Agenda item

5.1

The Director of Policy and Democratic Engagement submitted a report updating the Strategy and Resources Committee on progress against the Council’s December 2022 response to the Race Equality Commission and setting out recommendations to increase the pace and monitoring of change. This is important if we are to meet our goal to become an anti-racist organisation and implement all aspects of the Race Equality Commission report.

The recommended actions should empower senior leaders to take an active role in monitoring performance and outcomes across their teams, and ensure action plans are fit for purpose to achieve our goals. By doing this we will be working towards addressing racial disparity and seeing equality, diversity and inclusion being integrated into service plans and becoming part of the way we do things within the Council. We will also be able to monitor progress more accurately and be ready to report into the final legacy arrangements.

These recommendations will support us to build an organisation that anyone can feel welcome in and proud to work for and help us to see the services we deliver for every resident improved to tackle the inequalities and racial disparity set out so starkly by the Commission.

In addition, in September we will work with anchor organisations and others to jointly hold an event for community representatives and anchor representatives. This event will enable reflection on the work that has been done and challenge us all to go further and faster over the coming year.

5.2

RESOLVED UNANIMOUSLY: That Strategy and Resources Policy Committee:-

(a) notes the progress made against the Council’s response to the Race Equality Commission agreed at their meeting on 5 December 2022 and agrees the need to increase the pace and monitoring of change;

(b) compile and analyse the learning from the activity to date and set out to the Chief Executive during September a plan to further define priority actions, identify gaps and target support and challenge;

(c) use that plan to support senior leaders to challenge their services, including corporate functions, to set out timebound actions which are realistic and for which impact is measurable;

(d) build on work under our three underpinning areas: learning and development, awareness raising; de-biasing; and data, particularly improving how we gather employee views;

(e) support the work of the legacy working group so that it leads to proposals which enable us to work with anchor organisations, partners and the community to support, learn from, and challenge each other as we seek to make progress; and

(f) agrees that the Strategic Equality Inclusion Board monitors this work and that a further progress report is brought to this Committee in December 2023.

5.3

Reasons for Decision

5.3.1

To learn from early experiences in our response to the Race Equality Commission and refine our approach to increase the pace of change and monitoring.

5.4

Alternatives Considered and Rejected

5.4.1

This Committee agreed that the Council should pursue a specific response to the Race Equality Commission. This report does not recommend a change to that approach.

5.1

The Director of Policy and Democratic Engagement submitted a report updating the Strategy and Resources Committee on progress against the Council’s December 2022 response to the Race Equality Commission and setting out recommendations to increase the pace and monitoring of change. This is important if we are to meet our goal to become an anti-racist organisation and implement all aspects of the Race Equality Commission report.

The recommended actions should empower senior leaders to take an active role in monitoring performance and outcomes across their teams, and ensure action plans are fit for purpose to achieve our goals. By doing this we will be working towards addressing racial disparity and seeing equality, diversity and inclusion being integrated into service plans and becoming part of the way we do things within the Council. We will also be able to monitor progress more accurately and be ready to report into the final legacy arrangements.

These recommendations will support us to build an organisation that anyone can feel welcome in and proud to work for and help us to see the services we deliver for every resident improved to tackle the inequalities and racial disparity set out so starkly by the Commission.

In addition, in September we will work with anchor organisations and others to jointly hold an event for community representatives and anchor representatives. This event will enable reflection on the work that has been done and challenge us all to go further and faster over the coming year.  The Committee clearly expressed its displeasure at the progress made so far in response to the Race Equality Commission and stated the need for urgency to increase the pace and monitoring of change.  There was a clear view that progress must be accelerated.

5.2

RESOLVED UNANIMOUSLY: That Strategy and Resources Policy Committee:-

(a) notes the progress made against the Council’s response to the Race Equality Commission agreed at their meeting on 5 December 2022 and agrees the need to increase the pace and monitoring of change;

(b) compile and analyse the learning from the activity to date and set out to the Chief Executive during September a plan to further define priority actions, identify gaps and target support and challenge;

(c) use that plan to support senior leaders to challenge their services, including corporate functions, to set out timebound actions which are realistic and for which impact is measurable;

(d) build on work under our three underpinning areas: learning and development, awareness raising; de-biasing; and data, particularly improving how we gather employee views;

(e) support the work of the legacy working group so that it leads to proposals which enable us to work with anchor organisations, partners and the community to support, learn from, and challenge each other as we seek to make progress; and

(f) agrees that the Strategic Equality Inclusion Board monitors this work and that a further progress report is brought to this Committee in December 2023.

5.3

Reasons for Decision

5.3.1

To learn from early experiences in our response to the Race Equality Commission and refine our approach to increase the pace of change and monitoring.

5.4

Alternatives Considered and Rejected

5.4.1

This Committee agreed that the Council should pursue a specific response to the Race Equality Commission. This report does not recommend a change to that approach.