Post EU Funding for equality and rights in the spotlight

If the UK leaves the European Union, EU Structural Funds will cease to provide any support for UK organisations from 2020 onwards. The UK Government has said that they will be replaced by a Shared Prosperity Fund, part of their industrial strategy. However, the consultation on this fund has not yet been published, though it was due in 2018.

The Equality and Human Rights Commission has published ‘The Future for Equality and Human Rights’. This report looks at how EU Structural Funds are currently distributed and what may be lost to equality and human rights without them. The report makes a series of recommendations including:

1) ensure that funding that has been in place up until now is replicated – this should include funds designed to promote non-discrimination and protect equality and the rights of the person.
2) avoid a temporary pause in funding when the current funding round ends in 2020.
3) continue to tackle inequality and support marginalised communities by targeting funding at disadvantaged groups sharing protected characteristics and at-risk groups.
4) maintain long-term funding and stability
5) simplify and streamline processes
6) improve the flexibility of funding
7) ensure funding and decisions are devolved to the appropriate level

Equally Ours has done a range of work around Post-EU funding including a short film showing the benefits of funding that targets equality and human rights – you can view this here.

 

Brexit and Women, 17th June in Edinburgh, will include a short session and discussion around post-EU funding for women’s services and organisations.

 

 

Image credit: Thomas’s pics, Flickr