Making Equality Real in Tamworth
(MERIT)
Diversity and Equality Scheme
Contents
1 / Statement of Intent / 3
2 / Introduction / 4
3 / Policy Statement / 5
4 / Diversity and Equality at Tamworth Borough Council / 6
5 / What we want to achieve / 8
6 / Equality Impact Assessments / 9
7 / Program of Training / 10
8 / Responsibilities / 11
9 / The Local Government Equality Standard / 14
10 / The Schemes: / 15
10.1 / Race Equality Scheme / 15
10.2 / Disability Equality Scheme / 19
10.3 / Gender Equality Scheme / 21
10.4 / Sexual Orientation Equality Scheme / 22
10.5 / Age Equality Scheme / 23
10.6 / Religious/Belief Equality Scheme / 24
11 / Key Strategic Priorities
Service Delivery
Accessibility
Communication and Consultation
Employment
Partnership working / 25
12 / Feedback / 29
13 / Appendices
1. Background Information
2. Tamworth Statistics
3. Terms of Reference for Diversity and Equality Group
4. Diversity and Equality Scheme Consultee Groups / 32
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41
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1. Statement of Intent
The Council recognises the importance of involving the wider community in the development of services, which are accessible and reflect people’s needs. The Council’s values go further to specify the promotion of equal opportunities and to celebrate diversity.
By making equality and diversity a core element of all things that we do we will be best placed to achieve our vision.
Where barriers exist which prevent us from achieving our goals, we have a moral and legal obligation to break them down.
The promotion of social inclusion within our community and the achievement of the Council’s vision go hand in hand. Tamworth Borough Council will, through the development of our organisation improve access to services by fully understanding our citizen’s needs and aspirations.
This Diversity and Equality Scheme sets out the Council’s approach to tackling discrimination and promoting equality of opportunity.
However, the most important aspects of our new Scheme are not the words within it but the commitments, actions and targets we have set ourselves in conjunction with the Tamworth community and visitors to the area.
Our role in leading this Council includes a commitment to report back to the community of Tamworth on an annual basis about the progress being made and the challenges we face.
2. Introduction
The Scheme outlines how we will promote diversity and equality in the delivery of our services provided both directly by ourselves and in conjunction with our partners.
Taking into account UK legislation we have taken the decision to produce a scheme which clearly addresses our duties and responsibilities in relation to:
· Race
· Gender
· Disability
· Sexual Orientation
· Religion or Belief and
· Age
This reflects our commitment to the wider equality agenda whilst ensuring that the strict duties that are placed upon us under the provisions of the Race Relations (Amendment) Act, Disability Discrimination Act and the Sex Discrimination Act (amended by the Equality Act). Consequently our actions in respect of each area are set out throughout the scheme.
With increased partnership working and procurement of services, the Scheme also sets out the expectations placed on partners and suppliers to contribute to the Council’s equality and diversity agenda.
The aim of this Scheme is to integrate the Councils targeted equality and diversity activities into normal service delivery mechanisms, whilst at the same time encouraging directorates to deliver their products and services in an innovative and creative way. Prior to any mainstreaming a key element of the Scheme will be the expectation that consultation and involvement of individuals and organisations will take place within the community to better understand their requirements and any barriers they face.
3. Policy Statement
We need to create and maintain a community that embraces change and welcomes diversity; diversity helps to build such communities by celebrating differences and combining our talents.
To achieve this, the Council is committed to removing discrimination from public life. This includes major commitments that establish the Council as a community leader:
· The Council is striving to ensure that it does not discriminate against staff or members of the public.
· The Council is working to make Tamworth a place free from racism, sexism, homophobia or discrimination on the grounds of disability, faith and age.
· People are proud to be who they are.
· Striving to ensure that the contribution of all groups is valued.
· All people are empowered to engage as citizens.
· Differences between people are welcomed.
· Removing barriers to ensure that all groups have the same chances of success.
The Council will support anyone who shares the same aims, including community groups, trade unions and partner organisations.
Tamworth Borough Council is committed to providing value for money and accountability which will underpin the delivery of all corporate priorities. Working with others, the Council will deliver services that are well-governed, ethical, effective, efficient and economically viable.
4. Diversity and Equality at Tamworth Borough Council
4.1 What are our duties?
All public authorities have a duty to promote equality around ethnicity, disability and gender. This public duty takes two forms:
· General Duty: sets out overall aims for promoting equality.
· Specific Duty: particular actions that the authority need to carry out to implement the Gender Duty.
4.2 What do we have to produce?
· Race Equality Scheme (since 2002)
· Disability Equality Scheme (since December 2006)
· Gender Equality Scheme (from April 2007).
The Schemes require us to collect data on employment and service delivery, and to have a three year action plan that is reviewed annually.
As a public organisation we have the option of joining up these 3 schemes into a single equality scheme. This can only be done if the specific duties for each of the three are met. These include:
· Gender: commitment to eradicate the pay gap between men and women in the organisation.
· Disability: Involvement of disabled people in planning and delivering services.
· Race: Promote good relations between ethnic communities.
The council will meet these duties within the scheme.
4.3 What is Diversity?
Full descriptions of diversity, and related terminology can be found in appendix 1.
4.4 What is a Diversity and Equality Scheme?
The Scheme is a document which sets out our commitments to embed equality and diversity across everything we do; it is a combination of policy and action planning.
4.5 What is in the Scheme?
This Scheme harmonises our existing equality policies, schemes and strategies into a single document
The scheme:
· Defines Tamworth Borough Council’s policy around diversity and equality.
· Ensures that the policy meets the Council’s legal requirements around the six equality strands:
o Ethnicity
o Disability
o Gender
o Sexual Orientation
o Religion or belief
o Age
· Outlines the following strategic priority areas for achieving equality:
Service Delivery
Accessibility
Employment
Partnerships
Consultation and Communication
· Has an action plan
4.6 Monitoring the Scheme
The Scheme will be reviewed annually to check progress against actions and refresh the action plan for the following year. Progress will be reported to Cabinet on all diversity and equality matters every six months this will be done via the council’s performance management system know as COVALENT.
4.7 Consultation, Communication, Input and Involvement of the Community and Partner Organisations
A key element of the Council’s overall programme of services, which forms an integral part of the Diversity and Equality Scheme, is customer involvement. The ability to access groups and individuals who face barriers and discrimination, which can provide a positive input to the development of services, is vital.
Consultation and involvement with people is an essential part of current equality legislation.
The necessary involvement of people from black and minority groups, disabled people and people of different gender relates to Tamworth Borough Council as an employer, a democratic institution, and as a provider of services, including those procured through outside organisations. The requirements of this single scheme expect us to outline areas where consultation and involvement are necessary.
4.8 Communication
A copy of the Scheme will be given to all staff and elected members, in an effort to ensure that the Scheme is put into practice. In addition, the Scheme will be placed on the Councils intranet and internet. Further details will be contained within the action plan.
The Scheme will also be included with tender information and contracts for work undertaken for TBC by external organisations and individuals. All of our policies, including those relating to Equality and Diversity, will, upon request, be made available in translation and/or in another medium where required.
Our procurement strategy makes specific reference to our commitment ensure that all procurement practices comply with equality legislation.
Our partners and contractors will also be made aware of our commitment and targets under this scheme and again this will detailed in the action plan.
5. What do we want to achieve?
We want to make sure that equality and diversity runs through everything we do. Tamworth must be a place that is welcoming to anyone who visits, lives or works in the town.
Our Scheme lays out our plan to meet the needs of Tamworth’s diverse population. The scheme focuses on the following six equality strands:
· Ethnicity
· Gender
· Age
· Sexual Orientation
· Religion or belief
· Disability.
We need to work with people belonging to each of these strands to ensure that their experience of life in Tamworth is good and continues to develop and improve.
In Appendix 2 you will see that statistics for Tamworth are available and clearly demonstrated how diverse our community is.
6. Equality Impact Assessments
TBC has a programme of Equality Impact Assessments to ensure our policies, procedures and practices are not discriminating against the six equality strands and an extended set of groups with whom we come into contact (such as vulnerable children). Each impact assessment has an associated action plan which will detail how any discrimination identified will be tackled and removed.
A Corporate Equality Impact Assessment Policy and Toolkit has been developed to ensure a consistent approach is taken in the completion of Equality Impact Assessments, and is available via the council’s internet and intranet sites.
Public authorities are required:
· to assess proposed policies for any effects they might have on the promotion of race equality;
· to consult people who are likely to be affected by those policies;
· to monitor policies for any adverse effects they might have on people from different racial groups;
· to ensure public access to information and services;
· to publish the results of the assessments, consultations and monitoring, and;
· to train staff in meeting these duties.
7. Programme of Training and Development
Staff
TBC has a comprehensive Diversity and Equality training programme which was re-launched within Tamworth Borough Council in 2008. The programme is delivered in partnership with IODA who are diversity specialists. The programme is delivered to all employees and consists of:
· Diversity awareness
· Bespoke workshop to help departments identify and deliver their specific diversity responsibilities
· Equality impact assessment training and on-going support
The aim of the programme is to raise awareness of both legal and moral duties in the development of service provision and to afford employee the opportunity to develop their knowledge.
Elected Members
We recognise each year that our elected membership may change and as such we need to ensure that their knowledge and skills in this area is current. Future activities in this area are contained within the action plan.
8. Responsibilities
All Members and employees of the Council have a commitment to carrying out the Diversity and Equality Scheme.
Breaches of the Diversity and Equality Scheme will be treated seriously and may lead to disciplinary action in accordance with agreed procedures. The Chief Executive has overall responsibility to ensure that the Diversity and Equality Scheme is consistently applied, and each Corporate Director and Assistant Director is responsible for making sure that his/her area of responsibility is fulfilling their part of the action plan.
All members of staff have a responsibility to:
· make sure that they understand the values and benefits of equality and diversity;
· familiarise themselves with this Scheme, follow it, and ensure that any staff for whom they are responsible do so as well;
· draw to the attention of their line manager any instances of apparent discrimination or any perceived problem in relation to employment or to the provision of services.
Communication of the Scheme will be paramount to its success and therefore this scheme will be launched formally to all council employees and elected members.
The council operates an annual review of its employees (Personal development Reviews – PDR). The process has been updated to incorporate the council’s vision and corporate priorities which will enable all staff to realise their responsibilities in respect of equalities and diversity.
Diversity and Equality activities on a day to day basis are co-ordinated by the Human Resources Adviser (Training & Development).
Corporate performance on Equality and Diversity is monitored and reported upon via the COVALENT performance management system.
In addition, TBC has a Diversity and Equality Group which has representatives from all areas of the authority, who are diversity and equality champions. The terms of reference for this group are attached at Appendix 3.
Decision Making Structure
Tamworth Borough Council is made up of 30 Elected Members who are accountable to all residents in their electoral divisions. Members follow a code of conduct to ensure high standards in the way they carry out their duties.
All Members meet together in full Council to make decisions about policy and set the budget. The Cabinet is the Council’s main decision making body.
Scrutiny Committees monitor the work of the Executive Committee and the Council as a whole. They look at the effectiveness of the Council’s own policies and inquire into matters of concern and also monitor the Cabinet’s decisions.