British Localism Proposal Raises Religious Discrimination Questions

In Britain last December, the government proposed a new Localism Bill, designed to shift power away from central government to local communities and local organizations. (Background.) A part of the proposal is a "community right to challenge" that gives local voluntary and community groups the right to express an interest in taking over the offering of a local service.  It also includes a "community right to bid" provision.  This calls for local communities to give private community organizations the right to bid on local facilities that are important to community life when the community decides to sell or close them. In a press release today, the British Humanist Association raises the question of whether community services will be offered on a discriminatory basis if religious organizations take them over under these provisions. The government says that these groups will be subject to the provisions of the Equality Act 2010, but it is also seeking ways to prevent extremist groups from taking over local services. A British Humanist Association spokesperson says this is not sufficient, fearing that religious groups will be allowed to discriminate, in part because of exceptions currently in the Equality Act.