The Localism Bill, one of the most significant planks of the government’s strategy of decentralisation agenda, was debated for the first time in the House of Lords last night. A number of members from the All Party Parliamentary Humanist Group (APPHG) took part in the debate, including BHA Vice President Baroness Whitaker, who raised some key issues about provisions in the Bill, which are likely to increase the involvement of religious groups providing public services on behalf of the state.
Baroness Whitaker stated:
‘There is one further part of the Bill which I mention as needing a hard look, and that is an aspect of the community right to challenge in Part 4. This provision opens up public services to bids from community groups. If such a group is a religious organisation, it is exempt from the Equality Act requirement not to discriminate in employment or in the provision of services, and there is nothing to prevent it including proselytisation as part of its service delivery. I think this is inappropriate. We would not want – indeed, we do not allow – the public services themselves to discriminate or to include a plea for a particular religion as part of their package, so we should not allow an organisation performing a public service to do so either. I look forward to the Minister’s response.’
These are important points. First, that the Localism Bill gives ‘community organisations’ – very widely defined in the Bill and including religious groups of all sizes and denominations – a new ‘right’ to bid to run public services in local areas, on behalf of the state. Second, that unlike any other group in the community, religious organisations have a special status in law which permits them to discriminate against their staff and service users, even when working under contract to provide public services. Third, that there is nothing to stop religious groups from proselytising when they are providing public services. In her speech, Baroness Whitaker suggests that the same rules should apply to any public service provider, whether public, private or voluntary.
Read more about the BHA’s work on public services, the ‘Big Society’ and the Localism Bill.