Issue - meetings

The Committee considered a report on the consultation on the equality objectives that had been discussed at the Committee’s meeting on 1 March 2012. The report also contained examples of equality issues regarding employment procedures which the Committee requested on the 1 March 2012.

The Performance Manager and the Senior Personnel Officer attended the meeting to present the report. The officers gave an outline of the report. Members asked questions and the following point arose:

·        An Equality Impact Assessment had to be carried out with every business plan to consider how decisions made to change a service affect equality.       

·        Members believed the equality of Councillors and Service Users should be as important as the equality of staff and should be reflected as such in the equality objectives of the Council.     

·        Bullying and Harassment were difficult to define. Personal perception played an important role in whether an individual was being bullied or harassed. There were management structures in place to deal with disputes. Managers would be responsible for making a judgement in each case and the Human Resources service was there to offer advice.

·        Members believed that Social and Economic status should not be included in the list of protected characteristics as social and economic status was considered to be irrelevant when managing and hiring employees.     

·        There was an objective to “develop a culture where staff understand their role in relation to equalities and behaviour in a way that illustrates this understanding”. Members wanted to know how this culture change would be carried out.

RESOLVED:

(a)   That the report be received.

(b)   That the Performance Manager and HR Manager be requested to amend the equality objectives to include Councillors and Service Users as well as Officers so that Councillors and service users are equally protected.

(c)   That the Performance Manager and Senior Personnel Officer be requested to report back to the Committee to explain how Councillors and Service Users will be supported in future as well as Officers.         

(d)   That “social or economic status” should be removed from the list of protected groups in the Council’s policy on equality for staff however that “social or economic status” should be a protected group for Service Users.          

(e)    That the Performance Manager and Senior Personnel Officer be requested to show the practical steps that will be used to “develop a culture where staff understand their role in relation to equalities and behaviour in a way that illustrates this understanding” and the method that will be used to measure achievement of the culture development.