Case Study - LGB Community Engagement

Progressive employers recognise that being forward-thinking on lesbian, gay and bisexual (LGB) equality is not only crucial in the labour market – LGB people are also consumers and service users, representing a market estimated to be worth £70–81 billion per year in Britain alone. For many LGB people – and the wider population – an organisation’s attitude towards the LGB community is just as important as its behaviour as an employer.

Bristol City Council recognises the importance of involving local people in the design and delivery of their services, and specifically engages with the city’s lesbian, gay and bisexual community as part of its wider commitment to consultation. During LGBT History month, the council worked with a number of partner organisations to hold a series of events designed to further engagement with gay people and raise awareness of LGB issues across the city. A number of volunteers, both LGB and non-LGB, staffed the Council’s stall at Bristol Pride, with the authority’s Adoption and Fostering team having their own stall at the event to provide information to potential LGB adopters and foster parents.

The council consults with the local Rainbow Group on a range of issues in regular consultation meetings. Areas of consultation have included Equalities Impact Assessments on the council’s budget cuts, health and social care, and hate crime.

The council provides many tailored services to the LGB community such as an LGBT Youth Group. It also funds the LGBT Bristol group to represent the views of the LGB and T communities and assist the council in communicating with them. As part of this partnership, Bristol City Council has shared its expertise with LGBT Bristol, supporting them to apply for funding that has enabled the group to set up a walking group for older LGB people in Bristol.

All engagement with the LGB community is evaluated on an initiative by initiative basis. As a result of this evaluation, the council were able to identify that their presence at Bristol Pride resulted in an increase in the number of adoption and fostering enquiries from LGB people.