Issue - meetings

To receive a report on the Council’s Equality and Diversity policy

The Committee received a report on the Council’s Equality and Diversity Policy from the Performance and Partnerships Manager. The report gave an overview of the Council’s current arrangements for ensuring that it complies with its general and specific duties under the Equalities Act 2010.

The Council had adopted a common sense approach to dealing with equality issues. The Corporate Equalities Group (CEG) had overseen work to comply with the general and specific duties of the Council to comply with the Equalities Act 2010. There was no Equalities Officer for the Council; instead each department managed its own work on dealing with equalities issues. The CEG was made up of representatives from each department and legal support. A full review of the Single Equality and Inclusion Scheme (SEIS) action plan had been carried out taking into account the requirements in the Equality Act. Directorate Action Plans were being prepared which would give clearer ownership of actions and progress to each Directorate.

The Council had Equality Objectives to help focus attention on the priority equality issues in order to deliver improvements in policy making and delivery. The draft equality objectives were contained in Appendix 1 of the report. They were developed taking into account the review of the SEIS action plan. Consultation was taking place on the proposed equality objectives with the intention to report final objectives to Cabinet on 2^nd April 2012.

The Committee welcomed that a common sense approach was being adopted but suggested that it may be helpful to have a statement that set out the Council’s desire to avoid disadvantaging anybody based on the Equality Act 2010 list of protected characteristics. The Committee asked for examples of cases were anyone had transgressed against the Equality Act. It was hoped that service managers were engaging with staff on a continual basis to ensure understanding and compliance with the Equality Act 2010 and the Council’s key objectives.

RESOLVED:

(a)  That the report be received and noted

(b)  That the Partnerships and Performance Manager be requested to return to the Committee in two months with the data from the consultation on the proposed equality objectives and also to provide examples of equality issues regarding employment procedures.