Meeting documents

Cabinet
Tuesday, 15 November 2005

CA151105-14

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ITEM CA14

CABINET – 15 NOVEMBER 2005

RACE EQUALITY SCHEME AND CORPORATE EQUALITY PLAN

Report by Assistant Chief Executive

 

Purpose and Background to this Report

  1. The purpose of this report is to consider the Council’s progress in implementing its statutory Race Equality Scheme and Corporate Equality Plan. This includes a review of overall progress and service improvements achieved during the Council’s first Race Equality Scheme (covering the period 2002-05) and identifying progress to date on the Council’s current scheme and Corporate Equality Plan.
  2. The Council's Race Equality Scheme for 2005-08 and Corporate Equality Plan for 2005-08 were agreed by the Executive in March 2005. Implementation of a combined Equality Impact Assessment process, as required by the Corporate Equality Plan, ensures that gender, disability and race equality issues are effectively addressed at the same time during reviews of functions and policies, whilst also keeping each element distinct and clearly identifiable. This also ensures that complex statutory requirements can be implemented by services in as non-burdensome a manner as possible.
  3. Continued implementation of the Corporate Equality Plan will assist the Council in meeting:

    1. the requirements of the Disability Discrimination Act 2005 to develop a Disability Equality Scheme (probably by December 2006), as agreed by the Cabinet in June 2005; and
    2. the duty to develop a Gender Equality Scheme as proposed in Part 3 of the Equality Bill (probably to come into force in April 2007) as also noted by the Cabinet in June 2005.

  4. Demonstrating that the Council consistently meets its statutory requirements in equality and diversity has been a key requirement in the Council’s Corporate Assessment for CPA, Direction of Travel Assessment, Fire & Rescue Service CPA, Youth Service OFSTED Inspection, LEA OFSTED Inspection, Adult & Community Learning Inspection, Commission for Social Care Inspection, Children’s Services Annual Performance Assessment and Value for Money Assessment. These requirements will feature equally strongly, and in some cases more prominently, in future inspections, audits and assessments. Implementation of the Corporate Equality Plan should also enable the Council to mount a strong defence should any claim be made against it under any of the relevant equality legislation.
  5. Statutory Race Equality Scheme and Corporate Equality Plan 2005-08

  6. The Race Relations Act 1976, as amended by the Race Relations (Amendment) Act 2000, places a statutory General Duty on the Council to actively promote race equality by having due regard to the need to:

    • Eliminate unlawful racial discrimination;
    • Promote equality of opportunity; and
    • Promote good relations between people of different racial groups.

  1. The Act also imposes a number of statutory Specific Duties on the Council as a scheduled public authority. One of these Specific Duties is the requirement to publish a Race Equality Scheme and to then publish a revised scheme at least every 3 years. The other Specific Duties relate to employment.
  2. The Race Equality Scheme sets out the Council’s arrangements for meeting the requirements of the General and Specific Duties, in particular:

    • Assessing our functions and policies for relevance to the General Duty.
    • Monitoring, reviewing and assessing our functions and policies for their impact on race equality.
    • Consulting on and assessing new functions and policies for relevance and impact.
    • Meeting the employment Specific Duties.
    • Ensuring public access to information, services and to the Race Equality Scheme, and publishing the results of the employment Specific Duties, consultations, monitoring and impact assessments.
    • Informing and training staff in connection with the General and Specific Duties.

  1. These requirements are implemented through the Scheme’s Action Plan. A progress report was reviewed by CCMT’s Equality and Social Inclusion Steering Group on 27 September 2005 (Annex 1), together with an end of scheme review of the Race Equality Scheme 2002-2005 (Annex 2). Membership and terms of reference of the steering group are attached for reference (Annex 5).

    (Annex 1 - download as .doc file)
    (Annex 1 - download as .pdf file)
    (Annex 2 - download as .doc file)
    (Annex 2 - download as .pdf file)
    (Annex 3 - download as .doc file)
    (Annex 3 - download as .pdf file)
    (Annex 4 - download as .doc file)
    (Annex 4 - download as .pdf file)
    (Annex 5 - download as .doc file)
    (Annex 5 - download as .pdf file)
  2. The employment Specific Duties require the Council to monitor by reference to racial groups:

    • Staff in post.
    • Applicants for employment, training and promotion.
    • Staff who receive training.
    • Staff who benefit or suffer detriment as a result of performance assessment procedures.
    • Staff that are involved in the grievance procedure.
    • Staff that are subject of disciplinary procedures.
    • People that cease employment with the County Council.

  1. An annual report on the employment Specific Duties as at 31 March 2005 was reported by the Cabinet Member for Policy Co-ordination to the Council’s Race Equality Scheme Reference Group on 28 June 2005 and reviewed by CCMT’s Equality and Social Inclusion Steering Group on 27 September 2005 (Annex 3).
  2. The Corporate Equality Plan enacts the Council’s adoption of the Equality Standard for Local Government, developed by the Employers’ Organisation for Local Government, and ensures that statutory requirements to promote equality with respect to race, disability and gender are implemented consistently and in as non-burdensome a manner as possible.
  3. The progress report on achieving the Corporate Equality Plan implementation milestones (Annex 4) demonstrates that progress is on track. In addition, briefing sessions on the Equality Impact Assessment Process have now been organised for officers in all directorates undertaking reviews of functions and policies this year.
  4. RECOMMENDATIONS

  5. The Cabinet is RECOMMENDED to:
          1. note the progress report on the Race Equality Scheme 2005-08 Action Plan (Annex 1 to this report);
          2. agree the end of scheme review of the Race Equality Scheme 2002-05 (Annex 2 to this report);
          3. note the annual report on employment Specific Duties as at 31 March 2005 (Annex 3 to this report);
          4. note progress in achieving the Corporate Equality Plan 2005-08 implementation milestones (Annex 4 to this report);
          5. confirm that CCMT should continue to ensure implementation of the Council’s Race Equality Scheme and Corporate Equality Plan through its Equality and Social Inclusion Steering Group (Annex 5 to this report).

STEPHEN CAPALDI
Assistant Chief Executive

Background papers: Nil

Contact Officer: Adrian Harper-Smith, Corporate Strategies Manager, Chief Executive’s Office. Tel: (01865) 810179.

November 2005

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