Leading groups from the Black, Asian and minority ethnic communities, along with those representing disabled people and others, have joined with Ken Livingstone, the Mayor of London, and others, to express their fears about the Government's plans to abolish the Commission for Racial Equality and replace it with a new multi-equality body - the Commission for Equalities and Human Rights. They are concerned that, unless significant changes are made to the Equality Bill, it will weaken rather than strengthen the fight for racial equality.
More than 100 groups and individuals have backed the statement, calling for guaranteed Black, Asian and minority ethnic representation at the Commission for Equalities and Human Rights. They include Operation Black Vote; Black Londoners Forum; National Assembly Against Racism; the 1990 Trust; Churches Commission for Racial Justice; Muslim Association of Britain; London Pakistan Network; Doreen Lawrence OBE; and the Kurdish Community Centre.
The statement calls for Black, Asian and minority ethnic representation at the Commission for Equalities and Human Rights to be an explicit requirement written into the face of the Equality Bill. It also calls for the new Commission to retain its national base in London - which is one of the world's most diverse cities and home to nearly half of all Black, Asian and ethnic minority groups living in Britain - in addition to strong regional representation.
Lee Jasper, the Mayor's Director of Equalities and Policing, has written to the Commission for Racial Equality commissioners urging them to call for a representative structure at the Commission for Equalities and Human Rights.
Disability organisations have also backed the right of Black, Asian and minority ethnic communities and others to have the same provision for representation as disabled people, including Scope, Independent Living Alternatives, National Centre for Independent Living, Disability Awareness in Action and Action Disability Kensington and Chelsea.
Lobbying by the disability community has secured statutory provision for a Disabled Commissioner and a Disability Committee at the new commission. The statement calls for the extension of this provision to race and other equality strands on the basis of equality of treatment.
The Mayor said: 'Those directly affected by discrimination and inequalities should be able to speak for themselves. There should be an explicit requirement that there be proper representation at the Commission for Equalities and Human Rights. I urge community groups and individuals from the Black, Asian and minority ethnic communities to sign up our statement calling for guaranteed representation at the new commission.
'Racism is still very real in the UK. The British National Party vote grew eight-fold at the last general election. It is deeply disconcerting that the Government is seeking to establish a new Commission that in its current form offers Black, Asian and minority ethnic communities a poorer deal than that on offer at the existing Commission for Racial Equality. We need to lobby for amendments and call for MPs to create a truly representative structure at the Commission for Equalities and Human Rights.'
The creation of a Commission for Equalities and Human Rights is a central plank of the Government's Equality Bill, which is in Committee stage discussions in the Commons.
Read the statement and its initial signitories, and sign up to the campaign, here.