Equality Framework for Local Government
| Characteristics | Strengths | Areas for improvement |
|---|---|---|
| Councillors and officers take direct and personal responsibility for promoting greater equality and test themselves on progress by the outcomes they achieve | The Governance structure on the Equality and diversity agenda to include member representation on the DSG. The "Respecting Others" Competency ensuring all staff take personal responsibility and accountability for forwarding the "Fair to All" agenda | We are aware that not all members are active on equality issues and we are striving to address this through our revamped members induction programme. |
| It has undertaken equality mapping and has a good understanding of its communities, including the extent of inequality and disadvantage. It has used the information to inform corporate and service priorities | A very good understanding of the changing dynamics of the community, its needs and aspirations. A wide range of methods being used to ensure that all sections of the community are identified. Consultation takes place at all levels with all groups to ensure resources are targeted to the most vulnerable and marginalised. | A central repository to make the mapped data available throughout the council and its partners. |
| It has set stretching equality priorities in consultation with partners in the public and voluntary and community sectors and these are reflected in its sustainable community and other relevant strategies, local and multi-area agreements, and local targets. | All our priorities take full account of local needs and aspirations. Excellent intelligence gathering techniques working in partnership with all stakeholders | Fully embed a partnership approach to the E & D agenda |
| It works with partners in the public and voluntary and community sectors to develop joint equality strategies. | Evidence of good partnership working through the HSP - Havering Intelligence Hub, Joint Strategic Needs Assessment, Harold Hill Ambitions, Hate Incident Panel. | As above. |
| It uses equality impact assessments (EqIAs) to review all major corporate and service changes in policy and regularly conducts service and employment EqIAs. | We now have an embedded programme and process for EIAs.
The capacity building of staff at all levels ensures the sustainability of process in each directorate Sign off process now includes Directorate E & D groups which should begin to drive up the quality. | Making decisions as a consequence of the use of Equalities Impact Assessments could still be improved. |
| It has set appropriate corporate and service/unit objectives to address persistent inequalities and to narrow the gap related to race, gender, disability, sexual orientation, age, religion and/or belief, or other areas of inequality for service delivery. This is based on impact assessments and consultation with internal and external stakeholders and partners. | All service objectives and activities are aligned with the Single Equality Scheme
Service objectives and activities on E & D now integrated into our corporate performance measurement system. Equalities Impact Assessment being conducted on the Transformation Agenda with full consultation on internal and external stakeholders. | Our focus is not so much on the equality strands, but on identifying the most vulnerable and marginalised and targeting resources to tackle disadvantage and promote fairness. |
| It has set appropriate corporate and service/unit employment and pay related objectives for race, gender, disability and age, religion and/or belief and sexual orientation. | Single Status complete.
Detailed workforce strategy aligned with councils goals and values. Actively and regularly seeking feedback from staff to identify areas of improvement. | There is the need to consider if further improvements are necessary in line with this characteristic. |
| Equality objectives are integrated into the local authority's business and service planning processes. | All services and activities are aligned with the Living Ambition Goal for Individuals and the Single Equality Scheme.
Service objectives and activities on E & D now integrated into our corporate performance measurement system. | Perhaps we need to be bold enough to move from Fairness objectives and activities towards setting explicit targets. |
| All relevant data on service access is monitored against the equality strands. | Access to all service users especially the most vulnerable is monitored through a variety of methods to include complaints, customer feedback, user groups. | Should we be monitoring by equality strands as a rule or focusing on what our monitoring data tell us about the most vulnerable and marginalised in the borough. |
| There are good practices of delivery in all the sections of the council with few adverse impacts found in impact assessments. Where adverse impacts have been found these have been mitigated. | Variety of good examples across the council and few adverse impacts found. Where found they were dealt with swiftly. The EIA on town centre signs is a perfect example. | We can improve on using the Impact Assessments as a decision making tool and move away from it just being a paper exercise. This would hopefully be rectified by having the Directorate E & D groups integral to the process. |
| Key stakeholders and community members, including those who are vulnerable and marginalised, are able to scrutinise and challenge performance on equalities issues. | We openly, actively and regularly seek feedback. Our work on Community Cohesion is a good example as well as various user groups to include the friends of parks and the parents forum. | Is there a need to formalise user scrutiny on performance as whole. This is an issue that is currently being considered as part of the development of our Community Engagement, Consultation and Cohesion Strategy. |
| It has developed information and monitoring systems that allow it to disaggregate data where appropriate and to assess progress in achieving objectives and targets. It reviews them in the light of changing needs, when necessary. | Place Surveys (full and interim), Workforce data, Crime and other intelligence material are broken down such that the vulnerable and marginalised are easily identifiable. With the ever changing dynamics of the borough it has become essential that such intelligence is mandatorily reviewed. | We do need a system whereby all the intelligence gathered is readily accessible to all staff in a meaningful way to further enhance service delivery. |