Agenda item

Purpose: To present a new Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Framework for the Scrutiny Commission to review prior to going to Executive for approval on 14 December 2023..

April Peberdy (Interim Service Director – Communities and Wellbeing) presented the item on the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Framework (Agenda Item 8).

The following points were raised in the debate:

·       Members questioned the text on P104, which said ‘this will align with one of the goals of the newly elected Liberal Democrat administration to demonstrate that West Berkshire is a good place to work’. It was suggested that reports or strategy documents should not refer to individual political parties. It was also noted that the priority was similar to that of the previous administration.

·       Members noted the aim to progress to achieving Stonewall accreditation. However, in recent months, several large organisations had left the Stonewall Champions Scheme due to concerns related to its Chief Executive’s comments about people with gender-critical views. Also, an independent review had found that any organisations who followed Stonewall’s advice risked committing unlawful discrimination itself. Members were reluctant to pursue Stonewall accreditation, and it was suggested that the Executive may wish to reconsider this.

·       In relation to support for Armed Forces personnel, Members noted that there was only one reference to Dennison Barracks and asked if the commitment should be widened to include those who had retired from the Armed Forces. The Council should be actively seeking to identify them and engage with them. It was confirmed that officers would be engaging with retired Armed Forces personnel to understand their needs and ensure they were met. It was noted that the Armed Forces Champion was Councillor Stephanie Steevenson.

·       Officers indicated that the aim was to have EDI Champions across the Council, including a Member EDI Champion.

·       On page 104, it was suggested that economic, health and economic opportunities be expanded to include social opportunities to address issues with social isolation.

Action: Add social opportunities to the list on page 104.

·       It was noted that the appendices referred to ‘equity’ rather than ‘equality’. This was not part of the Equalities Directive, and it was suggested that achieving ‘equity’ might be an unachievable goal. Members noted that previously there had been no mention of equity. Officers suggested that the aim should be to achieve ‘equity’ as far as possible, so everyone had the same ability to access services.

·       It was noted that equity could be achieved in different ways, and some were easy to achieve (e.g., presenting information in different formats for people with dyslexia).

·       Surprise was expressed that some Members may not wish to aspire to equity, and it was suggested that it was incumbent on the Council to address inequity wherever possible.

·       It was highlighted that p103 of the report talked about transport initiatives, before noting that funding was not available to deliver them. Officers were asked if more should be done to address transport issues, particularly in rural areas. Officers explained that issues could be addressed by delivering services in different ways (e.g., outreach services within communities rather than providing transport).

·       Councillor Lee Dillon indicated that he was happy to accommodate the comment around tackling social isolation, although this was picked up in other strategies. In relation to the equity vs equality issue, he suggested that equity would require allocation of the correct resources so individual could achieve an equal outcome. He suggested that this was a point of difference between the Liberal Democrats and Conservatives.

·       It was suggested that equity was wrapped up within equality and it was highlighted that it may be helpful to have these terms defined within the document. Councillor Ross Mackinnon indicated that Conservatives were fully supportive of measures to promote equality of opportunity.

Action: Definitions of equity and equality to be incorporated into the EDI Framework, possibly within a glossary.

·       It was suggested that the Framework was setting ambitions that would not be achievable. For example, one issue highlighted in the action plan was around inequity amongst Councillors, with some communities / individuals with particular characteristics not represented. However, it was not clear how the Council could address that issue, since this was governed by the election process. However, it was accepted that the political parties could do more.

·       It was noted that the Framework set out what needed to be done and the aspiration to go beyond that with particular groups / communities so they could access services in the same way as others.

·       It was noted that page 201 set out how the Council would engage with LGBT communities, disabled people and others. Members asked how the Council engaged with these groups already. Officers explained that the Council had held recent events for LGBT families at the West Berkshire Museum. Also, work was ongoing within Adult Social Care around supported employment for people with disabilities. Adult Social Care sought to cater for individual client’s additional needs and to support them to engage with their community. The Care Act set out requirements to support people within their local community and to enjoy a successful life.

Resolved to note the report.