Note of WNC Board Meeting

15 October 2008

Those Present:

Joyce Gould (JG)Chair

Anita Gale (AG)Commissioner

Sabin Malik (SM)Commissioner

Bronagh Hinds (BH)Commissioner

Liz Kelly (LK)Commissioner

Ranjana Bell (RB)Commissioner

Mary-Ann Stephenson (MAS)Commissioner

Adele Baumgardt (AB)Commissioner

Beatrix Campbell (BC)Commissioner

Brita Fernandez Schmidt (BFS)Commissioner

Sarah Veale (SV)Commissioner

Ann Henderson (AH)Commissioner

Vivienne Hayes (VH)Commissioner

Juliet Lyon (JL)Commissioner

Helen Jackson (HJ)Commissioner

Barbara-Ann Collins (BAC)Director, WNC

Susan Green (SG)Deputy Director, WNC

Daniel Barrow (DB)Deputy Director, WNC

Eleri Butler (EB)Policy Lead on Violence and Equalities, WNC

Katharine McIntosh (KM)Assistant Business Manager, WNC

Sarah PriestWNC Intern

Erin BrooksWNC Intern

Ziyoda KurbanovaWNC Intern from Hansard Fellowship

Lira DuishebaevaWNC Intern from Hansard Fellowship

PM: Shelly Dowrich (SD)Policy Lead on International issues, WNC

Sophie HowesWNC Intern

Apologies:

Haleh Afshar

Agenda Item 1 - Chair's Opening Remarks and Apologies

1.JG opened the meeting,by welcoming everyone to the first full meeting of the new Board, giving apologies on behalf of Haleh Afshar, welcoming Ziyoda Kurbanova and Lira Duishebaeva, WNC interns from the Hansard Fellowship. JG invited SM to introduce herself to the meeting, having missed the previous day’s Learning Exchange. SMoutlined her community-focused work over the past eighteen years, and her current work on cohesion and extremism across the six London Boroughs.

Agenda Item 2 - Minutes of Last Meeting and Action Points

2.JG introduced the minutes of the last meeting and sought agreement from the Board for approval. In the following discussion, HJ referred to a letter she had received from the EHRC supporting Baroness Hollis’ Parliamentary amendment which enables women to qualify for the full basic state pension by buying back years. DB subsequently distributed copies of the letter.

3.JG invited comments on the Action Point Log and RB drew attention to Action Point 4 about the devolved nations, expressing concernthatEnglish regions should not be forgotten.SV voiced concern that WNC should be included in the Equality Bill Senior Stakeholder Group. JG agreed with these points and went on to mention her recent meeting with Sally Copley of the YWCA, the YWCA having examinedthe issues surrounding the funding problems faced by the women's sector along with the Women’s Resource Centre JG then stressed the importance of regular meetings with the EHRC being established. The minutes were agreed.

AP1: WNC Directorate to circulate YWCA/WRC report to Commissioners.

AP2: wnc Directorate to set up a series of regular meetings with the EHRC.

Agenda Item 3 - Review of Awayday

4.JG invited thoughts on the recent Commissioners’ Away Day, and MAS praised the Awayday, highlighting that what the WNC is not,also needs to be stated.This was necessary in order to reconcile different visions held and to enable strategic and focused work. JG agreed, noting that the WNC's remit had changed since the EHRC was established, becoming the only national women's organisation with a direct voice to Government; therefore,WNC necessarily encompasses a wide agenda (defined in-line with GEO expectations). JG emphasised that WNC must consider carefully how to support and promote women's issues, without campaigning on them.WNC cannot reflect the views of all women, soWNC’s purpose must reflect this, andneeds to work in a focused and efficient manner.

5.In the following discussion, several issues arose, including campaigning organisations directlylobbying WNC; WNC providing information to partners about current campaigns but without advocating them; WNC focus on its unique mandate to advise Government; WNC should refer to the Beijing Platform for Action (BPfA) and CEDAW to reafirmits core functions; reasserting the Board’s independence from Government to ensure the ability to work with an alternativeGovernment. JG strongly agreed, adding that WNC can use the BPfA and CEDAW as guidelines for action when time constraints prevent consultation with partners, as partners sign up to these principles when joining WNC. The discussion also highlighted the need for objectivity on WNC responses to official reports which must always be evidenced-based, shrewd and considered, and use statistics produced by Government Departments,with references to Departments and other organisations.

AP3: Directorate to produce an analysis of CEDAW provisions,so that future WNC policy may be based on it – discussion to be included on the agenda for February 09 meeting.

AP4: Directorate to produce an analysis of the WNC Partnership application form.

7.The discussion continued on the Awayday which included the gendered division of labour, women and age, and public appointments.JG asked MAS to lead work on women in public appointments and her initial work would be focusing on revising WNC’s Public Appointments guide. Other issues covered were links between gender stereotyping and adult education andthe inclusion of post-conflict work in the international work strand. AG was asked in her position on the European Council, to lead onupdates on EU developments.

8.AG highlightedthe under-representation of women on local councils was also prevalentin Wales as it was in England. SMadded that there was an agenda gap between national government intentions and what actually happens at local government level. JG stressedthe importance of highlightingthe Gender Duty atlocal level to help raise awareness.

AP5: Produce a brief on the Gender Duty and a paper on how Commissioners might work with partners to promote the GED.

9.The need to draw on best practice was agreed, with WNC’s dual role of encouraging partners to use good practice and principles and to advise government in a two-way process. WNC exists to transmit government messagesto partners, and to help government to achieve its' targets by feeding through the views of our partners and the sector. Once again it was agreed that any work or contacts made at local level, must also ensure these are cross-party.It was also stressed that WNC should aim to add value to existing measures and mechanisms, such as the EHRC, in order to work efficiently. There is no difference in the devolved nations with how the WNC seeks to engage with local Government and partners, that no group of officials are more appropriateto work with than another since inevitably, anelement of the political, underpins all that the WNC does. In the regular meetings to be held with the EHRC, WNC will agree how best to compliment EHRC activities, as with WNC’sgrassroots contacts,it has the abilityto do work that the EHRC does not.

10.There has been useful and positive discussion with Maria Eagle at the Learning Exchange the previous day on the GED and Single Equality Bill. , The plans for the new Bill meant that WNC has to try and feed-in to the Bill, via amendments.It was proposed that WNC approach GEO to push them for them to consider producing a draft Bill.

AP6: Directorate to suggest to GEO that presenting a Draft Equalities Bill would be advisable.

11.The process of formulating the Equalities Bill was considered to be not visible enough, resultingin a lost opportunity for women to comment. WNC shouldengage withPartners on the process, in order to encourage it to be more visible, and we should use Maria Eagle's enthusiasm for WNC’s participation, to ensure our involvement. WNCshould write to Maria Eagle thanking her for her presence at the Learning Exchange and building on her comments.

AP7: Directorate to produce a draft letter to Maria Eagle.

13.Following a request, JG summarised details of WNC's existing groups, expressing her expectation that we should aim to do most of our work without creating further Working Groups, but added that should further groups be needed, they should be short term, meeting only for the duration of a specific project. HJ highlighted the need for WNC to focus on the economic aspect of our work, as economics-based arguments usually carry great force. There followed further discussions on current work strands,andthe particular roles Commissioners had been asked to assume, as well as the regions they had been asked to represent.

AP8: Directorate to draw together a plan of Commissioners' work areas and those collaborating with one another.

14.JG next raised the issue of the 4-nations and the need to understand the existing equality and political mechanisms in place in each. She added that those Commissioners representing the 3 devolved nations would be contributing documents later, outlining the mechanisms existing in the devolved nations.

AP9: Three nations Commissioners to submit papers outlining mechanisms dealing with gender in the devolved nation they represent, in time for discussion at the February 09 Board Meeting.

15.The three Commissioners representing Scotland Wales and Northern Ireland then summarised the situation in each of their areas, describing typical activity undertaken. This included outreach opportunities, the GED, Ministerial level meetings, increased numbers of partners joining WNC, and variations with the how equality is sometimes approached and prioritized differently to the situation in England, using the GED as an example and the role the media plays in reporting issues stories around equality. A discussion on activity in the English regions also took place.

AP10: LK suggested that AB might write a paragraph on the GED in Walesfor the next Newsletter.

AP11: Directorate to add to Agenda for February 09 Board Meeting, discussion item on the English Regions.

Agenda Item 5: Guest Speaker: Dr Jane Roberts DBE on the Councillors' Commission

16.JG welcomed Jane Roberts to the meeting to speak about the work of the Councillors’ Commission which Jane had chaired. Jane began by explaining that debate in conjunction with gender-related issues often gets centered on Westminster, forgetting local government as a key player, and went on to highlight three key points which came out of the Councillors' Commission. These were:

  • How to enlarge the pool of people applying to be Councillors (focusing particularly on underrepresented groups encompassing women, younger people and BME groups).
  • Review and redefinition of the Councillor role, focusing particularly on the relationship between a Councillor and the area they represent.
  • The demand for ‘feminine skills’ and their centrality in the Councillor role.

17.Janeemphasised the importance of local democracy as a solution to the disengagement associated with today’sconsumer society and summarised the five principles laid down by the Councillors’ Commission: These were:

1)Local Authorities as key to promoting civic engagement;

2)The promotion of a sense of efficacy and/or agency as the key to better engagement;

3)Councillors are most effective where their life experiences resemble those who they represent;

4)The relationship/connection between representatives and those they represent is key; and

5)The role of the Councillor should be seen as less risky/daunting.

18.Jane added that 61 recommendations were drawn up by the Commission and she praised Hazel Blears’positive response to the recommendations, acknowledging thoseshe didnot accept. A wide-ranging discussion followed and points raised by commissioners, included:

  • Local Authority elections every four years to mirror central Government;
  • the high quality of information in the Commission’s report, but may not be widely read, due to the apathy referred to in the report;
  • need for a catalyst to precipitate change;
  • the inclusion of Walesin the report and engagement with local government in Wales,
  • the proposals on lowering the voting age, and the single transferable vote;
  • mechanisms needed to support under-represented women to become councilors, including existing cultural barriers faced by BME women;
  • the lack of leadership affecting women from white working class communities. party politics inhibiting engagement in local politics IN Northern Ireland;
  • the similarities and differences in the challenges to get more women participating in politics at the local and national levels;
  • the recommendation to hold early evening meetings and payment of councillors in order to attract a more diverse range of candidates.
  • the serious impact of local commissioning, on the voluntary women’s sector and thebenefit offunding being driven by central Government ensuring necessary ring-fenced funding,

19.JG summed-up the discussion and thanked JR for to speaking to the Board.

Agenda Item 6: Working Group Updates

20.As Chair of the VAW Working Group, LK began by first describingher experience attendingthe CEDAW examination at the UN in New York in July on behalf of the Board, and the CEDAW Committee’s feedback includingthose recurring issues on which lessprogress had been made. Regarding the work of the Violence Working Group, LK noted that funding hasbecome a major issue, as violence has effectively been written out of Local Authority Public Service Agreement targets.Concern about the limited awareness of the GED amongst government departments was planned to take place. Too often, Local Authorities overlook VAW when choosing from the hundreds of possible stretch targets, resulting in a catch-22 situation in getting VAW onto local government agendas, whereby money centrally allocated does not get spent.When ring-fencing is phased out in spring 2009, single-sex service providers will disappear as a direct result,.The VAW Working Group and EVAW support for Southall Black Sisters in their case against Ealing Council, was also raised, as was a desire for WNC to meet with Government representatives to discuss funding arrangements.

AP12: WNC to facilitate a strategic conversation with Government about funding issues (with input from Viv Hayes).

21.Further issues raised included the Home Office’s workon a cross-government joined-up strategy on VAW;the Sexual Violence Sub-Group has discussed how both the GED and the CEDAW Committee’s Recommendations can be used as a mechanism for change by voluntary sector groups.There was a lack of knowledge on the GEDso a meeting to help address this will take place between the EHRC, Adele Baumgardt, Holly Dustin and GEO.

AP13: Discussion at the February 09 Board Meeting on the CEDAW provisions and how they might best be utilised.

22.The VAW Working Group also discussed the campaign to change the licensing laws on lap dancing, and gained the supportwhether the WNC should support the campaign. She asked for the Board’s endorsement for BC to speak at a meeting chaired by Polly Toynbee in Portcullis House on 4th November. This was strongly supported.

23.SM then summarized the activity of the Migration and Asylum Working Group, and its challenges, focusing particularly on a continuing lack of awareness within Local Authorities of the issues facing migrant and asylum-seeking women. The Ministers for Women’s Priorities did not address M and Aand the group wished to write to Harriet Harman about this. She raisedseveral concerns expressed by the Working Group, over the new All Party Parliamentary Group on Migration, as well as bad practice ofwomen’s treatment at UK borders.

24.Other Commissioners then provided updates on their activity. BH spoke about apartners’ event that had taken place in Northern Ireland, with members of NIWEP, the NI Council for Ethnic Minorities and the NI EHRC in attendance. Discussions at the event covered CEDAW and outreach in NI, the success of the ‘bring a friend’ policy, and the resultant interest in WNC membership. .RB outlined her work in the North East, chairing the Equality and Diversity Partnership, with a£3million budget to mainstream equality and diversity, and the necessity for sharper impact assessments. She also spoke about her work as a trustee of the Angelou Centre, promising to forward the newsletter to Commissioners.

AP14: RB to circulate the Angelou Centre’s Newsletter.

25.JG invited work updates from other members of the Board. AB referred to her impending work on Gender and Devolution with Nicky Charles of Warwick University, while HJ requested clarification on WNC’s working relationship with Fawcett Society. JG explainedthat the relationship is close, with meetings taking place between the two organisations. SM brought the issue of funding of single-issue groups to the Board referring to the victory gained by Southall Black Sisters in their case against Ealing Borough Council.

AP15: Directorate to ensure that a discussion on funding be added to the agenda for the February 09 Board meeting.

26.MAS spoke about a report she is writing for Mumsnet and Dadsinfo calling for an extension to flexible working, promising to circulate it amongst interested Commissioners. She drew attention to the advantages of online consultation and the reach that mumsnet has.

AP16: To invite mumsnet to become WNC partnersand MAS to circulate her paper on flexible working.

Chairs’ update

27.JG outlined heractivities since the previous meeting;a meeting with Maria Eagle to discuss Corston; the Women in Public Life launch reception attended by Harriet Harman;WNC outreach event in Taunton in July and follow-upletter to Rosie Winterton regarding transport issues flagged up by women at the event; meeting with ex-WNC Commissioner Indira Patel who sits on the CSW Steering Group;and ameeting with RosyWeissof the International Alliance of Women to discuss CEDAW and CSW, and discussions on a seat on the newly formed Department of Health Equalities Committee. JGspoke of the need for a strong parliamentary voice, and how best the WNC might be involved more in Parliamentary work. In response to a query from JL, JG informedthe meetingthat the protocol for assuming any activity as a WNC Commissioner is to do so in communication with herself or the Directorate.