment,

and raising the bar on women‟s enterprise.



Equality Impact Assessment (EIA)

The LDA has carried out over 200 equality impact assessments over the last year, covering all six of

the equality strands, including gender. Projects are impact assessed by project managers, and quality

assured by the Equalities team. The Director of Equalities sits on the Corporate Investment Panel

ensuring that nothing is funded unless it satisfactorily demonstrates that it will benefit equality target

groups and has an EIA attached.



Section 7 highlights the EIA framework and the process for carrying them out which we will build on

and expand over the coming three years to ensure we have clear evidence of the impact our EIA‟s

make.



The LDA as an employer

The LDA currently employs 50% women. 45% of those earning £40,000 and above are women, and

42% of the top earners are also women. In terms of staff leaving the agency, slightly more women

(54%) than men (46%) exited in the year to date.



Evidence suggests that women are more likely than men to have been promoted over the last three

years, although that figure was roughly equal for 2006/7. Performance data would back up this fact,

as more women (11%) than men (8%) received the highest „exceptional‟ rating. Less women (1%)

than men (2%) also received the lowest „developing‟ rating.

Although the LDA‟s workforce equalities performance is good, we are working with the GLA to draw

up targets and actions to ensure the LDA‟s workforce reflects the demographics of London fully. HR

are developing an action plan to guide progress towards equality goals.



Responding to the draft GES Consultation

The LDA received a very high quality of feedback on the draft version of our GES. Organisations,

LDA teams and key partners responded by endorsing the vast majority of the actions contained within

the document and praising our commitment to equality.



A number of responses stressed the need to prioritise objectives around occupational segregation,

and equal pay, with particular regard to the opportunities offered by London‟s hosting of the 2012

Games. These responses helped us shape out strategic priorities and develop the success criteria for

the objectives contained within this plan.



The LDA would like to thank everyone who responded to the consultation. Your input has been

invaluable.



Defining the LDA‟s Strategic Priorities

The LDA‟s strategic key priorities for our Gender Equality Scheme are listed below.

• Reduce barriers to women accessing employment (focus on childcare)

• Reduce the gender pay gap in London

• Reduce occupational segregation in London

• Research the barriers faced by Trans people entering employment and enterprise

• Deliver the Women‟s Enterprise Action Plan for London

• Meet or exceed all corporate equalities targets

• Implement the HR Equality and Diversity Action Plan

• Further develop and measure the impact of EIA‟s

• Utilise the procurement power of the LDA to promote gender equality

Ensuring the 2012 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games deliver the best possible gender equality

outcomes, is underlying all of these priorities.



The GES action plan

The GES action plan in Section 10 of this document sets out all of the objectives that the LDA will

address over the coming three years. The objectives are arranged under the four themes of our

Economic Development Strategy (EDS) and the fifth theme about the LDA as an organisation. The

strategic priorities are highlighted within the action plan.



The GES themes are:

1) People – helping all Londoners to access worthwhile employment at fair rates of pay

2) Enterprise – helping women to set up and grow their businesses

3) Places and infrastructure – ensuring the LDA uses its influence to promote inclusive design

principles in regeneration and physical developments

4) Marketing and Promotion – promoting London as a World City, with great opportunities for

everyone to work, live, study and visit

5) The LDA as an organisation – becoming an employer of choice, a strong voice for promoting

equality, maximising the impact of our procurement, and meeting our corporate equality targets



Implementing the scheme

In order to ensure the implementation of the LDA‟s GES, we have gained the support of key LDA

teams, partner organisations, the Board advisory group, EMRG, and the LDA Board itself.

The alignment of the objectives with the EDS themes, has allowed us to gain agreement that the

delivery of the GES objectives will be incorporated within the Corporate Investment Strategy and

Investment Frameworks of the LDA.



The LDA GES will be formally reviewed annually, and progress reported to the LDA Board.



2. Introduction to the Gender Equality Duty

The LDA is committed to ensuring that our work and investments are targeted so that all of London‟s

diverse communities can benefit and participate. Our vision to sustain London‟s success as a thriving,

dynamic and growing World city is dependent on ensuring there is opportunity for all Londoners to

reach their potential.



We welcome the Gender Equality Duty, and the chance this has given us to reflect on our work to

date, and outline our priorities for Gender Equality over the coming

three years.



Legislative Framework

As specified in the Equality Act 2006 the LDA is required to develop and publish a GES which

contains information on how we will take action to:

• collect information

• use this information, and any other relevant information, to meet the general and specific

duties

• use the information to review the effectiveness of our implementation of the duty and to

prepare subsequent schemes

• assess the impact on gender equality of our existing and new policies and practices

• consult relevant employees, service users and others (including trade unions)

• achieve fulfilment of the objectives



In developing our Gender Equality Scheme the LDA is required to;

• consult employees, service users and others (including trade unions)

• take into account any information we have gathered or consider its relevance as to how our

policies and practices affect gender equality in the workplace and in the delivery of our services

• consider the need to have objectives to address the causes of any gender pay gap

• set out the actions we have taken or intend to take to gather information on the effect of our

policies and practices on men and women, in employment, services and performance of our functions

and use the information to review the implementation of the scheme objectives

• assess the impact of LDA current and future policies and practices on gender equality

• ensure implementation of the scheme objectives

• implement actions for gathering and using information within three years of publication of the

scheme, unless it is unreasonable or impracticable to do so

• review and revise the scheme at least every three years

• report on progress annually

(The Gender Equality Duty Draft Code of Practice England and Wales, Equal Opportunities

Commission).



The GLA Group policy on Gender Equality

The LDA works within the GLA family, to promote gender equality in all of our work. In developing the

priorities for our GES, the LDA is mindful of the GLA‟s Gender Equality Policy (below).



The GLA group is committed to being a champion for gender equality and diversity, and a leader in:

• promoting gender equality so that women and men who live or work in London can enjoy their

full human, social and political rights free from discrimination

• challenging and eradicating sex discrimination

• providing responsive and accessible services for all Londoners

• embracing London‟s diversity as a source of strength and opportunity for London

• addressing the issues of gender equality in the mainstream of the Mayor‟s policies

• ensuring our workforce reflects the diverse population of London and encouraging exemplary

employment practices across London, including equal pay audits.



3. Introduction to the LDA

The LDA is London‟s economic development agency, one of nine Regional Development Agencies,

and the Mayor‟s agency responsible for driving London‟s sustainable economic growth.



London is a city of major importance to the UK and European economy, and a leading World City.

The high productivity of the capital (20% more than the other English regions), its status as a world

financial centre, and the clustering of key economic activity in sectors such as creative industries,

makes it a high added value economy.



But alongside London‟s success comes high costs – for accommodation, childcare, transport – and

the need for a highly skilled labour force. The LDA is working to ensure everyone who lives and works

here, is able to participate in and enjoy the success of London.

London is a city of contrasts. It is the world‟s fourth largest city economy and it has the highest rates

of child poverty in the country. Its global transport links are second to none yet around 20% of

London‟s wards are the most deprived in Europe. The seven and a half million people living here

speak over 300 languages and about one-fifth of the working age population is disabled. It is this

diversity that makes London the success it is, yet some groups are still being left behind.



These are some of the issues the London Development Agency must tackle. The LDA is tasked with

ensuring that London remains a success story. In order to do that we produce an Economic

Development Strategy (EDS) for London, which sets out the Mayor‟s vision in detail and also sets the

context for our work.



The EDS is based on four linked themes.

1) Investment in people to tackle the barriers to employment that affect too many Londoners

2) Investment in enterprise to tackle the barriers for business to start-up, growth, competitiveness

and innovation.

3) Investment in places and infrastructure to develop areas of London which need better homes,

facilities, jobs, transport systems and roads as well as reducing any barriers to development such as

derelict land and disused buildings. This led to our work to bring The 2012 Olympic Games and

Paralympic Games to London

4) Investment in marketing and promotion of London to let everyone know that London is a great

place to live, work, do business, study and visit

The LDA works with partners to ensure activity, funding and priorities are aligned to these four

themes. The GES is aligned with these themes for that reason.

Equality Impact Assessment (EIA) of the Economic Development Strategy

Given the amount of influence that our EDS has on our work and the work of others we

commissioned an externally facilitated EIA of our EDS. The assessment concluded that the EDS

would be likely to have positive impacts for women in terms of:

• employment support

• improving skills

• business support

The EIA concluded that there was no specific indication of adverse impact of the strategy from

women but suggested a focus on:

• targeted support for single parent women

• business support directed at women entrepreneurs

• promoting the availability of affordable childcare.

Action to deliver on these areas has been undertaken through key projects at the LDA. The priorities

for the coming three years are highlighted with this Gender Equality Scheme and its action plan in

Section, with a focus on tackling the issues above.



Mainstreaming equality

Cutting across all areas of our work are three key overlapping themes, sustainability, health, crime

reduction, and equality.



Since 2002 the LDA has been carrying out EIAs which have included an analysis of gender issues.

This aids us in ensuring equality is part of all we do rather than a separate issue. We will continue to

create and fund some specialist projects to address under performance, but our real aim is to ensure

that all our projects deliver benefits to all people in London.



Looking forward, some of our plans on equality for the next three years include:

• working with London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games (LOCOG) and the Olympic

Delivery Authority (ODA) , through our new Olympics Executive Officer, to ensure that the 2012

Olympic Games and Paralympic Games and their legacy benefit all of London‟s communities

• working with the private sector through Diversity Works for London to promote the business

case for diversity

• supporting refugees into employment, enterprise and skills training through LORECA (London

Refugee Economic Action, based at the LDA)

• continuing to set and monitor targets for training, jobs and business support projects for black,

Asian and minority ethnic communities (BAME), women and disabled Londoners, using equality

performance managers to understand better where some projects are struggling to deliver on equality

issues.

• Utilising our newly produced Borough profiles across the LDA will increase the available

evidence and enable inclusive project design from the start

• working with a wide range of partners who represent equality groups to consult on the LDA‟s

work and activities

• delivering the Women‟s Enterprise Action Plan

• developing the Construction Accord; essentially a „deal‟ between the public sector supply-side

system and employers, the accord will require employers to open up opportunities in return for a more

integrated, responsive and bespoke brokerage service and the provision of job/training-ready

candidates

• working with the GLA and partners to deliver the London childcare strategy

• working with the Strategy Team to embed equality issues within the Investment Frameworks

• working with the HR Team to build on the foundations of our equality schemes to be an

exemplar employer, as well as continuing to work in partnership on issues such as training and

recruitment

• ensuring that equality issues are at the heart of refining our new focus on evaluation and

assessing the impact of our projects

• promoting the key strands of the Mayor‟s Sustainable Procurement Code which have

relevance to mainstreaming of equality indicators and delivering supplier diversity

• pulling together all existing schemes plus new work on age, faith and sexual orientation into a

Generic Equality Scheme

• revisiting EIA‟s carried out in the last two years and evaluating their effectiveness in reducing

negative and enhancing positive impacts for equality groups

Working with other RDA‟s

Of the nine RDA‟s in England the LDA is the lead for equalities. Through our lead role we have

supported other RDA‟s to roll out the EIA framework; offered guidance on meeting statutory duties

such as the Disability Equality Duty, coordinated a network for equalities staff; introduced an equality

and community cohesion EIA framework and collated collective policy responses to central

Government.



During 2007–2010 we will develop new ways to support colleagues in the regions by agreeing a set

of national priorities and working together to achieve these.



The LDA‟s performance as an RDA

We are very pleased with feedback from partners and our Initial Performance Assessment both of

which commented on the strength of our equality work.

Our auditors have confirmed that in 2006 we have achieved level 5 of the Local Government Equality

Standard.



For more information on our EDS, our performance and our plans see www.lda.gov.uk.



4. London‟s gender evidence base

The priorities for our Gender Equality Scheme have been selected based on the evidence about the

position of women and men in the London economy. Much of this evidence has been based on the

annual GLA Economics study Women in the London Economy 2007, and the LDA‟s own research on

gender and enterprise issues.



The evidence available clearly demonstrates that in terms of gender, it is women who are

systematically excluded from top jobs and board positions, they tend to be underpaid and their work

is often undervalued. There is still significant evidence of women being directly discriminated against,

and it is mostly women who have to juggle the challenging task of balancing childcare, home and

work life.



This is not to say there are not specific circumstances where individual men face particular

challenges, but this scheme represents the LDA‟s priorities for action, which are around – in the main

– reducing the economic disparities experienced by women in London.



Gender inequality in London

3.8 million Londoners are women, making a great contribution to London‟s economy, often in unpaid

and undervalued roles. This represents very slightly over half of the population of London.



The average income level for women is £22,133 compared to £34, 918 for men. This income gap of

nearly 37% is the highest in the UK, except the South East of England.



Women, however, are becoming increasingly important in the London labour market. Women are

predicted to take seven out of ten of the new jobs created by 2016.



The population in London has a different dimension to the rest of the UK. We are younger, with more

single households, more sharing and non-traditional households, higher education levels, high BAME

(black, Asian and other minority ethnic) populations, and a lower proportion of women with children

who are in employment. Incomes and cost are higher across the board, and the distribution between

highest and lowest incomes is much wider in London.



Age

35% of London‟s women are in their twenties and thirties, compared to 27% in the UK as a whole.

This is partly because many younger women are attracted to London because of the opportunities to

work and study. In contrast, just over 17% of women in London are aged 60 and over, compared with

23% in England.

Ethnicity

London‟s status as a World City is linked to the huge diversity of its population in terms of culture,

ethnicity, faith and language. The breakdown of the 2007 population in London into broad ethnic

groups using the Census categories gives an estimated 58.5% of women who are White British, 3.3%

White Irish and 9.2% from other white groups. Women from BAME groups make up 29% of adult

women. By 2021, BAME groups are expected to make up 35% of women in London.



Faith

There are many different religious groups in the city, but combining the 2001 Census results into

broad categories showed that 63 % of women in London aged 16 and over were Christian, while 21

% had no religion or no religion stated. 7% were Muslim, 4% were Hindu and 2% were Jewish. 1%

were Sikh, 1% Buddhist and 1% had various other religions.



Disability

The economic activity rate for disabled men in 2002 was 54% and for women 46% (LFS 2002). More

specifically, 38% of disabled women worked part-time compared with 32% of non-disabled women

(GLA DES). The impact of lower wages for part time workers therefore impacts more on disabled

women.



Sexual orientation

The LDA is commissioning research into the barriers to economic participation for gay, lesbian and bi-

sexual (LGB) Londoners. It is likely that the needs of lesbian and bisexual women, and gay and

bisexual men, are being overlooked by service providers because little research has been done on

the needs of these groups, and little data has been collected on the outcomes and impacts of

services on LGB people.



Trans Londoners

The needs of transsexual and transgender Londoners are likely to be overlooked since data, statistics

and evidence about this group are extremely limited. The LDA is making a commitment in this GES to

investigate the potential barriers to economic participation and business ownership for trans

Londoners.



Investment in People Issues (GES Theme 1)

Employment

London‟s women have low economic activity rates relative to women nationally, and GLA research

has shown that this is mainly due to the fact women with children in London are less likely to be in

work compared with women with children outside London (Parents and Work in London, GLA, 2006).

52% of women in London are in employment, compared with 54% nationally. Furthermore 13% of

women in London are not seeking employment due to „looking after family commitments‟. A further

6% of London‟s women are students (compared to 3.6% outside London), and 18% are retired

(compared with 25% outside).



Additionally, 5% of women are temporarily and long term sick, 4% are unemployed. Together with the

2% of women in the „other‟ category, this gives an economic inactivity rate for women in London of

58% according to the Annual Population Survey 2005. It should be noted that this included all women

over 16, therefore is significantly reduced for working age women as a distinct group.



Employment of black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) women

Black, Asian and minority ethnic women currently account for 27% of all working age women in

London and this proportion is due to rise in the future. Employment rates vary enormously amongst

women from different ethnic groups, being higher among Black Caribbean, Black African, Indian and

white women and lower among Pakistani and Bangladeshi women. It is estimated that 80% of the

increase in London‟s workforce by 2016 will consist of BAME workers.



Employment of disabled women

The employment rate for disabled women in London in 2006 was 40.6%, compared with 45.6% of

disabled men and 66.5% of non-disabled women (Annual Population Survey 2006). It is even lower

(34%) for disabled women in Inner London. Both rates are lower than in the rest of the UK, where

47% of disabled women and 76% of non-disabled women are in employment. Only 34% of disabled

women with children in London are in employment, compared with 47% in the rest of the UK.



Employment of older women

15% of 60 to 74-year-old women in London were still in employment at the time of the 2001 Census.

Older women also make a huge contribution to the economy in terms of voluntary and unpaid work,

and caring, which often goes unrecognised.



Employment of women with children

Having children reduces the employment rate of women in London far more than women in the rest of

the UK. In 2004, 54% of women in London with dependent children were in employment, compared to

68% elsewhere. The most significant difference is the lower rates of part time working for mothers.

Lone mothers – who form 90% of all lone parents – are less likely to be employed than women living

in couples.

Single mothers in London have a disposable income of £20 less per week in London than the rest of

the UK at £151 per week. London based single women and women living as couples without children

have a higher disposable income.



Employment and childcare

The high cost of childcare in London is a major barrier to women‟s employment and training. In

January 2006, the average cost of a day nursery place for a child under two was £197 in Inner

London and £174 in Outer London, compared with an average of £142 in Great Britain (The Daycare

Trust Annual Childcare Costs Survey, 2006).



The high cost of childcare in London is one of the major barriers to women‟s employment. The

Mayor‟s Childcare Strategy is designed to improve the availability and affordability of childcare in

London. The Mayor has continued to make funding for childcare available through the London

Development Agency (LDA). Following gap-funding for neighbourhood nurseries, providing over

1,100 places, the LDA has devoted £22 million to a joint Childcare Affordability Fund with the

Department for Education and Skills (DfES). Between 2005 and 2008 this fund will provide affordable

childcare for around 10,000 lower income families across London.



Domestic responsibilities

Research has shown that mothers spend vastly more time on household activities, at 66 hours per

week, than men, at 34 hours per week. Even when working full time the average number of hours

spent on household chores was 52 hours per week. A national study in 2005 estimated the „value of a

mum‟ to be £24,456 per year, which is the cost of replacing the work that mothers do in the home –

about one thousand pounds a year more than average national earnings (GLA GES).



Full-time and part-time employment

The lower employment rates of women in London are entirely due to lower part-time rates than in the

rest of the UK. 47% of women in London work full-time and 19% work part-time. This compares with

43% working full-time and 30% working part-time in the rest of the UK.



Future prospects for women‟s employment

Women are set to make up a growing number and a growing proportion of the total number in

employment (WILE 2006). The overall number of jobs in London is expected to grow by 558,000 by

2016. Seven out of ten of these 388,000 new jobs are expected to be taken by women.



Representation at senior management and board level

The most recent findings on the representation of women on boards of the UK‟s top 100 companies

(the FTSE 100) shows that there has been no progress in the last year. In fact the number of

companies with at least one woman on the board went down to 77 in 2006 from 78 the year before.

10% of the directors of top companies based in London are women, but perhaps more concerning,

only 0.4% are BAME, and 23 of the top 100 have no female directors at all. Only 2% of the FTSE 100

top jobs are done by women. Although London has the highest number of female Chief Executives of

local authorities in the country, it is still low at 27%.



The EOC recently published The Gender Agenda, an index of indicators which measure the current

state of gender equality. They estimate that at this current rate it would require an extra 65 more

years to achieve parity among FTSE directors, 195 years to achieve gender parity of MP‟s, 20 years

to eliminate the pay gap, and produce adequate high level flexible jobs available. And at the current

pace of change we can never expect occupational segregation to end.



Gender pay gap in London

In London in 2006, the average (mean) full time female wage was £15.74 per hour and the full time

average male wage was £20.49 per hour. This yields a gender pay gap in London of 23%, compared

to 17% in the rest of the UK. This is because the average gender pay gap reflects the influence of

highly paid workers who are more prevalent in London than the UK generally, and are more likely to

be men than women.



Among the top 10% of wage-earners, the pay gap is 32%, compared with only 20% for the UK as a

whole. In other words, the top earning women in London are paid 32% less than their male

counterparts.

Average (median) hourly earnings for full time women in the capital, are £13.74, compared to £15.85

for men. This shows that for every £1 a full time working male earns, a full time working female earns

just 87p. At the median level, the average pay gaps in London and the UK are the same, possibly

because the wage distribution is wider across both higher and lower percentiles in London.



Part time pay gap

Among part time workers in London, the average (mean) gender pay gap is lower in London that in

the UK. Male part time workers in London earn 10% more than female part time workers whereas the

difference is just 12% for the UK as a whole.



By contrast, looking at hourly median wages for part time employees, women tend to earn more than

men in both London and the UK. But the median wage differentials between men and women are

more accentuated in the capital than in the UK, where female employees earn only 2% more than

their male counterparts. This is partly because of the different age profiles of male and female part

time workers, as there are more part time women workers who are older, they will have more

experience and receive higher salaries.



Closing the pay gap

The mean/median pay gaps in London have not changed significantly from last year to this.



There are a wide range of factors which can influence pay. These include education, work

experience, having children, ethnicity, part-time employment, industry and occupation. Research

shows that while the different individual and job characteristics between men and women contributed

to 72% of the gender pay gap in both London and the UK, 28% of this pay gap is directly attributable

to the unequal treatment of women.

Some of the ways the LDA works to ensure that women are in a better position to engage with

London‟s economy include:

• ensuring that barriers to employment are removed

• providing local employment opportunities to match local skills, and

• ensuring the provision of training centres to address skills gaps in local economies

• working with employers through Diversity Works for London to promote the value of diversity

• undertaking a pay audit for the LDA

• using contract compliance to require pay audits for the private sector



London living wage

The London living wage has been set by the Mayor to recognise the additional costs associated with

living in London, to ensure that individuals do not fall to the level of poverty wages. This level was set

at £7.05 per hour in 2006. It is estimated that 15% of London‟s workforce is low paid: 282,000 women

and 199,000 men, representing 19% and 12% of the total workforces for each gender respectively.



Nearly 300,000 women (64,000 more than men) earn below £10,000 per year. 42% of women

working part time earn less than the living wage.



Pensions

Women are more likely to be living on lower incomes in retirement because of lower earnings during

their working lives. Women‟s full-time earnings average 76% of men‟s and part-time earnings are still

lower. Women are also more likely to have taken time out of work to provide full-time care. This

means they have fewer savings for retirement and personal investment. They are less likely to have

an occupational or private pension.



Education and qualifications

Women in London have better qualification levels than those in the rest of the UK (GLA, 2005).

Figures for 2004 show that over 30% of women aged 16 to 59 have a higher-level qualification, above

A level or equivalent, compared with 25% in the rest of the UK (Annual Population Survey 2004).

However London is a highly skilled economy and some sections of the population are being left

behind. 15.5% of women aged 16 to 59 in London have no qualifications. Women are more likely to

have no qualifications in older age groups.



Investment in Enterprise Issues (GES Theme 2)

Women‟s enterprise in London

Women‟s enterprise is a growing feature of London‟s SME landscape. The London Annual Business

Survey (LABS), shows that women are entering self-employment at faster rates than men and the

proportion of women-owned businesses grew to one in six of London‟s businesses in 2005. Across

the UK, men are now only twice as likely to be entrepreneurially active as women, which is down from

two and a half times in 2001. The Government have recognised that it is likely that any significant

increase in entrepreneurial activity is likely to come from women.



London also has a high proportion of wholly or majority female owned business at 16.7% (compared

with an indicative proportion between 12.3% – 16.5% across the UK), which appears to have

increased significantly from 11.4% in 2004 and 9.7% in 2003 (LABS, 2005).



BAME women and business ownership

There are of course differences between women, when it comes to enterprise activity. The proportion

of businesses, owned by minority or majority women, by ethnicity shows that among some ethnic

groups – Black African (54%) and Asian Indian (21%), there is a larger than average propensity for

women to own businesses than the average (17%).



Co-ownership

A large proportion of female entrepreneurial activity takes place in businesses that are co-owned

equally by men and women. If the definition of women‟s enterprise included co-owned businesses (an

approach favoured by US researchers), it is estimated that between 34.1% – 41.2% of the UK small

business stock is either owned or co-owned by women. LABS found that 16.8% of businesses in

London were 50:50 female and male owned (compared with 28% in the US). Thus, 33.5% of

London‟s businesses are majority owned or co-owned by men and women (compared with 48% in the

US).



Self employment

While women in London tend to be less economically active overall than their male counterparts,

there has been an increase in women engaging in enterprise in recent years. London has the highest

rate of female self-employment of all the UK regions (9.4% in London compared with a 7.3% UK

average) although it is still significantly lower than male self-employment rates (17.4% of men in

employment in the UK are self-employed).



The data shows self employment rates of working age women and men in London, it also shows the

disparities between boroughs. For example it is evident that Kensington and Chelsea has a much

higher number of women who are self-employed (13.8%), compared with Barking and Dagenham

(2.1%), but this is still very low compared to men in the city of London (35.7%) where data for women

is unavailable.



It is evident that there are differential trends for differing minority ethnic groups. Chinese women are

most likely to be self employed (8.7%), and Bangladeshi women are least likely (0.9%), but male self-

employment rates consistently outperform women‟s – even for the lowest Black Other category of

women.



Barriers for women in enterprise

In general business success factors are similar for all businesses, however there are barriers which

affect women in particular. In addition to childcare, these can often include perception and knowledge

of what is possible. Research highlights the importance of initiatives that inspire women‟s confidence

and encourage their participation in business training and skill development.



Evidence suggests that barriers relating to women in enterprise in London are:

• cost of current premises significantly more likely to be a problem for all women-owned

businesses than for other businesses (based on percentage citing a major problem)

• proximity to other companies in the same sector more likely to be a problem for women-owned

businesses than other businesses

• historical, and direct discrimination when accessing finance

• practical concerns – e.g. a mortgage not in their name

• lack of role models

• the gender pay-gap

• occupational segregation and unequal employment opportunities, and

• work-life balance issues.

Evidence also suggests that women can often find it more difficult to access finance, although recent

studies have suggested that it may be the case women don‟t feel empowered to borrow money,

particularly larger sums of money, which may restrict their business growth, if they are able to set up

at all.

Women‟s business ownership is also affected by some of the same barriers faced by women within

society as a whole.



“Women‟s Enterprise Action Plan”

The LDA enterprise team have worked with women entrepreneurs in London to identify the key

actions necessary to support Women‟s Enterprise in the capital. This GES does not seek to

reproduce, but could usefully be read in conjunction with, the Women‟s Enterprise Action Plan and

the GES priorities reflect the need to ensure delivery of it.



Investment in Infrastructure Issues (GES Theme 3)

The LDA‟s role is to ensure that our spatial planning, investments, and regeneration initiatives deliver

the right infrastructure to ensure people and communities can access enterprise and employment.



Access to transport

Many women have to balance work and domestic responsibilities. To do this, they often need to be

able to access employment and training opportunities close to home. The provision of part-time work

opportunities, business start up units and community and voluntary sector facilities can be used to

promote women‟s employment and reduce poverty and social exclusion.



Women require convenient, affordable and safe public transport as well as safe and accessible

walking and cycling routes to cover most local journeys from the home. Local bus routes are

particularly important for London‟s women – both for those who live in the centre and the suburbs.

Increasing provision of these services is vital because of the kind of trips that women are more likely

to make – combining trips for work, local shopping, childcare as well as social and leisure.



Access to affordable housing

The high cost of housing and the shortage of affordable options are a particular difficulty for women in

London. Women-headed households tend to be more reliant on local authority and housing

association accommodation due to factors such as lower wages and restricted employment

opportunities – therefore they are more likely to experience the effects of poor quality, inaccessible

housing and lack of choice over location for themselves and their families. This applies in particular to

lone parent households, 60% of whom live in social housing, compared to 23% of other households

with dependent children. For these households, larger size dwellings are more appropriate and can

reduce the stress of living in overcrowded conditions.

Many women in London do live alone, in increasing proportions as they get older. At the time of the

2001 Census, just over 12% of women aged 16 to 59 were living alone in London. This rose to 33%

of women aged 60 to 74 living alone, 54% of those aged 75 to 84, and 59% of those aged 85 and

over. Older women living alone are more likely to be living in poverty and the provision of appropriate

shared accommodation might be financially and socially beneficial for some groups. Some

developments planned in London are specifically aimed at working age women and have been

designed specifically to cater to their needs.



The total number of households accepted by London local authorities as homeless and living in

temporary accommodation stood at over 63,400 in November 2005. The vast majority of these

households are headed by, or include, women. Since 1 April 2004, it has been illegal for local

authorities to house families with children and pregnant women in bed and breakfast accommodation

for more than six weeks, which has put increased pressure on the housing system.



Ultimately, this will only be solved with the increased provision of suitable and affordable family

homes, but provision for specialist alternative accommodation to meet emergency needs could be

made by local planning authorities in the form of specialised family support centres.

Access to social and community facilities: the Voluntary and Community Sector (VCS)

Women have complicated lives and often carry out a variety of tasks throughout the day. Access to

good local services is vital to them. This might include healthcare, education facilities (for themselves

and/or children), leisure, education and cultural services.

Women are also highly represented as users of, and volunteers at, community and voluntary facilities.

These provide small-scale services that are important to them – such as play groups, hobby and

support groups and exercise classes. The need for affordable accommodation for these facilities

should be recognised and provided for in development plans and in regeneration schemes, especially

where no such facilities are currently provided. The value of the contribution made by the voluntary

sector, is vital to recognise, both in terms of expertise and specialist service provision.



Crime and personal safety

The December 2005 Annual London Survey (ALS) showed that concerns about crime and safety are

declining amongst both women and men in London. However, 58% of the women asked felt fear of

crime is a problem in London, compared to 51% of male participants (GLA 2005). 42% of women felt

unsafe walking alone in their local neighbourhoods at night, compared with 34% of respondents as a

whole and 25% of men respondents. It should be noted that while women have a higher fear of crime,

men are more likely to be the victims of crime by a stranger. Women are more likely to be the victims

of crime by someone they know, and men are more likely to be the perpetrators of all crimes.



Many urban areas are not well-designed for personal safety in terms of visibility, lighting and being

overlooked. This can cause feelings of vulnerability and prevent women entering certain areas at

certain times. Concern about personal safety can limit women‟s opportunities to take part in all

aspects of London life, and women are less likely to feel safe than men. Ensuring that safety issues

are considered in the design of the public realm and at transport interchanges will have benefits for

all, but will improve women‟s confidence.



Domestic violence

There were 63,656 domestic violence offences and 2,664 rape offences recorded by the MPS

throughout 2005 (MPS, 2006). The average sanctioned detection rate for the year for domestic

violence was 24.7% and for rape was 27.8%. Amongst the reports of sexual assault in 2005, 66 were

on women using unlicensed minicabs.



In a paper for the EOC, Sylvia Walby at the University of Leeds estimated that the total cost of

Domestic Violence in terms of public services and lost economic output was £5.7bn per year.

Including the human and emotional cost to the individuals, which cannot be accounted for in services

this amounted to £23 billion per year in the UK.



The Mayor has set out in the Domestic Violence Strategy for London, the activities to be taken to

reduce Domestic Violence and increase convictions. Through promoting opportunities for women to

access basic, language and higher level skills training, childcare accessibility, and routes out of

worklessness, the LDA is working to ensure women have the financial independence necessary to

support this strategy.



5. The LDA‟s gender evidence base



LDA investment in gender and equalities

The LDA‟s core funding for 2006/2007 was £411 million. Equality specialist projects account for a

large proportion of that spending.



The table below gives some examples of the many projects the LDA has funded in recent years with

a specific focus on gender. It is by no means a definitive list but does give some indication of the

commitment and priority the LDA gives to supporting equality target groups and reinforcing that

commitment with investment.



Examples of specific activity and investment in this area would include the Childcare Availability

Project and Diversity Works for London are both multi-million pound projects aimed at supporting

women to enter employment in London and encouraging employers to see the value of recruiting a

more diverse workforce.

Gender specialist projects at the LDA

Project

CAP – Childcare Affordability Project

Description

Childcare places and spaces 2005/2006 supported 3,155 childcare places

Project

Diversity Works for London

Description

Diversity works is the mayoral campaign against employment discrimination. It aims to promote the

message that employment discrimination in the workplace is damaging for business and detrimental

to the future economic success of London

Project

Women in the London Economy

Description

Engagement and consultation with wide range of women stakeholders

Project

Building Work for Women – Build Up

Description

Addresses equality and diversity in the construction industry in London by building the economic

capacity of women-managed businesses and raising skill levels of the workforce in SME and micro

business construction

Project

Helping women returners with children back into the workforce

Description

Flexible childcare places – evenings and weekends 120 supported and enabled to return to work

Project

Regional coordinator for womens enterprise

Description

Recruitment of a Regional Coordinator to support the LDA in developing a coordinated and

collaborative London Regional Paper and Action Plan for Women‟s Enterprise

Project

Accessing Women into Non-Traditional ICT and Financial Services Employment

Description

To provide employer-driven progression programme leading to employment for 100 women by

combining Level 2 Diploma in IT with job search/job preparation training

Project

First Steps to Construction for Women

Description

Delivering basic qualifications in vocational trade training, construction training and employment

support to 80% women, of which some will be BAME

Project

Gender Focus Enterprise Support for Women

Description

Improving support offered by Enterprise Support Providers through Flagship standards and sharing

best practise through networks

Project

Improving Procurement Opportunities for Women SME‟s

Description

Provision of WE databank, networking, supply chain events and collaboration with HEI‟s

Project

Start-up and Micro Business Support

Description

A pan-London ESF co-financed programme to deliver start-up support to entrepreneurs including

specific strands for BAME, women and disabled entrepreneurs and franchising

Project

Central Information Databank

Description

Coordination of Business Diversity Team activities, information and data through networks, existing

portals, and enterprise support providers

Project

Enterprise for Emerging Communities

Description

Contributing to the growth of emerging communities in business

Project

Capital Woman Enterprise Hub

Description

Engagement and consultation with wide range of women stakeholders

Project

Olympic Opportunities projects

Description

Including; the construction accord (supporting women into construction on the Olympic site),

forecasting function (which will link skills shortages to training opportunities for women and others),

Knowledge and Bus programme (to diversify the workforce), Electronic Brokerage System (to link

businesses to opportunities, including SME‟s and diverse led business)



Mainstreaming equality, setting targets

The LDA strongly believes in mainstreaming equalities into all our work. This means that Equalities is

owned by all parts of the LDA and considered at outset of a project (rather than as an afterthought).

Target setting, research, monitoring and training form part of a broad package of initiatives to ensure

the needs of all London‟s diverse communities benefit from our investment.



The LDA sets targets for all projects against four aspects of our tasking framework (the outputs set for

us by the DTI), for Women, Disabled People, and BAME groups. We also „tag‟ projects which have

outputs for the other three equality areas (age, sexuality, faith). These targets are set on the basis of

the evidence available, through the London Annual Business survey and other sources, and are

designed to „stretch‟ the LDA to effect change in London‟s economy.



The corporate equality targets are set every year with the GLA.



At the close of year 2006/2007 the LDA had made a significant improvement in its performance

against the corporate targets. The data shows that the LDA‟s projects, collectively are delivering very

successfully against the first two target areas, Business Support and Business Creation on gender. In

fact 30% of those businesses created in 2006/7 with LDA input were women-owned, as were 25% of

businesses assisted.

However, the agency is not as successful as it intends to be in future, in terms of meeting the targets

around Skills and Employment for women, though a 9% and 6% (respectively) increase on the

previous year did occur.



Meeting the corporate targets

The Equalities team is putting in place a number of mechanisms to help the LDA meet its corporate

equalities targets for the forthcoming years.



These mechanisms include:

• strengthening the EIA process so projects are designed to capture the greatest number of

equalities beneficiaries

• internal mechanisms strengthened to ensure projects deliver against their equalities targets,

using our external equalities performance managers

• entering into a landmark agreement with the Business Engagement and Skills directorate

(responsible for 95% of the equalities outputs), to ensure that the senior equalities management team

sign off all project targets.

• ensuring data systems are „fit for purpose‟ and include an early warning mechanism to flag up

failing projects early on, and offering help to get them back on track

• developing a good practice guide for project managers.



This Gender Equality Scheme includes an action to ensure that meeting equalities targets is a major

priority.



6. Assessing the impact of gender equality

At the LDA we are required by law to carry out Gender, Race and Disability Equality Impact

Assessments of our work and already use an Equality Impact Assessment (EIA) system which looks

at all six equality strands (race, disability, gender, faith, sexual orientation, and age). Working with the

Home Office we have extended this process to look at our impact on community cohesion as well

(see Appendix 3) and are in the process of expanding this to consider refugee issues. We have also

used our RDA lead role on Equalities to support the other regions of the UK in adopting this common

EIA framework.



The LDA considers EIAs as essential to „mainstreaming‟ equality i.e. making it „business as usual‟.

They allow us to make the most of opportunities to tackle discrimination, promote equality and

positive community relations. Our EIA process also helps us to remove any injustice and

disadvantage in the way we carry out our work (institutional discrimination), consider equality issues

from the start and use the knowledge and strengths of our partners to help make decisions.



Project EIA‟s

Our projects are impact assessed by project managers as part of our project development system –

EIA‟s are built into the project workbook that is completed for all projects. They are then quality

assured by trained appraisers and again reviewed by the equality and diversity team when a decision

is being made about whether or not to fund the project. This ensures that the knowledge and skills of

project managers are enhanced through undertaking EIA‟s.



The presence of the Director of Equality and Diversity at the Corporate Investment Panel ensures that

funding for a project can be made conditional on the completion of a satisfactory EIA.



EIA‟s polices and strategies

Polices are impact assessed at the stage when they are presented through a Board or Senior

Management Team paper. We aim to use externally facilitated EIA or a cross agency meeting to

ensure objectivity and transparency for more influential strategy and policy documents, for example

the EDS.



EIA framework

Our EIA framework is kept clear, simple and jargon free and asks staff to:

• consider existing evidence relating to equality groups

• assess likely positive and negative impacts (considering different impacts may be possible for

different groups)

• describe planned or previous consultation with equality groups

• consider alternative delivery plans to reduce or eliminate negative and increase positive

impacts

• decide whether to proceed, amend or abandon

• describe systems for monitoring real impact

The LDA Evaluation team has been looking at how we can more effectively measure the impact of

our work including our impact on equality groups beyond the output data we already capture. Our

external website publicises that we carry out EIA and gives contact details for anyone wishing to view

publicly available EIAs.



Training

Most EIAs are completed by non-equality specialist staff, so following the revision of our process to

include community cohesion a series of workshops were rolled out to increase understanding of this

process including a session by the Home Office consultants working on community cohesion for our

Development and Regeneration Teams. A list of prompt questions and useful website links has been

drawn up and added to the EIA framework alongside a list of Frequently Asked Questions. An EIA

toolkit has been developed and EIAs training will be included in our „New Way of Working‟ induction

process.



Evidence base

In order to support project managers and ensure that EIA‟s are as effective and relevant as possible

the Equalities team have developed Borough Profiles for each of the London Boroughs. This gives

managers the full demographic breakdown for the area where their project is focused and enables

them to better target their initiatives. It also means that challenging targets can be set more

realistically for projects to delivery, given the makeup of the local population.



Still to do on EIA‟s

Further work is planned to ensure that our EIA process remains as effective as possible. This

includes:

• adding evidence to our intranet which contains relevant research documents and statistical

sources which staff can use when looking for evidence

• looking at ways to impact assess the policies or „ways of working‟ that may not be formally

agreed or written down

• working with the evaluation team to establish a common mechanism for analysing the

effectiveness of EIA‟s, what value they added and their long term impact on projects

• working with the GLA family to standardise the principles and methodology behind our EIA‟s to

ensure consistency and share best practice

• developing a standard template and guidance for externally facilitated EIA‟s on big strategies



7. The LDA as an employer

The data regarding the number of LDA employee‟s by gender, over the last five years, shows that

although the overall percentage of women employees has reduced slightly, we still have a workforce

which reflects the demographics of London almost exactly at 50%. Given the significant increase in

the overall numbers of staff, especially in the last year, the decrease of in the numbers of women is

not statistically significant.



Employees earning £40,000 plus

For employees earning over £40,000 per year, the data shows the LDA has a good representation of

women at nearly 45%, but still have some work to do to ensure it is reflective of the London

demographic.



Top 5% of Earners at the LDA

The LDA has about 42% women in its top management. There is obviously still some work to do to

raise this level, however it is slightly misleading as the senior management team represents less than

ten people and is therefore easily squewed.



Staff Leaving

The data shows that with the exception of 2005/6, only slightly more women than men left the LDA.



Promotions by gender

The data shows that over the three year period, more women than men have been promoted. Its

should be noted that the LDA has changed the way it defines promotion in the last year, which

accounts for the larger number of promotions overall in 2006/2007.



Performance rating by gender

The LDA operates a bonus scheme linked to performance rating. We keep data on performance

rating outcomes by ethnicity, gender, and disability.



Training opportunities

In terms of training opportunities, data from 2005/2006 shows that slightly more women than men

access training at the LDA. In 2006 this was 53.63% women compared to 46.37% of men. This could

be reflective of the fact that men tend to be more represented in the more senior roles, and have less

need for the type of training offered. Or it might have to do with other factors.



Further analysis of training take up and outcomes will form a part of the HR action plan.



Future action on workforce development

The LDA is committed to ensuring our workforce reflects the demographics of London, and our staff

are treated fairly. As a priority for this GES the Equalities team are working with HR to develop an

action plan to address any current disparities. This is in conjunction with work to increase the

numbers of BAME staff, particularly from those minority groups which are less well represented, and

increase the numbers of disabled staff. The LDA is working with the EMRG, and the GLA to set

targets for these target groups.



8. Responding to the draft GES consultation

Background

The public consultation on the LDA‟s draft GES enabled Londoners and organisations in the capital to

shape the LDA‟s final GES priorities. This section of the GES outlines a summary of the consultation,

and how we have incorporated GES comments into the final gender equality priorities.



Involvement in drafting the consultation GES

The LDA‟s work to defining our GES priorities has been multifaceted and has involved a plethora of

key partners. The LDA has been promoting Gender Equality since its creation, and hence has a

substantial amount of evidence to draw on. This is the case in part because the LDA is a member of

the GLA group and is responsible for implementing Mayoral priorities around equality and diversity,

and also because we are subject to the GLA Act which requires us to promote equality in all our work.

Hence, the process for developing the GES is built on a sound equality foundation.



In order to ensure that our draft Gender Equality Scheme was relevant and effective for Londoners,

the LDA sought to involve colleagues, leaders of key business areas, stakeholders and staff in its

development.



The process for drafting the GES:

• initially we mapped existing projects, LDA activity and initiatives to promote Gender Equality

• the results of the equality impact assessments that have been carried out over the previous

few years were examined and collated to assess the success of the LDA in mainstreaming Gender

Equality

• significant desk research was undertaken, considering internal research on women‟s

enterprise, the GLA economics study of Women in the London Economy (WILE), the EOC

investigations into Working Outside the Box, and Moving on Up, plus other key documents

• the equalities team then developed a Gender Issues Paper to outline the key priorities for the

LDA based on the evidence

• an internal Gender Equality Working Group was set up representing heads of key teams in the

LDA, and consulted about the key Gender Equality Issues facing the business, whilst also testing out

priorities with key staff

• working with the Oxfam Re-gender project, the LDA hosted a seminar for all English regions to

explore the issues for RDA‟s further

• we consulted directly with staff through the staff newsletter

• we also consulted both of the Trades Unions recognised within the LDA

• the Equalities team developed the action plan

• sign off was gained from Directors across the agency

• finally our Equalities Monitoring and Review Group (EMRG) of the Board discuss and agreed

the action plan and process.



In the preparation of the draft we have consulted with the following LDA teams and stakeholders.

• Childcare

• HR

• Skills

• Enterprise

• Project Delivery

• Olympic Opportunities and Olympic Land team

• Procurement

• Risk

• Strategy

• Research

• European funding team

• LORECA

• Diversity Works for London

• Trades Unions (PCS and Unison)

• Women‟s Resource Centre

• Women‟s Design Service

• A Place at the Table

• GLA group partners



The Public consultation

Although we published our draft GES by the deadline, LDA felt it was important to carry out additional

public consultation following the release of the draft scheme, as we are committed to listening to the

feedback from women and men, and trans communities in London. Because of this commitment, we

held a full 3 month public consultation from 30th April to August 1st 2007.



The consultation exercise was conducted through a number of different formats and media, including;

• internal meetings with key teams and staff, and internal workshops

• one to one meetings with external stakeholder groups and organisations

• direct feedback from key partners such as the GLA, and ODA

• input from organisations delivery key LDA projects on gender

• an opportunity for input via the consultation page set up on the LDA website

• a targeted mailing to Women‟s organisations and key LDA partners across London

• promotion of the consultation at LDA events

• opportunity for input from other RDA‟s

• informal input from the EOC

• consideration by the LDA Board



Summary of overall consultation responses and resulting outcomes

There was a strong and positive response to the LDA draft GES. All of the organisations that

responded felt the LDA draft GES made a very positive contribution to gender equality and that the

priorities were roughly balanced in the right areas.

Issue raised through consultation

Ensure that there is clear prioritization of objectives, within an overall action plan that is deliverable

Action taken

Strategic Priority Objectives drawn out in Section 9. The LDA is an organisation strong on equality

capacity, and with an excellent track record. Therefore it is realistic for the LDA to maintain a larger

number of objectives

Issue raised through consultation

Show how evidence base and consultation leads directly to selection of objectives

Action taken

Consultation report included in final GES, linked to strategic priority objectives

Issue raised through consultation

Maintain the valuable focus on trans issues within the action plan

Action taken

Objectives included around further research and action on issues faced by Trans Londoners

Issue raised through consultation

Clarity of some terminology and tightening up of the milestones for success

Action taken

Clarity added to action plan, by utilizing success criteria which can be directly delivered by LDA

Issue raised through consultation

Maintain focus on contribution towards reducing the wider pay gap in London

Action taken

Equal pay a strategic priority, including an objective to further equal pay audits for LDA delivery

partners

Issue raised through consultation

Maintain the GES links to the EDS and LDA investment themes, to ensure the objectives are linked

into corporate investment frameworks

Action taken

GES themes organized according to EDS priorites, and implementation linked to the EDS Investment

Frameworks

Issue raised through consultation

Outline the specific gender related activity with regard to Inclusive Design

Action taken

Objective included around inclusive design toolkit, to take account of gender equality requirements

Issue raised through consultation

Increase the focus on raising job share, flexible and part time work options for LDA employees

Action taken

Implementation of HR action plan (to include flexible working) a strategic priority

Issue raised through consultation

Ensure work with the private sector promotes and encourages opportunities for more women to lead

large businesses and city firms

Action taken

Objectives to include working with the private sector have been agreed with Diversity Works for

London who will take the lead on implementation

Issue raised through consultation

Increase the focus of activity around the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games, in terms of supplier

diversity, training for women in construction, with a particular focus on developing opportunities for

those groups to on site gain work experience

Action taken

Olympic opportunity is a cross cutting strategic priority for the GES. The focus of activity on gender

segregation is around women into construction

Issue raised through consultation

Include a focus around working with the Construction sector contractors, to promote diversity in

employment and good work practices and an increase in visibility of diversity in construction

Action taken

Employer Accord project, includes an initiative to promote diversity in construction, this project is

outlined in Section 5

Issue raised through consultation

Maintain focus on Occupational Segregation, including supporting implementation of the Women and

Work Commission Recommendations

Action taken

Objective 1.1 includes an action to support initiatives to encourage local women into local jobs, and

encourage flexible part-time work opportunities

Issue raised through consultation

Consider how the LDA can influence activity around pre-employment support – which could engage

women furthest from the Labour market in non-traditional occupations

Action taken

Activity to trial this, has been included in the objectives

Issue raised through consultation

Consider how the LDA might monitor the kinds, and levels, of jobs women go on to after LDA

programmers

Action taken

This will be trialed as part of the LDA‟s commitment to measure the EOC‟s Equality Index indicators,

including occupational segregation

Issue raised through consultation

Consider if DWL could target specific sectors?

Action taken

This was not considered to be a priority for this GES, though further thought will be given to it in the

annual reviews

Issue raised through consultation

Consider how the LDA could influence other London funding bodies to develop a standard equality

and diversity definition, monitoring and practice

Action taken

This is being undertaken through an LDA project already

Issue raised through consultation

How can the LDA respond to the Gender Agenda – EOC closing report and Index of Gender Equality

Action taken

LDA will make a commitment to measure the employment and skills related aspects of the index for

London, as part of an overall set of indicators for Gender Equality in the Capital

Issue raised through consultation

Include breakdown of gender pay figures by ethnicity if possible

Action taken

Data will be sought to include this breakdown in future

Issue raised through consultation

Update information on Gender Equality Targets. Meeting the LDA gender equality targets should be a

high level strategic priority for the scheme

Action taken

End of year data for 06/07 is now available and has been updated along with the new targets for

07/08. The delivery of these targets is a strategic priority

Issue raised through consultation

Ensure the GES links into the draft Refugee Integration Strategy for London

Action taken

GES has taken on specific issues of refugee women, and will monitor against the success of them

with LORECA



Acknowledgements

We would like to thank all those who took part in the consultation process. Your involvement and

feedback is very important to us and has been used to evidence the need for the final GES priorities.



Special thanks to those partner organisations who have worked closely with us throughout this project

to help us reach a wide and reflective audience of consultees.

The London Development Agency (LDA) is committed to listening to its partners and stakeholders to

ensure its ongoing strategy for economic development, for the capital and it‟s people, reflects the full

spectrum of London‟s needs.



Strategic priorities

The LDA has used consultation responses to help shape our strategic priorities outlined in the next

section.



9. LDA‟s strategic priorities

The evidence and consultation responses clearly demonstrate that in terms of gender, it is women

who are systematically excluded from top jobs and board positions, they tend to be underpaid and

their work is often undervalued. There is still significant evidence of women being directly

discriminated against, and it is mostly women who have to juggle the challenging task of balancing

childcare, home and work life. The experiences of BAME, lesbian, disabled, older and younger

women, and women off different faiths, can be compounded by additional discrimination and multiple

disadvantage.



The LDA has defined a number of objectives and actions necessary to deliver this GES, however the

evidence base and input to the consultation exercise have outlined some strategic activities that are

the most important. These Strategic Priorities, are the actions which the LDA must deliver first, in

order to make the biggest difference for gender equality in London.



The Strategic Priorities can be cross-referenced to the Positive Action Plan, in section 10 and the

objectives they relate to are in brackets below. They are also highlighted within the action plan, and

all have year 1 actions associated with them.

• Reducing barriers to women accessing employment, particularly around Childcare (1.1)

• Reduce the Gender Pay gap in London (1.2)

• Reduce Occupational Segregation in London (1.3)

• Research the potential barriers for Trans people entering employment in London (1.5, 2.6)

• Deliver the Women‟s Enterprise Action Plan for London (GES objectives 2.1 – 2.4)

• Meet or exceed all corporate equalities targets for projects funded by the LDA (5.1)

• Further develop and measure the impact of EqIA‟s (5.2)

• Implement the HR equality and diversity action plan (5.3)

• Utilise the procurement power of the LDA to promote gender equality (5.4)



The 2012 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games , a cross-cutting Strategic Priority

In addition to the strategic objectives (listed on page 56), a cross cutting priority of all of our Gender

Equality work will be to ensure the LDA‟s influence and investment into the 2012 Games, promotes

gender equality. This will be specifically relevant in terms of; reducing occupational segregation,

promoting inclusive design, piloting the requirement for delivery partners to use „best endeavors‟ to

undertake equal pay audits, and promoting opportunities for women-led businesses to bid for Games

contracts.



Indicators of gender equality outcomes for London

Earlier in 2007 the EOC published „The Gender Agenda‟ a final report on the work of the commission

and an accompanying list of Gender Equality Indicators which measure progress.



LDA investment makes up only a small proportion of public sector funding in London (less that 10%),

and obviously many of the drivers of these indicators are determined by national or external factors,

hence it would be inappropriate to use them as success measurements for the LDA GES. However it

is important to maintain a focus on these measures.



The LDA will work with GLA economics, ONS and other key partners to measure, where possible, the

following economic indicators for London, to inform future policy initiatives and priorities.



• Gender equality pay gap

• Part time pay gap

• Occupational segregation

• High level flexible jobs availability

• Use of flexible working

• FTSE 100 directors

• MP‟s



10. The „positive action‟ action plan

Theme 1. People



GES objective

1.1 Reduce Barriers to employment for women in London

(EDS Objective 4, 5)

STRATEGIC PRIORITY

Key action to deliver

Increase take up of childcare, through LDA projects such as CAP.

Success is …

Increased take up of Childcare places, ensuring families facing multiple disadvantage are not

excluded.

Team responsible:Childcare

Year: 1

Key action to deliver

Research and promote the business case for diversity to the private sector

Success is …

Private sector companies are utilizing tools and research provided, to promote gender equality in the

workplace

Team responsible: Diversity Works for London

Year: 1

Key action to deliver

Support more workless women into work through the city employment strategies

Success is …

City Strategies undertake initiatives to encourage women back to work, and measure appropriate

gender equality outcomes.

Team responsible: City Employment Strategy team

Year: 2

Key action to deliver

Support initiatives to encourage local women into local jobs, and encourage flexible part-time work

opportunities.

Success is …

LDA investment and strategic activity supports projects which promote flexible part time work, and

local job brokerage for women.

Equalities

Team responsible: Delivery

Year: 2

Key action to deliver

Support Refugee and migrant work women with skills development, employment and enterprise

support.

Success is …

Invest in refugee women through London Refugee Economic Action

Team responsible: LORECA, Development Team

Year: 1,2,3

Key action to deliver

Bangladeshi and Pakistani women to overcome the barriers to economic activity.

Success is …

Research what works in London, in order to remove the barriers for Bangladeshi and Pakistani

women being economically active, and act on the evidence.

Team responsible: Equalities, Development, Delivery

Year: 1



GES objective

1.2 Reduce the Gender pay gap in London

(EDS Objective 5)

STRATEGIC PRIORITY

Key action to deliver

Promote equal pay to the private sector

Success is …

Evidence base and case studies are developed and used, including information for employers on

equal pay.

Team responsible: Diversity Works for London

Year: 1,2,3

Key action to deliver

Use contract compliance to promote equal pay for LDA contractors

Success is …

LDA contracts encourage delivery partners to undertake equal pay audits.

Team responsible: Equalities, Procurement, Legal

Year: 2



GES objective

1.3 Reduce occupational segregation in London

(EDS objective 5)

STRATEGIC PRIORITY

Key action to deliver

Focus activity to support women into construction, sports, and transport sectors, as part of the

Olympic and Paralympic Games 2012 developments.

Success is …

Projects are supported which increase the numbers of women in construction, sports and transport.

Team responsible: Olympic Opportunities team, Delivery

Year: 1,2,3

Key action to deliver

Work with the childcare sector to raise the status, value and quality of childcare jobs

Success is …

As a result of LDA investment, more men choose to go into childcare, and the women who work in

the sector are valued for their contribution.

Team responsible: Childcare

Year: 3

Key action to deliver

Work with the GLA Gender Equality Working Group to develop joint activity to reduce gender

segregation

Success is …

Joint initiatives are a success as demonstrated through annual reporting and review.

Team responsible: Equalities

Year: 1,2,3

Key action to deliver

Improve accuracy of information about the accessibility of skills training to diverse groups of women

Success is …

LDA meets or exceeds its skills targets for women year on year.

More women across London are accessing skills training.

Team responsible: Skills team, Equalities, Delivery.

Year: 1,2,3

Key action to deliver

Consider how the LDA can influence activity around pre-employment support – which could engage

women furthest from the Labour market into non-traditional occupations

Success is …

Trial this on specific projects, and make recommendations for future activity.

Team responsible: Equalities, Delivery

Year: 3



GES objective

1.4 Provide increase skills and development opportunities for women

(EDS Objective 9)

Key action to deliver

Develop, or shape new skills provision to ensure diverse groups of women are able to access it

Success is …

LDA Equality skills outputs on women are met or exceeded. EIA‟s show projects are designed to

ensure a wide range of women can access them.

Team responsible: Equalities, Delivery, Development

Year: 1,2,3

Key action to deliver

Provide opportunities for women to gain the skills needed to succeed in non traditional occupations

Success is …

In line with forecasts around skills shortages, projects enable women to up-skill in key areas for the

Games.

Team responsible: Olympic Opps, Equalities

Year: 1,2,3

Key action to deliver

Support refugee and migrant women, to access ESOL provision appropriate and accessible to their

needs.

Success is …

LDA investment and strategic influence, supports the provision of appropriate ESOL.

Team responsible: Employability, LORECA

Year: 1



GES objective

1.5 Research the potential barriers to trans people of accessing employment

(EDS Objective 4, 5)

Key action to deliver

Undertake research with trans women and men to identify the potential barriers to employment they

might face.

Success is …

Research undertaken and projects shaped/developed as a result

Consider LDA monitoring of trans people accessing project support

Team responsible: Strategy Equalities

Year: 1



GES objective

1.6 With particular focus on women with caring responsibilities, encourage employers to develop

flexible approach to working and work-life balance

(EDS Objective 4, 5)

Key action to deliver

Provide practical guidance and case studies to employers, and opportunities for peer learning to

promote the practical benefits of flexible working and quality part time work.

Success is …

Private sector employers are persuaded by the business benefits of flexible working, and offer it as an

alternative.

Team responsible: Diversity Works for London

Year: 1,2



GES objective

1.7 Encourage the private and public sectors, to include more women at Board level

(EDS Objective 5)

Key action to deliver

Work with employers and partners to promote the value of diversity on Boards.

Success is …

Evidence produced and taken on by the Private and public sectors. Key examples of success used as

case studies.

Team responsible: Diversity Works for London

Year: 3



GES objective

1.8 Maximise the value, expertise and contribution of the Women‟s Voluntary sector. (EDS Objective

4)

Key action to deliver

Map the value and contribution of the women‟s voluntary sector to local employment and helping

women furthest from the labour market back into work.

Success is …

Research completed and recommendations influence future project development.

Team responsible: Equalities, Communities

Year: 2



Theme 2. Enterprise



GES objective

2.1 WEAP Objective 1. Support specific business start up and growth for women. (EDS 7)

STRATEGIC PRIORITY

Key action to deliver

Specific women‟s business support is accessible, appropriate and to all women in all boroughs.

Success is …

Specific business start up advice is available and well utilized.

Team responsible: Enterprise team

Year: 1,2,3



GES objective

2.2 WEAP Objective 2.

Ensure women entrepreneurs can access generic business advice services (EDS 7)

STRATEGIC PRIORITY

Key action to deliver

Ensure Business Link service is accessible to women entrepreneurs, gives quality advice and meets

its targets on gender. Women are aware of what business support is on offer.

Success is …

Target of 40% business support to women is reached by 2010.

Business support guide is produced and utilised.

Team responsible: Enterprise team, Business Link transition team, Serco, Equalities.

Year: 1,2,3



GES objective

2.3 WEAP Objective 3.

Enhance strategic knowledge about the women‟s business sector. (EDS7)

STRATEGIC PRIORITY

Key action to deliver

Relevant, accurate and timely London-wide baseline data is available

Success is …

London Annual Business Survey, Women in the London Economy and regular updates on the

Women‟s Enterprise Action Plan provide useful and current analysis of the sector.

Team responsible: Enterprise Team

Year: 1,2,3



GES objective

2.4 Comply with Government initiative to build a network of high profile female entrepreneurs

(EDS Objective 7)

Key action to deliver

Develop a group of women entrepreneur role models or ambassadors for women‟s enterprise in

London.

Success is …

Role Model programme in place

Team responsible: Women‟s Enterprise Team

Year: 1



GES objective

2.5 Ensure women-run businesses are able to bid for contracts for the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic

Games

(EDS Objective 7)

Key action to deliver

Through the supplier diversity programme, ensure small and women-led business are equipped to bid

for contracts.

Success is …

Strong representation of women-led business bidding and securing Games contracts.

Team responsible: Olympic Opportunities, Procurement.

Year: 1,2,3



GES objective

2.6 Consider the barriers to trans people setting up their own businesses.

(EDS Objective 7)

Key action to deliver

Research developed and undertaken and projects shaped accordingly.

Success is …

Research completed

Numbers of trans women and men running businesses in London is recorded and increasing

Team responsible: Equalities

Year: 1, 3



Theme 3. Places and infrastructure

GES objective

3.1 LDA to meet principles of inclusive design in all its places and infrastructure projects.

(EDS Objective 3)

Key action to deliver

To aide implementation of the London Plan, an inclusive design toolkit is developed to include issues

around gender equality

Success is …

Toolkit is used by project mangers.

Team responsible: Places and Infrastructure team. Equalities

Year: 1



GES objective

3.2 Develop a training model for inclusive design, including the gender implications of design for all

relevant staff.

(EDS Objective 3)

Key action to deliver

Develop training module with women‟s design specialists for all relevant staff.

Success is …

LDA is role-modeling best practice in inclusive design and development and delivery staff are

confident about inclusive design principles.

Team responsible: HR, Equalities, Development.

Year: 1



GES objective

3.3 Ensure the 2012 games and legacy projects are a role model for inclusive design (EDS Objective

3)

Key action to deliver

Use our direct delivery of projects and influence over LOCOG and ODA to ensure that all aspects of

the Games 2012 reflect inclusive design principles and gender equality.

Success is …

Women are able to access all elements of the games as spectators, participators and through the

legacy of regeneration projects.

Team responsible: Olympic opportunities team, Equalities

Year: 1,2,3



GES objective

3.4 Work with Design for London to ensure gender equality objectives are fully considered within

regeneration schemes

(EDS Objective 3)

Key action to deliver

Working with gender design experts agree key good practice objectives to be mainstreamed in to

Design for London work

Success is …

EIA‟s show positive equality and gender outcomes of new developments.

Team responsible: Design for London, Equalities

Year: 2



Theme 4. Marketing and promotion

GES objective

4.1 Marketing of London includes positive images of diversity and gender equality (EDS Objective 11)

Key action to deliver

A positive publicity campaign encouraging women, men and trans people to visit, live, work and study

in London is run by Visit London.

Success is …

Positive publicity campaign delivered.

Team responsible: Tourism team

Year: 3



Theme 5. LDA as an organisation

GES objective

5.1 Meet or exceed all corporate equalities targets

STRATEGIC PRIORITY

Key action to deliver

Provide support and training to delivery managers to ensure targets are delivered year on year.

Success is …

Training for all delivery managers

Team responsible: Equalities

Year: 1,2,3

Key action to deliver

Develop mechanisms to ensure that high performing projects can share learning with those projects

struggling to meet corporate targets.

Success is …

Good practice guide in place and being utilized

Team responsible: Equalities

Year: 1,2,3

Key action to deliver

Ensure adequate early warning systems are in place and support is offered to projects „failing‟ on

their equalities targets.

Success is …

Failing projects are helped and results improved

Team responsible: Equalities

Year: 1,2,3



GES objective

5.2 Further develop and measure the impact of EIA‟s

STRATEGIC PRIORITY

Key action to deliver

Carry out an analysis of the positive equalities outcomes achieved through Equality Impact

Assessments over the past 12 months

Success is …

Impact of EIA‟s captured regularly and reported appropriately.

Team responsible: Equalities

Year: 1,2,3



Key action to deliver

At a pan-London and borough level review, expand and continuously update the evidence and data

base to support colleagues undertaking EIA‟s.

Success is …

Evaluation of EIA‟s show stronger links to evidence base and greater impact.

Team responsible: Equalities

Year: 1,2,3



GES objective

5.3 Implement the HR equality and diversity action plan.

STRATEGIC PRIORITY

Key action to deliver

Action plan should include:

– awareness raising for staff on gender and trans issues; develop and understanding of the issues

faced by (potential) trans staff; monitoring of trans staff; training for mangers on flexible working and

part-time working; implementation of the equal pay audit; mechanisms to consult women, men and

trans staff regularly; and further development of flexible working; development of mentoring and

coaching schemes.

Success is …

Action plan revised and implemented.

Team responsible: HR

Year: Year 1 revised, 1,2,3 imple-mentation

Key action to deliver

Improve availability, promotion and take up of flexible and part time working.

Success is …

Flexible and part time working opportunities are increased and promoted at the LDA.

Team responsible: HR

Year: 1



GES objective

5.4 Utilise the procurement power of the LDA to promote gender equality

STRATEGIC PRIORITY

Key action to deliver

Produce a „Selling to the LDA‟ guide for SME‟s and businesses not traditionally used to bidding for

LDA tenders

Success is …

Increased numbers of women-led businesses successful in securing contracts from the LDA after

three years.

Team responsible: Procurement

Year: 2, 3

Key action to deliver

Implement the equalities aspect of the GLA Sustainable Procurement Policy, through a joint approach

with other Functional Bodies.

Success is …

Sustainable procurement activity takes account of gender equality

Team responsible: Diversity Works for London, Equalities

Year: 1,2,3

Key action to deliver

Require suppliers to show „best endeavours‟ to conduct equal pay audits and act on discriminatory

outcomes found.

Success is …

LDA can evidence clear process for examination or suppliers full equality evidence base (not just ED

policies), and the subsequent impact of using that information to inform contract development and

compliance.

Team responsible: Procurement, legal, Equalities

Year: 1,2,3



GES objective

5.5 Ensure the scheme is implemented

Key action to deliver

Through the Gender Equality Working Group of the GLA, coordinate activity on joint commitments.

Success is …

Learning and best practice are shared, joint initiatives are undertaken and progress reported is

positive.

Team responsible: Equalities

Year: 1

Key action to deliver

Work through the RDA Equalities Group to share practice and learning around mainstreaming gender

equality in RDA‟s.

Success is …

RDA‟s are supported and performance is raised around gender equality

Team responsible: Equalities

Year: 1,2,3

Key action to deliver

Build in explicit references to GES delivery into each of the frameworks to support LDA investment.

Success is …

Corporate Investment Strategy and Investment Frameworks show recognition of and practical

commitment to delivery of the GES.

Team responsible: Equalities, Strategy

Year: 1,2,3

Key action to deliver

Work with the London Boroughs to promote gender equality

Success is …

London Boroughs engaged in delivery of LDA gender equality priorities

Team responsible: Equalities, Delivery

Year: 1,2,3

Key action to deliver

Work with partners organization to monitor the economic aspects of the ECO‟s Gender Agenda Index

Success is …

Indicators measured annual for London wherever possible.

Team responsible: Economic Analysis, Equalities

Year: 2, 3



11. Implementing the scheme

In order to ensure that the GES is fully implemented the LDA has taken a number of actions.

• A dedicated Equality and Diversity Manager has been employed in the Equalities team to lead

on the GES

• Actions within the draft GES have been developed in conjunction with key teams.

• Equalities Monitoring and Review Group (EMRG) – the advisory group to the Board, have

been consulted, and agreed the draft

• It has been agreed that the implementation of this document will be incorporated into the

Corporate Investment Strategy process, with individual Investment Frameworks detailing which

project will deliver against the priorities within it.

• A board sponsor will be identified to Champion equality on EMRG and the LDA Board

• The final GES was discussed and agreed by the LDA board in September 2007.



Annual Review

Every year, we conduct a formal review of progress towards implementation of the GES and gain

feedback from stakeholders and key delivery teams in the Agency, to shape further activity. Feedback

will be provided regularly to EMRG and the Board.



Appendices

Appendix 1 – LDA functions and policies

Based on the research undertaken in the development of this document, along with the Race and

Disability Equality Scheme‟s, we have prioritised the LDA‟s functions with relevance to the Gender

Equality Scheme as follows:



The LDA‟s statutory functions and relevance

• To further the economic development and the regeneration of its area (HIGH)

• To promote business efficiency, investment and competitiveness in its area (HIGH)

• To promote employment in its area (HIGH)

• To enhance the development and application of skills relevant to employment in its area

(HIGH)

• To promote equality of opportunity for all people irrespective of their race, sex, disability, age,

sexual orientation or religion (RDAs/GLA Act) (HIGH)

• To contribute to the achievement of sustainable development in the United Kingdom where it is

relevant to its area to do so (MEDIUM)

Non-statutory functions and relevance

In carrying out our statutory functions the LDA takes the following number of actions.

• Support delivery of the London Plan, to promote sustainable growth and economic

development (HIGH)

• Deliver an improved and effective infrastructure to support London‟s future growth and

development (HIGH)

• Deliver healthy, sustainable, high quality communities and urban environments (HIGH)

• Tackle barriers to employment (HIGH)

• Reduce disparities in labour market outcomes between groups (HIGH)

• Address the impacts of the concentration of disadvantage (HIGH)

• Address barriers to enterprise set-up, growth and competitiveness (HIGH)

• Improve skills of the workforce (HIGH)

• Maximise the productivity and innovation potential of London‟s enterprises (HIGH)

• Work in partnership to deliver the EDS action plan (HIGH)

• Employ staff (HIGH)

• Purchase goods and services (HIGH)

• Distribute grants (including European Social Fund) (HIGH)

• Developing and delivering projects associated with the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games

and its legacy (HIGH)

• Influence regional and national policies (HIGH)

• Corporate plan and Annual reports (HIGH)

• Comply with equality legislation (HIGH)

• Ensure coherent approach to marketing and promoting London (MEDIUM)

• Maintain London‟s position as a key enterprise and trading location (MEDIUM)

• Co-ordinate effective marketing and promotion activities across London (MEDIUM)

• Maintain and develop London as a top international destination and principal UK gateway for

visitors, tourism and investment (MEDIUM)

• Commission research (MEDIUM)



Policies and strategies

• Mayor‟s 10-year Economic Development Strategy (HIGH)

• LDA‟s Corporate Plan (HIGH)

• Corporate Investment Framework (HIGH)

• Equality Scheme‟s and Frameworks (HIGH)

• Single Programme Guidance (HIGH)

• Procurement Code and Sustainable Procurement Policy (HIGH)

• LDA Performance Monitoring Framework (HIGH)

• ERDF Operational Programme (HIGH)

• Human Resources Policies (HIGH)

• Complaints procedures (HIGH)

• Standing orders and Code of Conduct (MEDIUM)

• Customer services/Stakeholder Relations (MEDIUM)

• Land acquisition, disposal and Compulsory Purchase Order enforcement powers (MEDIUM)

• IT strategy (MEDIUM)

• Budgeting/finance procedures (MEDIUM)

• Communications Strategy and Stakeholder Care Policy (MEDIUM)

• Data protection and freedom of information (LOW)

Appendix 2 – Equality and Community Cohesion Impact Assessment Framework

One to one advice, supporting notes and useful website links are provided for LDA staff carrying out

the EIA framework below is mainstreamed within report templates and project development

workbooks. The Corporate Investment Panel sees every EIA and the equalities team sign them off.



Stage 1: Screening to establish if the proposed project, policy or strategy has any relevant to equality

issues and minority groups.

1) Given the aims of the proposed strategy, project or policy, is it likely that there will be a

negative impact on one or more minority and excluded group or on race relations and community

cohesion? Or is it clear at this stage that it will be equality neutral? Please describe what any negative

impacts might be and which groups might be effected.

2) At this stage, how will or could your project plans promote positive impacts for minority and

excluded groups?

3) Is a full impact assessment required? YES / NO (use box to explain rationale behind decision).

NB: If you have identified a potentially discriminatory negative impact on one or more minority groups

or on relations between groups then a full impact assessment of the project/ policy / strategy is

required.



Supporting questions

• Consider impact in terms of disability, race, age, gender, religious belief, sexuality and trans-

identity and other groups who may experience disparities in opportunity

• Make use of existing knowledge, experience, research and consultation

• Caution is needed not to consider a new policy or project „equality neutral‟ just because no

evidence of adverse impact exists e.g. little research exists with regard to new equality areas such as

sexual orientation

• When thinking about positive impact consider ways to tackle discrimination, promote equality

of opportunity and / or promote good community relations



Web links

www.statistics.gov.uk/ – Census & Index of Multiple Deprivation

www.cre.gov.uk/ – ethnicity and race information and further links

www.drc-gb.org/ – disability information and further links

www.eoc.org.uk/ – gender information and further links

www.efa.org.uk/ – age information and further links

www.statistics.gov.uk/ – faith information and further links

www.stonewall.org.uk/ – sexual orientation information and further links

Stage 2: Full equality impact assessment of projects, policies and strategies

1) What is the existing situation in relation to minority and excluded groups and the sector or

geographical area in which this strategy / policy / project will operate?

2) Is there potential for this strategy / policy / project to have a negative or differential impact on

minority and excluded groups or on race relations and community cohesion?

3) Is there potential for this strategy / policy / project to have a positive impact, such as tackling

discrimination, promoting equality of opportunity and / or promoting good community relations, for

minority and excluded groups?

4) How have or will minority groups or staff affected by this strategy / project / policy be

consulted? Please note any important issues.

5) Given your answers to the previous questions, how will your delivery plans be revised to

reduce or eliminate negative and enhance positive impacts?

6) In addition to existing LDA processes, how will the real impact of this strategy / policy / project

on minority groups and community relations be monitored to ensure all targets set are met?



Q1. Supporting notes

• Consider impact in terms of disability, race, age, gender, religious belief, sexuality and trans-

identity and other groups who may experience disparities in opportunity

• Look at existing evidence, research & data / statistics (both quantitative & qualitative)

• If little or no data exists is this something that the LDA could begin to map?

• Are any of these groups under / over represented, do they have access to the same resources

and is the reality of their experience the same?

• Is it useful to consider the underlying causes of any inequalities?



Weblinks

www.statistics.gov.uk/ – Census & Index of Multiple Deprivation

www.cre.gov.uk/ – ethnicity and race information and further links

www.drc-gb.org/ – disability information and further links

www.eoc.org.uk/ – gender information and further links

www.efa.org.uk/ – age information and further links

www.statistics.gov.uk/ – faith information and further links

www.stonewall.org.uk/ – sexual orientation information and further links

www.socialexclusionunit.gov.uk/ – Social Exclusion information and further links



Q2. Supporting notes

• Is this impact likely to be different for different groups?

• Are some equality groups excluded from the benefits?

• Are there barriers to certain communities enjoying the benefits?

• Are certain sub-groups disadvantaged e.g. Gypsies and Travellers or Somali community?

• Does it challenge or reinforce stereotypes?

• Does it give different groups real choice?



Weblinks

www.irr.org.uk/ – race issues in more depth

www.homeoffice.gov/ – community cohesion indicators

www.womenandequalityunit.gov.uk/ – gender issues in more depth

www.disabilitynow.org.uk/ – disability issues in more depth

www.stormbreak.co.uk – sexual orientation issues in more depth

www.homeoffice.gov.uk – faith issues in more depth

www.agepositive.gov.uk/ – age issues in more depth



Q3. Supporting notes

• Is this impact likely to be different for different groups?

• Will this project help communication between groups by providing ESOL classes?

• Are community leaders involved?

• Does it support adult education for BAME groups where needed?

• Is there a focus on reducing barriers for

a specific group e.g. disabled people?

• Are jobs created accessible to all?

• Does this strategy extend the provision of affordable childcare?

• Does it harness the potential of refugees and asylum seekers to contribute to London‟s

economy?

• Does it support BAME, women and disabled owned businesses?



Weblinks

See Q2



Q4. Supporting notes

• Has relevant consultation already taken place?

• If not how and when will this take place?

• Will this be direct consultation with the minority groups and / or organisations that represent

them?

• What steps will be put in place to ensure full participation is possible e.g. using sign language

interpreters for events, provision of crèche facilities arranging meetings in local community venues at

different times of day, questionnaires available online etc.

• How will those consulted be informed of the outcome of the process?

• Is it possible to carry out a joint consultation with a similar project or a project in the same

geographical area?

Weblinks

Contact the LDA‟s consultation manager for advice

www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/regulation/consultation-

www.london.gov.uk/mayor/consultation/resources.jsp

www.5050vision.com



Q5. Supporting notes

• If the assessment shows that no adverse or positive impact is likely (equalities neutral) this

might be acceptable but consider if measures could be added to promote the LDAs equality aims

• If the assessment shows adverse impact consider if the project is legal and how this adverse

impact can be reduced. This might include finding another way to meet the objectives, introducing

new steps to meet specific needs for specific groups. Can the adverse impact be justified by overall

aims or by other legislation? If the strategy / policy / project is unlawful it must be changed. Ensure

any changes don‟t disadvantage another group

• If the assessment shows your strategy / policy / project is not likely to result in adverse impact

and does promote equality then there may be little revision required. Some strategies / policies /

projects have a differential impact because they are designed to promote equality for a specific group.

This can be justified as part of a wider strategy but a clear rationale should be given



Q6. Supporting notes

• For all three scenarios given in Q5 make certain that correct monitoring and review

mechanisms are in place to ensure predicted outcomes and outputs are delivered.

• At present beneficiary data is collected only from BAME groups, women and disabled people.

Could targets for board / committee participation be set?

• At what stage will evaluations take place and what information will be captured?



Weblinks

www.dti.gov.uk/about/evaluation greenbook.treasury.gov.uk/

www.mande.co.uk/

www.communities.gov.uk/



Appendix 3 – Glossary of terms

BAME: Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic groups refer to those in Mixed, Asian or Asian British, Black

or Black British, Chinese and Other ethnic groups.



Community cohesion: Concern about community cohesion came out of the recent unrest in some of

the Northern Cities such as Oldham. The aim of various community cohesion initiatives are to

appreciate and celebrate diversity between people in local communities, promote understanding and

reduce hostilities.



Diversity: The differences in values, attitudes, cultural perspectives, beliefs, ethnic background,

sexuality, skills, knowledge and life experiences of each individual in any group.



Economically active population: those who are in employment and those who are unemployed but

actively looking for work.



Economically inactive: those who are not in employment and not actively seeking work.



Employment rate: the number in employment expressed as percentage of everyone in that age group

(in this case, all those of working age)

Equality: This is the vision or aim of creating a society free from discrimination, where equality of

opportunity is available to individuals and groups, enabling them to live their lives free from

discrimination and oppression.



Equalities groups: Where not explicitly stated, this includes black and minority ethnic groups, disabled

people, women, those from faith communities, older people, those who are lesbian, gay, bisexual and

transgender and other groups who may experience disparities in opportunity from realising their

potential.



Functions: The full range of activities carried out by a public authority to meet its duties.



Greater London Authority (GLA) Group: The GLA Group consists of the Mayor, the London Assembly

and four organisations that look after transport, the police, the fire brigade and economic

development for London. They are:

• Transport for London

• The Metropolitan Police Authority

• The London Fire & Emergency Planning Authority

• The London Development Agency

The Mayor sets the budget for the GLA group and appoints people to the boards of the four

organisations. Several of the board members are chosen from the London Assembly



GLA Economics: GLA Economics is part of the GLA that provides economic analysis and a firm

statistical, factual and forecasting basis for policy decision making by the GLA and the GLA Group.



ICT: Information and Communication Technology.

Inclusive design: designing an environment that can be used equally by everyone, regardless of

disability, age, ethnicity or gender.



Mainstreaming: The integration of equalities into policy development, implementation, evaluation and

review. Each part of the organisation accepts its own responsibility for promoting equality of

opportunity and challenging discrimination.



Procurement: The process by which public sector bodies purchase services from both private and

voluntary sector organisations. Central Government is increasingly interested in local authorities and

other agencies procuring services delivered by voluntary organisations instead of delivering those

services directly.



RDA: Regional Development Agency.

Social exclusion: A term for what can happen when people or areas suffer from a combination of

linked problems, such as unemployment, poor skills, low incomes, poor housing, high crime

environments, bad health and family breakdown.



Social inclusion: The position from where someone can access and benefit from the full range of

opportunities available to members of society. It aims to remove barriers for people or for areas that

experience a combination of linked problems such as unemployment, poor skills, low incomes, poor

housing, high crime environments, bad health and family breakdown.



Sustainable development: This covers development that meets the needs of the present without

compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.

Transport for London (TfL): One of the GLA group organisations, accountable to the Mayor, with

responsibility for delivering an integrated and sustainable transport strategy for London.

VisitLondon: VisitLondon is the official visitor organisation for the capital, funded by the LDA. Its aim

is to promote London as the world‟s most exciting city by marketing to domestic and overseas leisure

and business visitors, as well as to Londoners themselves. VisitLondon is a partnership organisation

which also acts as a voice for London tourism industry. It was formerly known as the London Tourist

Board.



World City: A globally successful business location paralleled only by two of the world‟s other great

cities, New York and Tokyo, measured on a wide range of indicators such as financial services,

Government, business, higher education, culture and tourism.



Appendix 4 – Explanation of inclusive design

Inclusive design is a process that delivers an environment where everyone can access and benefit

from the full range of opportunities available to members of society. It aims to remove barriers that

create undue effort, separation or special treatment, and enables everyone to participate equally,

confidently and independently in mainstream activities with choice and dignity.



However, by designing and managing our built environment inclusively the difficulties experienced by

many people including older people, disabled people, women and families with small children will also

be overcome. We all benefit from an accessible and inclusive environment.



Inclusive design:

• places people at the heart of the design process

• responds to human diversity and difference – offers dignity, autonomy and choice

• provides for flexibility in use



The adoption of inclusive design principles will enable people to:

• use developments safely, with dignity and confidence

• use developments without undue effort, stress, separation or special treatment

• make effective choices about how they use the development

• participate equally in the development‟s activities

• be independent and in control of the experiences they are having in the development

• have enough space to ensure their comfort and convenience

• enjoy a healthy environment

• know where they are and find their way around



Other languages and formats

This document is available in other formats and in the languages listed below.



For a copy, please contact the LDA Communications Team:

Tel: 020 7593 9000

Email: info@lda.gov.uk

Comments and complaints should be communicated to the LDA in writing to:

The Director of Equality and Diversity, LDA, Palestra,

197 Blackfriars Road, London SE1 8AA