Engagement, Representation and Equalities Challenge Service

The Engagement, Representation and Equalities Challenge Service (the Service) is provided to support Leicestershire County Council (the Council) in engaging a range of communities of interest in service/policy planning and assessing the equalities impacts and opportunities of proposed service/policy changes. The Service supports the Council in complying with Section 149 of the Equality Act 2010 (Public Sector Equality Duty) which requires the Council, in the exercise of its functions, to have due regard to the need to: • Eliminate discrimination, harassment and victimisation and any other conduct that is prohibited by or under the Act. • Advance equality of opportunity between people who share a relevant protected characteristic and people who do not share it. • Foster good relations between people who share a relevant protected characteristic and those who do not share it.

The Service will support the Council's Equality Strategy, Communities Strategy and Public Consultation and Engagement Guidance. The Service will work with minority and seldom heard groups, including those that are representative of protected characteristics (as defined in the Equality Act 2010), and will focus on the co-ordination of, and on-going support for, the Leicestershire Equalities Challenge Group (LECG).

The LECG is a group of representatives from a wide range of communities of interest who have a strong commitment to the equalities agenda. The initial contract period will be 3 years with the option to extend for up to a further period(s) totalling 24 months.

The annual budget for provision of this service is £30,000 per annum. Therefore, the total contract value over 3 years is expected to be approximately £90,000, and including the maximum optional extension of 24 months, would be approximately £150,000. Interested tenderers are directed to the Council's e-tendering portal:- www.eastmidstenders.org to access the full tender documentation and to apply.