Equality & Human Rights Commission being slaughtered

Just when things seem as bad as it can get, government seems determined to unleash a plague of locusts on the support systems needed by the most marginalised and excluded people in what passes for our society.
Government decided that in order to reduce public sector spending generally it would slaughter the funding of the Equality & Human Rights Commission from the £55 million it had in 2010-11, to £26 million in 2014-15 - a budget butchering of 53%.  It has also been decided to give the EHRC £36.8 million [a massive cut of 33%] for this current financial year.
The PCS union which organises staff in the EHRC estimates that this will reduce staff by 72%, with most of them having to go by the end of this year.

Sandra Osborne

Sandra Osborne, Labour MP for Ayr, Carrick and Cumnock, moved a debate on Government policy on the Equality and Human Rights Commission on 24th April.  This received an 'answer' from the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Crime and Security, James Brokenshire.  The Equalities Minister, Lib Dem Lynne Featherstone, could not be at the debate because she was on a tour of Africa - promoting equalities.  If you want to read the Hansard record of that debate, follow this link.

Lynne Featherston, Equalities Minister

Government is taking the piss on equalities and is dismantling important parts of the few protections people have against discrimination.
If you want to email Lynne Featherston and protest at the level of cuts being imposed on the EHRC, use this link.