Policy paper

Equality analysis initial screening – working with communities policy

Published 19 December 2018

This was published under the 2016 to 2019 May Conservative government

1. Please describe the decision being taken.

The Working with Communities policy sets out how Radioactive Waste Management (RWM) will work in partnership with communities to identify a suitable location for a geological disposal facility. The policy sets out how:

• investment will be provided to communities that participate in the process;
• communities can withdraw from the process
• a Test of Public Support will be undertaken by the community before the construction and operation of a geological disposal facility
• the role of relevant principal local authorities in the process and their responsibility for decisions on whether to seek to withdraw the community from the process and when or if launch Test of Public Support

RWM will carry out the siting process under the terms of the policy, as well as using it as the basis for producing more detailed guidance on how the siting process will work in practice.

1. 2. In respect of the following ‘protected characteristics’: age; sex; sexual orientation;gender reassignment; disability; marriage and civil partnerships^{[footnote 1]}; pregnancy and maternity; religion or belief; and race, does the decision have the potential to have a significant impact:
   1. a. on people sharing that protected characteristic compared to others (positively or negatively);
      1. No
   2. b. on harassment and victimisation for people sharing that protected characteristic; or
      1. No
   3. c. on relations between people sharing that protected characteristic and others.

3. Reasons.

The Working with Communities policy sets out the framework for a consent-based process that is open to any community or member of a community to participate in, across England. As the scheme is open to anyone, our initial screening indicates that persons with protected characteristics, compared with other groups, are unlikely to be more or less affected by the Working with Communities policy.

Implementation of the policy during the siting process could affect some groups differently. How and which groups are affected will depend on the make-up of the specific communities engaged in the siting process. It will be for RWM to ensure that its guidance and processes agreed with specific communities take into account and appropriately address equalities impacts. The Working with Communities policy emphasises the importance of considering how to address diversity and accessibility issues so that people are not excluded from participating in the process.

Under the policy, the role of the Working Group includes the gathering of information to understand the make-up of the communities engaging with the process. This will help to ensure that a proportionate and non-discriminatory approach is taken to membership of the Community Partnership.

Given the discussion above, we consider that the adoption of the Working with Communities policy will not have a negative impact:

• on people sharing protected characteristics
• on harassment or victimisation for people with shared characteristics; or
• on relations between people sharing protected characteristics and others

1. In respect of the first statutory objective (eliminating unlawful discrimination etc.) only. ↩