Equality Commission to be restructured

Tuesday, 11 August 2009 12:00 AM

By Liz Stephens

The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) is to be restructured, bringing an end to the overall leadership of Trevor Phillips.

The organisation will be restructured with a senior figurehead appointed for each of its areas, including gay rights, disability, sexual and racial equality.

Each figurehead would become the national voice on their particular area, which would be a big loss of power for Mr Phillips, who currently speaks on all issues.

At this stage it is unclear whether the plans will involve appointing senior figures as an official contact on each issue internally or whether a more radical model will be adopted with individual board-level commissioners 'in charge' of each issue.

Current commissioners will have to reapply for their jobs and sources say the government will be looking to appoint a wider political mix including people from the business community.

Equality minister Harriet Harman said: "We put it all into a melting pot, when in fact it needs to be distinct strands

"I think the model was not one that was likely to succeed and it hasn't."

The overhaul comes less than three years after the organisation was set up.

Mr Phillips's style of leadership has been criticised in recent months and several of the organisation's commissioners resigned after he was reappointed for another three-year term last month.

He is known to have opposed the original merger which created the commission and said that some kind of devolution would need to happen.

Accusations of poor management and financial irregularities have dogged the commission in recent months.

Last month the National Audit Office refused to sign off the commission's accounts because consultancy contracts had been offered to seven of Mr Phillips's former colleagues.

The Joint Committee on Human Rights is currently considering an inquiry on his leadership.

Tags:
• domestic policy
,
• equality