Research into the impact of Government policy on Equalities Groups in the North West finds that:
1. Reforms have come at a cost
2. New forms of representation are weak and exclude equalities groups
3. Spending cuts are damaging voluntary sector capacity to deliver big society
4. The new policy framework is liable to reinstate old patterns of exclusion and discrimination
5. Implementation is disproportionately harming the most excluded
6. The capacity of equalities groups to participate and hold public bodies to account is heading towards a point of critical failure.

Links:
► The Full report (.pdf, 800KB) is available below through download link
► A word version is available here (4 MB)
► Executive Summary (.pdf)
► Executive Summary (.word)