Strategic Equality Plan

2012– 2016

(Executive Summary)

Accessible Formats
This document and supporting documents will be published on the Council’s website in English and Welsh in Microsoft Word and pdf formats in Arial font size14 as standard. Other accessible formats including large print, Braille, BSL DVD, easy-read, audio and electronic formats, and other languages will be available upon request. Please contact the Council’s Equality Manager.
Email:
Telephone: 01978 292808
1.Introductionand Background

This Executive Summary briefly summarises the key points from the Council’s Strategic Equality Plan. For further information refer to the full Strategic Equality Plan.

Wrexham County Borough Council is responsible for delivering a range of services to the people who live, work, visit and invest in Wrexham County Borough. The Council is committed to equality and to improving quality of life for everyone across the Borough.

This is our first Strategic Equality Plan. It has been produced to comply with the Equality Act 2010 and the Equality Act 2010(Statutory Duties) (Wales) Regulations 2011.

The Equality Act 2010 came into effect in October 2010 to replace nine different laws. The Equality Act 2010 protects people from unlawful discrimination on grounds of age, disability, gender reassignment, race, religion and belief, sex, sexual orientation and marriage and civil partnership

The Equality Act also creates additional legal duties for public authorities: These “public sector equality duties” are in two parts: the general duty and the specific duties. The duties are complimentary and proactive.

The general duty requires public authorities to:

  • Eliminate unlawful discrimination, harassment and victimisation
  • Advance equality of opportunity between different groups of people
  • Foster good relations between different groups of people

In Wales, the Equality Act 2010 (Wales) Regulations 2011 place upon public authorities in Walesspecific legal duties that require the following actions:

  • Set and publish equality objectives for each protected characteristic and review objectives every four years
  • Set and publish objectives and an action plan to address the pay gap
  • Publish a Strategic Equality Plan by 2 April 2012
  • Assess the impact of all aspects of the Council’s functions and publish results, details of evidence used and decisions taken as a result
  • Ensure published information is accessible
  • Have effective arrangements in place to monitor equality
  • Have effective arrangements in place to gather, analyse and publish employment monitoring data
  • Publish an annual report on progress
  • Use public procurement to contribute to delivery of the councils equality objectives and its performance against the general duty

2. About this Plan

Developing our Plan

  • This plan builds upon our past achievements and replaces earlier schemes such as for disability and race equality.
  • In developing this plan we talked to people from lots of different groups and held a public engagement event where people shared their ideas and experiences
  • In setting our regional equality objectives we undertook extensive research and held regional and local engagement events and workshops using the Challenges for Wales set out in the “How Fair is Wales” report published by the Equality and Human Rights Commission.
  • We worked collaboratively with other public sector organisations in North Wales to identify six shared equality objectives that we will work collaboratively to address, and on a local basis.
  • This plan has been developed alongside the Council’s new Council Plan.
  • This Plan sets out regional equality objectives addressing inequalities across North Wales and local equality objectives for Wrexham Council.

Delivering our Plan

  • This Plan sets our agreed equality objectives, a summary of what we hope to achieve and what we will do. It does not currently contain the targets that we are committed to publishing. This work is being undertaken by departments as part of the Council’s service planning process which will be completed by the end of June 2012.
  • We will publish our detailed action plans for each equality objective by August 2012.
  • The Council has in place a robust framework for delivering this plan and has set out clear roles and responsibilities.
  • We have in place arrangements to carry out equality impact assessments, carry out equality monitoring and train our workforce
  • Where services are delivered by third parties such as contractors or suppliers, we have in place arrangements to ensure the legal duties are met

Monitoring our Plan

  • The Council will monitor progress and performance against this Strategic Equality Plan through the Council’s corporate performance management systems
  • Each year all of the nine Heads of Department will report on the progress their department has made against the equality actions within their departmental service plans. This will be used to inform the Council’s annual report which will be published in a range of accessible formats on the Council’s website, circulated across our relevant networks and reported to senior managers and Elected Members.

Reviewing our Plan

  • The Plan will be in place for a maximum of four years and will be subject to regular review.
  • Should we update any of our equality objectives we will publish those changes promptly.

Reporting on Progress

  • We will publish an annual report setting out our progress against this plan, the effectiveness of our action plans for each equality objective and any other relevant information.
  • The annual report will set out the following:
  • The steps we have taken to identify and collect relevant information and any reasons for not collecting relevant data
  • Details of how this information has been used to meet the general duty
  • Progress towards fulfilling each of our equality objectives
  • A statement summarising the effectiveness of our arrangements for identifying and collecting relevant information
  • The employment information we are required to publish including information on training and pay

Publishing Information

  • We will ensure that this plan and other relevant information we publish is accessible and available in a range for formats and languages.
  • We will also publish a range of workforce and other equality monitoring data and information as required by the law

3. Equality Objectives

The regional equality objectives have been developed through a collaborative project with the six North Wales Local Authorities, Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board (BCUHB), North Wales Fire and Rescue Service, Welsh Ambulance Service NHS Trust, National Parks Authority and North Wales Police.We will work in partnership to deliver these objectives.

Objective / Summary of Action Areas
1. / Reduce Health inequalities /
  • The number of people in under represented groups choosing healthy lifestyles increases
  • Older people’s care is improved so that they are treated with dignity and respect
  • Transgender and Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual people are treated with dignity and respect when receiving care
  • Outcomes for people with Mental Health problems and Learning Disabilities improve

2. / Reduce unequal outcomes in Education to maximise
individual potential /
  • Any educational attainment gap between different groups reduces
  • Identity based bullying in schools reduces

3. / Reduce inequalities in Employment and Pay within the community /
  • Inequalities in employment are reduced
  • Any pay gaps are identified and addressed (both within the community and within the Council)

4. / Reduce inequalities in Personal Safety /
  • The reporting of hate crime and harassment increases and steps are taken to reduce hate crime and harassment
  • The reporting of domestic abuse increases steps are taken to reduce domestic abuse

5. / Reduce inequalities in Representation and Voice /
  • Decision making bodies become more representative of communities they serve

6. / Reduce inequalities in access to information, services, buildings and the environment /
  • Access to information and communications and the customer experience improve
  • Physical access to services, transport, the built environment and open spaces improve

Wrexham County Borough has set six furtherlocalequality objectivesthat focus on helpingthe Councilto build capacity to meet the legal duties across all of the protected characteristics.

Objective / Summary of Actions
/ To identify if there is a gender pay gap and any other pay gaps for the other protected groups and to action plan as appropriate /
  • Deliver the Employee Pay and Reward Policy
  • Meet the requirements of the gender pay reporting, audit and analysis
  • Complete an Equal Pay Audit
  • Update Council’s Pay Policies

/ To increase the diversity of the Council’s workforce to better reflect the local population /
  • Deliver the Employee Pay and Reward Policy
  • Further improve equality monitoring arrangements
  • Update HR policies
  • Support diversity and personal / professional development of staff

/ All departments to have achieved the Council’s Equality Improvement Award by 1 April 2013 /
  • Build capacity in all departments to meet the legal duties

/ All staff and elected Members to have a good understanding of local diversity and the application of equality and human rights laws and concepts to enable them to deliver services that meet varied need. /
  • Deliver a comprehensive equality training programme
  • Develop equality and diversity data and information
  • Assess the impact of proposed policies

/ All procurement activities to contribute to delivery of the equality duties and improved outcomes for protected groups. /
  • Develop arrangements to work with contractors and suppliers to advance equality

/ Protected groups are actively engaged in local issues and decision making and are consulted on decisions that affect their lives /
  • Introduce a new engagement strategy and work with a wide range of people to develop engagement plans
  • Establish the equality assurance reference group.

4. Contacts and Further Information

For further information about the Councils Strategic Equality Plan please contact:

The Equality Manager, Community Wellbeing and Development Department, Lord Street, Wrexham.

Telephone 01978 292808

Email:

Supporting Documents

  • Strategic Equality Plan 2012 – 2016
  • Report of the North Wales Regional Stakeholder Engagement Event held on 20 September 2011
  • Report summarising the “How Fair is Wrexham” public engagement event
  • North Wales Shared Equality Objectives and Background and Research Documents

Strategic Equality Plan 23.3.12

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