What is an Impact Assessment?

Impact Assessment helps us consider the actual or potential effects of our activities and decisions on people, the economy and the environment.

It’s what used to be called an “EINA” (Equality Impact and Needs Assessment). We revised the “EINA” paperwork to include economic and environmental impacts so we can make better, more joined-up decisions about delivering services or making changes.

The assessment gives us the opportunity to do things better by:

  • Taking an evidenced based approach – using facts, data, information and feedback to inform our thinking.
  • Exploring ways to improve the services we provide (positive impacts).
  • Removing or reducing negative impacts by flagging up issues that would be expensive or inconvenient to fix later.
  • Considering options, outcomes and risks alongside costs and value for money.
  • Increasing public trust by showing how we make decisions.



An Impact Assessment is not ‘a form’; it’s a process to make sure we have considered the most effective way to use our resources to advance equality and reduce inequalities between groups, to reduce environmental harm and support the economy. The form is just a way to record what we have considered and what evidence we used to come to a recommendation or decision. Sometimes a statement is sufficient rather than a separate form. For further guidance, please see the Toolkit.

Easy read guide to Impact Assessment