Agenda item

The Committee considered the following report:

“1.0     Purpose of Report or Summary of Main Issues

1.1          The purpose of this report is to update Members on the updated equality screening that has been undertaken of the Amateur Boxing Strategy.

2.1  Recommendation

2.1       The Committee is requested to note this report.

3.0       Main Report

3.1       Key Issues

Members are reminded that this Committee at its rate setting meeting in January 18 considered a request from Antrim Boxing and IABA for funding of £200k per annum to sustain the Belfast Amateur Boxing Strategy to 2020. It agreed to provide £200k for 2018-19 within the revenue estimates.  Members asked that the equality screening be updated which has now been completed. A copy has been circulated.

3.2       An equality screening was undertaken of the strategy when it was developed.  This screening updates the original screening using evidence/information that has become available in the intervening period:

·            Mid-term review of the implementation of the strategy

·            Complaints received during the implementation of the strategy

·            List of geographical location of clubs currently affiliated to the IABA

·            Programme monitoring data from IABA’s delivery programme 2017/18 

·            IABA’s action plan and associated KPIs for delivery of 18/19 funding

·            Presentations to Council meeting on 3rd January 2018 by the IABA and Northern Ireland Boxing Association (NIBA)

3.3       The review of the implementation of the strategy in 2015 showed that there had been some positive outcomes in terms of impact on certain underrepresented groups including younger people and females. It also showed that whilst there was a new club in an area that could be perceived to be predominately Protestant there is still an underrepresentation from people who are from a Protestant background.  The review also demonstrated that whilst there has been some work undertaken to make the sport more accessible to people with a disability including an increase in clubs with facilities that are accessible by a person with a disability there is still an underrepresentation in this area.

            The monitoring of the participant data from the IABA delivery of the programme in 2017/18 shows that whilst some work has been ongoing in targeting people from underrepresented groups there is potential to increase this work in several areas including among females, people with a disability and people from a Protestant background.  Members should note that we have been advised that 3 of the 4 clubs previously affiliated to the NIBA have now re-affiliated to the IABA and the 4^th is not currently affiliated to any governing body.

3.4       Based on the available evidence the equality screening has recommended ‘screened out with mitigating actions’.  The mitigating actions are that we will ask the IABA to increase their targeting of the identified underrepresented groups in the delivery of their 18/19 and any future funding programmes.  These actions will include:

·         delivering more try it events in areas that might be perceived as being predominately Protestant;

·         targeting a greater number of schools from sectors other than the Catholic Maintained sector;

·         in the actions around developing coaches and volunteers that they look at opportunities to promote these among underrepresented groups such as people from a Protestant background and from different racial backgrounds;

·         delivering more try it events for people with disabilities and working with more special needs schools;    

·         training more coaches who can work with people with special needs; and

·         continuing to deliver the actions around targeting females to increase the number of female members and coaches.

            Members should note that officers have already spoken to the IABA and asked that they incorporate these actions into the delivery of their remaining 2018/19 programme and that they will be asked to include them in the delivery of any future programmes.

3.5       Financial and Resource Implications

The Boxing Strategy is funded through a recurrent budget and is included in the 2019/20 estimates which have been agreed by Council in February 2019. 

3.6       Equality or Good Relations Implications/

Rural Needs Assessment

            The strategy has been screened in line with the Council’s processes.”

The Committee adopted the recommendation.