South East England Development Agency (SEEDA)

Have your say on our Race Equality Scheme

SEEDA is here to achieve economic development and prosperity in the South East of England. Our Race Equality Scheme sets out plans and goals for race equality throughout the region over the coming years in relation to sustainable regional economic development.

In the current economic climate it is vital for the region to increase productivity and secure sustainable growth. Ensuring equality is a key part of achieving this. For that we need your help.

The questions in our consultation survey below have been designed to let you give us your thoughts on how the scheme can be further developed. It's a chance for you to play your part in the scheme's development, and your answers could be crucial to its success. Please take a few minutes to answer the questions that you think are relevant to you. Your input will help us to put in place the economic infrastructure for a more prosperous future for everyone.

Please take a few minutes to answer the questions that you think are relevant to you. Your input will help us to put in place the economic infrastructure for a more prosperous future for everyone.

You can also let us have your views by emailing, writing or telephoning.

Send an email to: catherinewreyford@seeda.co.uk

By post:
Race Equality Scheme
Catherine Wreyford,
Senior Socio-economic Policy Manager, SEEDA
Cross Lanes,
Guildford,
Surrey GU1 1YA.

Tel: +44 (0)1483 470157
Fax: +44 (0)1483 484247.
Click the Start button below to begin the survey.

Identifying the positives

Our Race Equality Scheme aims to help people from all ethnic groups to realise their maximum potential as a members of the South East economy and society and to remove barriers to their participation.

Can you identify the areas of the Scheme that are of the greatest importance or value to yourself and why you think they are important in relation to the Regional Economic Strategy?

Filling the Gaps

This Race Equality Scheme is our draft for consultation

Are there additional items we could include to improve the scheme?

Employability and skills

We want to increase productivity in the region and to do that we need to increase employment rates and skills levels.

Are there additional improvements we could make to the race equality scheme to help people from ethnic minority groups to overcome some of the barriers faced in finding employment and raising their skills levels

Enterprise and business support

We want to ensure that the business support we deliver meets the needs of ethnic minority businesses in helping them to integrate into major supply chains.

Do you face barriers in accessing business support? What further action, if any, do you think we should take in order to deliver business support to ethnic minority communities and to develop the skills and understanding of business support professionals?

Physical development

SEEDA’s objective is to ensure that ethnic communities can contribute fully to physical development and regeneration programmes.

What improvements to the race equality scheme would you suggest to promote more consultation with and participation by ethnic minority communities in development and regeneration projects?

Sustainable communities

SEEDA sponsors the Regional Economic Strategy target to reduce polarisation and spread sustainable economic prosperity. Priorities for achieving this include supporting the third sector to tackle disadvantage and promote cohesion.

What improvements could we make to the race equality scheme to bridge the income gap between ethnic minority groups?

Internal HR

In our commitment to equality, we aim to achieve excellence in our own policies, procedures and practices.

Does our scheme guard against racial discrimination in the workplace and are we doing sufficient to promote racial equality in SEEDA? Are there are further measures we could put in place to support our objective to achieve equality within our own workplace?

Internal procurement

We recognise that the procurement process is integral to encouraging race equality in our own internal functions.

What further steps should we be taking to ensure there is race equality in our procurement processes?

General

We've chosen these 8 questions according to the priorities set out by the Regional Economic Strategy.

Are these the right areas we should be concentrating on for the Racial Equality Scheme? If not, what should we be looking at?

South East England Development Agency

As a public sector agency, SEEDA has a duty to promote equalities in the scope of its work to achieve economic growth and development for everybody throughout the South East.

What role do you see us playing in promoting the equalities agenda?

Taking things further

Your input is crucial to our getting the Racial Equality Scheme right and if you want to tell us anything else, we are always here to listen to your ideas.

Do you have additional comments or suggestions? What would be the best way for us to continue to consult with you in order to make the Racial Equality Scheme as effective as possible?