Issue - meetings

Cabinet Member: Policy Co-ordination

Forward Plan Ref: 2014/051

Contact: Alison Yates, Senior Policy Officer Tel: (01865) 815214

Report by Head of Policy (CA8).

Oxfordshire County Council is committed to making Oxfordshire a fair and equal place in which to live, work and visit. We want our services to effectively meet the needs of local residents. We also aim to ensure that our staff are equipped with the knowledge and skills to meet the diverse needs of customers, that our services are accessible, and to encourage supportive and cohesive communities through our service delivery.

In 2012 we launched our Equality Policy setting out how we aim to achieve this goal, as well as meet our obligations under the Equality Act 2010.  In January 2013 we published our first annual update on our progress. Both documents can be read here: http://www.oxfordshire.gov.uk/cms/public-site/equality-and-cohesion Good progress has been made on the objectives in 2013/14 and a second annual update is included in this report in Annex 2.

As we are two years into the four year policy, it is timely to refresh the actions against which we are measuring our progress, to ensure that we are reflecting the work of all our service areas and the priorities of the council, as set out in the latest Corporate Plan and directorate Business Strategies. These new actions are the focus of Annex 1.

Annex 3 presents some key data about the Oxfordshire population, taken from the 2011 Census and categorised by protected characteristics. It also provides information about some of the data we collate about service users and potential service users. The council is required to show it has an adequate evidence base for its decision making.

The Cabinet is RECOMMENDED to agree to the new Equality Policy Action Plan for 2014/15 (Annex 1)

Recommendation agreed.

Cabinet considered the second annual update following the launch in 2012 of the Council’s Equality Policy. Cabinet also considered a refresh of the actions against which the County was measuring progress, to ensure that they reflect the work of all service areas and the priorities of the council, as set out in the latest Corporate Plan and directorate Business Strategies. Cabinet also received some key data about the Oxfordshire population, taken from the 2011 Census and categorised by protected characteristics. The report also provided information about some of the data collated about service users and potential service users.

Councillor Phillips, Shadow Cabinet Member for Public Health & the Voluntary Sector, referred to the Service and Community Impact Assessments and suggested that they should be an integral part of the documentation that informs the decision making process. They had been a useful part of the budget process. It would also be useful to include Health Equity Audits. This would make the work of the Public Health directorate more visible.

Councillor Heathcoat, stated that information is available on the Council’s website and disagreed with the suggestion from Councillor Phillips feeling that it would overload the process with paper. She felt that decision making was already transparent. Councillor Phillips suggested that at the least there could be a reference in each report.

Councillor Chapman in moving the recommendation stated that the vision of the policy was very well embedded in the Council with supporting policies in place. Cabinet Members welcomed the updated policy and refreshed actions.

RESOLVED:           to agree to the new Equality Policy Action Plan for 2014/15 (Annex 1)