Issue - meetings

To seek the committee’s views on the draft action plans for delivering the council’s equality, diversity and inclusion commitments for creating inclusive communities and inclusive services, which are set out in its Equalities Framework, Including Everyone.

Recommendations

The meeting is recommended:

1.1       To review the draft action plans for Inclusive Communities and Inclusive Services and provide comments for the Executive Committee to consider at its April meeting.

1.2       To recommend to the Executive Committee that there is a delegation of authority to the Assistant Director for Customer Focus to make minor amendments to the agreed Inclusive Communities and Services Action Plans in consultation with the portfolio holder and Chair of the EDI working group.

Resolved

(1)  That the following comments be made to the Executive in relation to the Inclusive Communities Action Plan

a.    An additional action be added to EDI 1.02, to develop and agree a policy for supporting national events that support our corporate priorities.

b.    Additional wording be added to EDI 1.03,   Review our approach to supporting refugees, asylum seekers and other vulnerable migrants of all nationalities

(2)  That Executive be recommended to delegate authority to the Assistant Director for Customer Focus to make minor amendments to the agreed Inclusive Communities and Services action plans, in consultation with the portfolio holder and Chair of the EDI working group.

The Assistant Director – Customer Focus submitted a report to seek the Committee’s views on the draft action plans for delivering the council’s equality, diversity and inclusion commitments for creating inclusive communities and inclusive services, which were set out in its Equalities Framework, Including Everyone.

In introducing the report, Councillor Hingley, Chair of the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) working group, advised the Committee that the EDI working group was a joint working group with the Personnel Committee. The working group had reviewed the three draft action plans – Inclusive Communities, Inclusive Services and Inclusive Workforce.

Councillor Hingley explained that the Overview and Scrutiny Committee was asked to provide comments on the Inclusive Communities and Inclusive Services action plans. The Personnel Committee would be considering the Inclusive Workforce action plan at their meeting on 15 March.  All three action plans would be considered by Executive at their meeting on 3 April.

Councillor Hingley proposed the following comments be referred to the Executive in relation to the Inclusive Communities Action Plan, this was seconded by Councillor Broad:

• An additional action be added to EDI 1.02, Promote inclusive behaviour with residents and service users:
  • ‘to develop and agree a policy for supporting national events that support our corporate priorities’.
• Additional wording in italics below be added to EDI 1.03, Work directly with communities to identify inequality and tackle disadvantage:
  • Second action listed: “Review our approach to supporting refugees, asylum seekers and other vulnerable migrants of all nationalities in the district…”.

In response to questions from Councillor Okeke querying why suggested actions he had put forward at working group meetings not being included in the plans before Committee, the Assistant Director for Customer Focus explained that the proposed additional actions would change the action plans quite considerably. They would have required detailed consideration of budgetary and personnel implications to enable full consideration of the proposals. 

The Assistant Director for Customer Focus added that officers were aware of the comments and it maybe they could be included in the future however this would be subject to the necessary information and due process being followed for a business case to be developed.

Resolved

(1)          That the following comments be made to the Executive in relation to the Inclusive Communities Action Plan

a.    An additional action be added to EDI 1.02, Promote inclusive behaviour with residents and service users: to develop and agree a policy for supporting national events that support our corporate priorities.

b.    Additional wording, in italics, be added to the second action of EDI 1.03, Work directly with communities to identify inequality and tackle disadvantage: “Review our approach to supporting refugees, asylum seekers and other vulnerable migrants of all nationalities in the district…”

(2)          That Executive be recommended to delegate authority to the Assistant Director for Customer Focus to make minor amendments to the agreed Inclusive Communities and Services action plans, in consultation with the Portfolio Holder with responsibility for equalities and the Chair of the EDI working group.