Issue - meetings

Report of Corporate Director for Customers and Organisational Development

Purpose of report

This paper for the Overview and Scrutiny Committee outlines the joint approach to equalities, diversity and inclusion being taken by Cherwell District Council in partnership with Oxfordshire County Council.

Recommendations

1.1      Overview and Scrutiny are recommended to:

a)         Comment on the draft policy document;

b)         Make suggestions for its associated action plan, which will be recommended to Executive for agreementby on 2 November 2020;?

c)          Advise on an effective performance monitoring approach for the policy. 

Resolved

(1)       That the draft policy document be noted

(2)       That digital inclusivity and community integration of non-English speakers be included in the associated action plan, which will be considered by the Executive at their meeting of 2 November 2020

The Committee considered a report from the Corporate Director for Customers and Organisational Development which gave details of a proposed new inclusion framework.

In introducing the report, the Lead Member for Customers and Transformation explained that a partnership approach had been undertaken with Oxfordshire County Council (OCC) to draft the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion framework ‘Including Everyone’.

A number of engagement sessions had been held with staff at both Cherwell District Council (CDC) and OCC, with information gathered relating to experiences of inequality. Further staff sessions had then been held during August, to discuss the draft framework and seek feedback, which would shape the final policy.

The policy would be accompanied by individual action plans for CDC and OCC to take account of the unique circumstances and actions needed in each council.  

The Executive were due to consider the draft Framework and the associated Action Plan at their meeting in November.

The Committee congratulated officers for the work that had been undertaken, and supported the draft framework.

With regards to suggestions for the CDC action plan, the Committee commented that not all residents had access to IT equipment or the internet at home, and in some areas of Banbury Polish speaking residents accounted for a large proportion of the electorate. It was therefore requested that digital inclusivity and community integration of non-English speakers be included.

The Committee also requested that consideration be given to anonymised job applications during the recruitment process. 

Resolved

(1)       That the draft policy document be noted.

(2)       That digital inclusivity and community integration of non-English speakers be included in the associated action plan, which will be considered by the Executive at their meeting of 2 November 2020.