COMMISSION FOR RACIAL EQUALITY

GENERAL STATUTORY NOTICE OF A FORMAL INVESTIGATION

NOTICE THAT THE COMMISSION WILL BE CONDUCTING A GENERAL FORMAL INVESTIGATION INTO REGENERATION WITHIN THE STATED TERMS OF REFERENCE

Notice is hereby given that, acting under the Commission’s duties under section 43 of the Race Relations Act 1976 (RRA), and using powers granted to the Commission under section 48 of the said Act, the Commission intends to carry out a general formal investigation into regeneration (“the investigation”). The investigation will focus on whether and how physical regeneration schemes affect the social and economic circumstances of people residing and working in areas that are being regenerated. The investigation will review public authorities involved in developing regeneration policy and putting regeneration schemes into practice, whether these schemes are carried out by the public authorities themselves or by other public, private or voluntary agencies. The investigation covers England, Wales and Scotland and its terms of reference, as required by section 49 of the RRA, are as follows: 1. To investigate the extent to which public authorities are complying with the duty to promote race equality under the RRA in relation to their regeneration functions; 2. To investigate the economic and social effects of physical regeneration schemes on different racial groups; 3. To investigate the extent, and effectiveness, of community consultation and participation in physical regeneration, from policy proposals to evaluation of completed projects; 4. To investigate the extent to which the private sector does or should consider the implications for race equality of carrying out physical regeneration, and the extent to which public authorities bound by the statutory duty to promote race equality can and do influence the private sector; 5. To consider critically the measures used to evaluate the success or otherwise of physical regeneration schemes in relation to the duty to promote race equality, and the importance of promoting integrated communities; and 6. To consider whether there is adequate oversight and scrutiny of the way organisations involved in physical regeneration schemes take account of racial equality. And as required by section 51(2), the Commission will prepare a report of the findings of the investigation. And in the light of its findings, the Commission may make recommendations using its powers under section 51(1) of the Act. T Phillips, Chairman of the Commission for Racial Equality 5 September 2006.