The Equality Bill published by Government this week is likely to have a major impact on housing organisations when the legislation comes into force in April 2010 according to the Chartered Institute for Housing (CIH).

The legislation will place new duties on public bodies, which are likely to form part of the regulatory and inspection framework, as well as service provision and community engagement.

The new legislation will draw together nine current pieces of legislation and will affect bodies in England, Scotland and Wales. It will cement the rights of many groups of people who rely heavily on the social housing such as disabled people, older age groups and black and minority ethnic groups. However, the new legislation will require public bodies to consider and plan more effectively for the diverse needs of their communities on issues such as sexual orientation, religion or belief.

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John Thornhill, Senior Policy and Practice Officer at CIH said: "CIH welcomes the Equality Bill which will make equalities legislation more accessible to millions and will empower housing providers to create more equal employment opportunities and diverse communities. A lot of work is already underway to prepare for the Equality Bill and CIH is working in partnership with the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) to ease the way for this legislation into the housing sector."

(CD/JM)