Study criticises ethnic relations

The report said councils needed to gain a better understanding of ethnic groups

Councils could do more to improve their understanding of ethnic minorities, according to a report.

The Accounts Commission has been examining the impact of race equality legislation, introduced in 2002, on council services.

The report pointed out councils had developed policies and initiatives.

However, it said the introduction "has not yet had a significant impact on the delivery of services or on people from ethnic minority communities".

For the past six years, local authorities have had a duty to eliminate racial discrimination and to promote equal opportunities and good race relations.

The main focus has been the development of policies and processes which, by themselves, do not meet the needs of minority ethnic communities John Baillie Accounts Commission

A survey of local authorities found that eight said they were "good" or "very good" at meeting the needs of minority ethnic communities, while four said their performance at this was "poor" or "very poor".

Accounts Commission chairman John Baillie said: "Councils now need to get better at engaging with people from minority ethnic communities, develop a clearer understanding of their experiences and service needs and ensure that race equality is given higher priority in everyday council business.

"This will help improve council services for everyone."

He added: "Scottish society is increasingly diverse and councils have a duty to promote and ensure race equality for all people within their area.

"There are examples of good practice but the main focus has been the development of policies and processes which, by themselves, do not meet the needs of minority ethnic communities."

Good practice

The report concluded that councils must "build a better understanding of the needs of their minority ethnic communities".

It also said authorities should "give more priority to race equality in delivering services".

However, it also highlighted some of the difficulties faced by authorities - such as the lack of clear information on the social composition of ethnic minorities and their needs.

It said there was not one place councils could go to "for a reliable bank of good practice examples which they can draw on to improve local services".

The commission recommended that councils improve their consultation with minority ethnic communities, provide councillors with regular training on race equality and ensure the availability of more up-to-date and useful data.

Positive impact

A spokesman for the local authorities body Cosla said the report "clearly shows progress by all councils in developing policies and processes on equality issues including many examples of good practice".

"We are aware that there is more to be done - local government never rests on its laurels - and we are aware of the issues in particular as we move further into delivering on outcomes we will need to be better at demonstrating the positive impact of services on communities.

"This is something that needs to happen across the whole of the public sector."

Liberal Democrat local government spokeswoman Alison McInnes said: "Although I am pleased that most councils have measures in place to promote race equality, this report shows that more work is needed to deliver true equality.

"Council employees must receive proper training and support so that they can make sure that council services are accessible to all, regardless of race."