The group will look at whether to repeal or amend the equalities duties, including the obligation on all public authorities to promote good race relations.
The law was first introduced in the aftermath of the Macpherson report into the death of Stephen Lawrence.
Last week David Cameron and Nick Clegg wrote to Doreen Lawrence reassuring her that race equality was still a priority for the coalition.
But now an eleven-strong committee of civil servants and professionals will consider whether equalities protection should be watered down.
The steering group includes Mark Loveday, a councillor for the controversial Conservative council in Hammersmith and Fulham, and Munira Mirza, who formerly worked for the right-wing think tank Policy Exchange and is currently a senior advisor to London mayor Boris Johnson
It also includes Ed Lord, a former Young Conservative activist who represents the Liberal Democrats in the City of London, a senior policeman and the newly-appointed chair of the Equality and Human Rights Commission Baroness Onora O’Neill of Bengarve. There are only two people of colour, Mirza and senior NHS manager Paula Vasco-Knight.
The blog Phil & Friends have criticised the panel for excluding any disability experts. It could also be said that there are no recognised experts on race equality either.
Jonathan Rees, head of the government’s race equality office, might disagree but he has many critics who point to his powerful behind-the-scenes role in dismantling the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC).
In a recent letter to the PCS trade union representing EHRC workers, Rees wrote that the government were:
“Moving away from the identity politics of the past to an approach that recognises people’s individuality and a role for Government of promoting equality through transparency and behavior change and working with businesses, the voluntary sector and wider civil society to create equal opportunities for everyone.”
Rees’s letter was a very different tone to the one sent to Doreen Lawrence following her criticism of coalition policies, in which Cameron and Clegg wrote:
“We recognize how important it is to ensure the legacy of Stephen’s murder and Lord Macpherson’s report will never be lost. That legacy was to change fundamentally and forever the way we think about race in this country. We know you have worked tirelessly to drive these improvements and are extremely grateful to you for your work. We also want to reiterate the government’s commitment to equal treatment and equal opportunity. We care a great deal about making sure our policies never marginalise or discriminate.”
Many equality experts will contrast Cameron and Clegg’s assertion that they care deeply about race equality when they have cut the EHRC’s budget by almost three quarters since 2010, axed the local Race Equality Council network and repealed a swathe of EHRC powers to investigate employers suspected of discriminating.
Ministers are conducting a zero-based funding review of the EHRC in a process some suspect will lead to further cuts, and the only two race equality board members on the EHRC – Simon Woolley and Baroness Meral Hussein Ece – were recently ditched.
In a letter to The Guardian Maria Miller, the senior equalities minister, wrote:
“We are reforming the EHRC because, since its creation in 2007, it has struggled to deliver across its remit or inspire confidence in its governance, expertise or ability to deliver high-quality work at good value for the taxpayer.”
At the same time the coalition have made it harder for employees to take out an employment tribunal and are currently consulting on scrapping the requirement for public authorities to carry out Equality Impact Assessments on their policies.
Some suspect that the steering group looking into public sector duties is on a mission to ‘burn red tape’ to make services more efficient, however experts argue there is little evidence that equality is holding any authorities back.
Recently the EHRC also proved that private business do not see equalities monitoring as a burden. Mark Hammond, EHRC chief executive, said:
“Following equality and human rights practice makes good business sense as it ensures that both employers and employees benefit from a fairer and more transparent workplace. This means a more productive workforce and a business that performs well. To help ensure every business is aware of the Equality Act, the Commission provides advice and guidance that explains simply what it means and how it can work for employers.”
By Lester Holloway @brolezholloway