What was the challenge?
The River Thames Scheme (RTS) is the largest fluvial flood defence initiative in the UK, aimed at protecting communities across five local authority areas in London and Surrey from the impact of modified weather patterns and future climate risks. The project will not only deliver critical flood defences but also create new green and blue infrastructure, offering long-term benefits to residents and ecosystems.
As part of a commitment to the public sector equality duty (PSED), an Equality Impact Assessment (EqIA) was required to ensure that the RTS was designed and delivered in a way that promotes equality, fairness and inclusion. The EqIA aims to identify and assess any potential adverse impacts of the scheme on those with “protected characteristics” as defined under the Equality Act 2010. It was essential to the success of the project that the voices of residents and stakeholders should be considered in the design and implementation phases so that these operational benefits would be distributed equitably.
What was our solution?
As an integral part of this landmark project, Temple’s Socio-Economic and Social Value team worked across the various disciplines firstly to gather the necessary evidence and, secondly, to produce an EqIA of the appropriate depth and robustness for a scheme of the scale of the RTS. Our work ensured seamless collaboration across these disciplines, for example, Climate Change and Noise and Vibration, to assess the cumulative effects of the project and ensure an interdisciplinary and holistic approach to understanding how issues related to equality could be addressed.
Given the scale of the project, it was crucial to consider the potential equality effects at the earliest stages of the design development process. The team’s work complemented initial consultation and stakeholder engagement efforts to identify specific areas of susceptibility. Our expertise in data analysis was integral to informing the scoping process, utilising a combination of site-specific data and comparator geographies at multiple scales; this provided a rich quantitative evidence base for the EqIA.
As the affected local authorities were found to have a significant number of people with “protected characteristics”, it was necessary to understand the unique vulnerabilities within each area and advise accordingly. Targeted outreach to protected characteristic groups offered an important avenue in developing mitigation strategies for the project. An example includes prioritising local hiring, particularly of underrepresented groups, as well as organising integration events between site personnel and residents to foster strong community relations.
How did we add value?
Temple’s interdisciplinary expertise ensured that both health and equality considerations have been integrated into the design and planning stages of the RTS, providing evidence-led insights and actionable recommendations. This helps to ensure that this landmark project not only achieves its flood defence goals but also creates a resilient, inclusive, and vibrant future for the communities it serves.
