At a Forward Project conference in London last week, voices from the floor called for a tougher stance from BME groups.
“Enough is enough, black communities need to start becoming more politicised and they need to take the health, housing and public bodies to court,” one delegate said.
“We shouldn’t have to keep up the pressure, especially as the [new] Race Relations Act is now in place.”
Race and Housing Inquiry chair Leroy Phillips highlighted the need for communities to keep up pressure on institutions and organisations to raise equality.
Focusing on the inquiry’s challenge report, Phillips told delegates: “What we have done in housing is to use next year as the year zero and organisations should say this is where we are now, this is where we want to be and this is how we are going to get there.”
The corporation has announced its plans to include race equality and diversity in its organisation and has called on housing associations to also produce race equality schemes as a “matter of good practice”.
Speaking ahead of the Federation of Black Housing Organisation’s conference, which starts this weekend, chief executive Norman Perry said: “We expect associations to achieve measurable improvements in performance in areas of weakness.
“Enforcement action may be considered if associations do not achieve progress which is proportionate to what they need to do.”
RSLs will be expected to set targets for treating black and ethnic minority tenants fairly in all areas, including lettings, board membership and tenant satisfaction.
Associations are expected to come up with implementation programmes to start in April 2002.
Source
Housing Today
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