British planning and the promotion of race equality: the Welsh experience of race equality schemes

Click to increase image sizeClick to decrease image size

Notes

Huw Thomas, Department of City & Regional Planning, Cardiff University, Glamorgan Building, King Edward VII Avenue, Cardiff CF10 3WA, UK. Email: [email protected]

Best value is cited as an example of an instrument for planning, managing and evaluating the performance of local government which is based on the view that local authorities should be regarded primarily as integrated bodies seeking to achieve particular objectives and/or address particular problems, rather than a collection of departments with responsibilities defined individually by statutory and/or policy demands. Because this approach to governance is increasingly influential, there are other examples of policy planning and appraisal which could be cited and which would be interesting to research in respect of their potential for promoting race equality (e.g. Community Plans and Sustainability Appraisals). In each of these there may well be opportunities to identify and share good practice in mainstreaming race equality.

Institutional discrimination is defined by Macpherson as: The collective failure of an organisation to provide an appropriate and professional service to people because of their colour, culture, or ethnic origin. It can be seen or detected in processes, attitudes or behaviour which amount to discrimination through unwitting prejudice, ignorance, thoughtlessness, and racist stereotyping which disadvantage minority ethnic people. (1999, p. 28)

The local authorities whose schemes were analysed were: Bridgend County Borough Council, Caerphilly County Borough Council, City and County of Cardiff, Carmarthenshire County Council, Ceredigion County Council, Gwynedd Council, Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council, Monmouthshire County Council, Neath Port Talbot Borough Council, Pembrokeshire County Council, Powys County Council, Rhondda Cynon Taff County Borough Council, City and County of Swansea, Torfaen Borough Council, Vale of Glamorgan Council.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Huw Thomas

Huw Thomas, Department of City & Regional Planning, Cardiff University, Glamorgan Building, King Edward VII Avenue, Cardiff CF10 3WA, UK. Email: [email protected]